Generally Specific

Nancy is a good friend of ours and when we decided to jump into the second season, we knew we had to talk to her. With most of our guests we'll talk to this season, Nancy had an interesting time during quarantine. They balanced the heartbreak of isolation and death with professional milestones, starting a new job and finishing a new book. The book, Corazon de Seda, is a collection of poetry spanning years, tackling love, family and identity. Before the pandemic hit, Nancy participated in a poetry workshop which reignited her love poetry and pushed her to make the decision to self publish a body of work. On the General Side of our conversation with Nancy, we get into the details of the book, their journey with ceramics (which Andre attempts to make a terrible segue to) and her work as a BIPOC in the predominantly cis gender, white world of film and television production. On the Specific Side Nancy introduces us to the work of Sarah Kay, a poet and the the founder and co-director of Project V.O.I.C.E., a group dedicated to using spoken word as an educational and inspirational tool. Like Nancy's work, Sarah's poetry is sharp, but forgiving, emotionally astute and extremely well-informed. Nancy also guides us through one of her poems her book, He Calls Me Flower, which she reads for us and provides some insight into. You can check out the work of Sarah Kay here. Nancy's Recommendations: Put on some music, get into some comfy clothes and dance. Women, Race & Class by Angela Davis. Andre's Recommendation: I Care A Lot, the Netflix movie featuring Roseamund Pike, Peter Dinklage, Eiza Gonzalez & Dianne West. Anthony's Recommendations: The photography work of Ming Smith, a member of the Kamoinge Workshop from the 1960s. The group's work can be seen in an exhibit in the Whitney, which includes Smith's work. Your Black Friend and Other Strangers by Ben Passmore You can catch Nancy on Instagram and Twitter [at] nancyazc. Her book, Corazon de Seda, drops April 28th. Generally Specific is produced by Anthony Cosme and Andre Doughty. Music for the show comes from Nothing_Neue (you can find his work here). * Note - this conversation was recorded in mid March.

Hey guys, we're back. Starting our second season the same way we started the first - catching up with us. When we dropped our first season, the pandemic just started to hit stateside. 1 year later, we're back - finally coming to terms with the recording realities of world and sane enough to get back into things. We chop it up about what we've been up to, creative blocks and what Youtube black holes we've gone down. Our theme and music for the pod comes from Nothing_Neue.

We're gonna keep it 100 for a second: before the we recorded this episode we had no idea what Antonina Vargas did. Being open to various kinds of experiences, Nina just happens to be a person who knows how to be at the right place at the right time. Spending her formative years studying acting, Nina graduated FSU and moved to New York with the idea that she'd keep her options open, giving herself time to work on various film projects, but not letting the trade consume her. Her flexibility brought her into the music scene, which Andre and Anthony both orbit. On the General Side, we literally catch up with Nina. She gives us an abridged version of her acting education and her move to NY, and how she become the version of Nina that New York knows her to be. On the Specific Side, Nina guides the Generally Specific boys through a poem and a stage play that had an early impact on her, and chops it up about the music and people that inspire her on the regular. Antonina's Recommendation: Give yourself some time to be yourself when you wake up. Give yourself at least an hour before you touch your phone. Andre's Recommendation: Dear, Dreamer: A Portrait of Jason Reynolds Anthony's Recommendation: The Extra Glenns - Martial Arts Weekend

Our next guest is the musical wizard known as Fax Mercury. A multi-instrumentalist, audio engineer and music producer, Fax's musical intellect shines through his production, like on his whimsically named remixes of popular tracks or on fuller length projects like 2Shiggy2Jiggy. Fax joined us in the .Wavcave Studio for a chat about the influences that have shaped him. On the General Side, Fax talks about the many instruments he's tackled, his desire to work in the field of sound design for film and video games, and how he plans to move on his own time. On the Specific Side, Fax jumps into how time and place, seasons and locations directly influence the sounds he's producing. Andre's Recommendation: Illphoria 2 by Nolan the Ninja Fax Mercury's Recommendation: Library Music catalogues like APM Music & Bruton Music. Geoff Bastow (a library music artist) Anthony's Recommendation: The Recipe by Villain Park

Our next guest is tryna be that guy in 2020. Mike Weir is a cinematographer, writer, and director who's work with Pro Love Visuals has put him behind the lens of various music videos, short films, and commercial work. Initially unsure about what he'd do after high school, some visual work from Kanye West and Flying Lotus set Mike on the path he travels today. He joins to the Generally Specific fellas to chat about what 2020 brings. On the General Side, Mike and the fellas chop it up about his start, wearing multiple hats on set, the experience of going to a theater and much more. On the Specific Side, Mike brings up some of his favorite cinematic artists working today. Anthony's Recommendation: Canadian television show Schitt's Creek. Andre's Recommendations: The movie High Flying Bird by Steven Soderberg The first season of the Cinemax show The Knick, directed by Steven Soderberg. Animated film director Hitoshi Kon. Mike's Recommendation: The anime The Promised Neverland. Generally Specific is produced by Andre Doughty and Anthony Cosme and is recorded in the Wavcave Studio in Bushwick. Our music for the show comes from Nothing_Neue.

Our next guest is on a quest. A poet from Brooklyn, Jess DeJesus spins words together and lays them over production as the musical artist Aura. Short for Always Understand and Revive Affinity, Aura's journey toward understanding pulls us into a conversation about expression, growth and finding a place you can call home. Growing up as a single child left Aura with an outsider's perspective, searching for community but never feeling truly at home within one. On the General Side we catch up with Aura and her learn a little bit history (she used to be a dancer) and about the nuances between poetry and song. On the Specific Side, Aura breaks down how the communities around her inspire her to build a community of her own. We chat about what it means to fit in and how that search ultimately leads to growth. Of course, if you haven't listened to her music, please give it a spin. Andre's Recommendation: The Jungle is the Only Way Out by Mereba. Anthony's Recommendation: Crushing by Julia Jacklin Generally Specific is produced by Andre Doughty and Anthony Cosme and is recorded in the Wavcave Studio in Bushwick. Our music for the show comes from Nothing_Neue.

Our next gues on Generally Specific is our 'ol buddy Brandon Rowan, professionally known as Birocratic. The Brooklyn based producer has made a name for himself with his string of beat centric albums, his collaborations with artists like Akinyemi and Flamingosis and you can hear his music as the theme for the Spotify podcast Dissect. As you'd expect when you put three friends together in a room with microphones in their faces, this conversation goes all over the place. On the General Side, we chop it up about his touring experience, navigating an extroverted experience as an introvert, his apartment cat, Scooter, and the way in which he brought his music to the early days of bloggers. On the Specific Side, we talk about how the absurdity in all things moves Brandon to process, create, live & laugh. Thanks to the homie Brandon for chopping it up with us. If you haven't, make sure you check out his music. Birocratic's Recommendation: Bill Burr's Monday Morning Podcast Anthony's Recommendation: The Buck Starts Here by Sean Jordan Andre's Recommendation: Listen to Worldwide FM. Dre's a particular fan of Worldwide Daily with Erica McKoy. Generally Specific is produced by Andre Doughty and Anthony Cosme and is recorded in the Wavcave Studio in Bushwick. Our music for the show comes from Nothing_Neue.

Our next guest on Generally Specific is Abhita Austin, the founder of The Creator's Suite, an organization that promotes a global community of Women in Music Production. When it comes to the music industry, we know that the disparity of opportunities between men and women still exists, but warriors like Abhita are working to change that. On the General Side of the pod, our conversation brings us to Abhita's work and a variety of female musicians, engineers, producers and artists that are working in the industry today. On the Specific Side, we dive into the various ways in which people take care of themselves, be it meditation, walks through the park, sensory deprivation tanks, or chiropractic care. We open the portal to self-care and see what exists on the other side. Big thank you to Abhita for making us go there and sitting down with us! Anthony's Recommendation: Be Here Now by Ram Dass Artist bbymutha (her Colors performance is a good starting point) Andre's Recommendations The Return by Sampa The Great GREY AREA by Little Simz Ugly Delicious on Netflix (hosted by David Chang) Recode Media podcast episode How The Wu-Tang Clan Raised Sophia Chang Abhita's Recommendations: The Astronomy Club on Netflix Women in Audio by Leslie Gaston Bird (the book features Abhita as well)

Ooh baby! The first official episode of the pod is now available for your ears! This week on Generally Specific we sit down with the Newark based photographer Chrystofer Davis. (@dolo_foto on Instagram) This one goes all over the map. We talk about what it means to be a photographer in the digital age, we talk about the process and love that goes into working with film and on the Specific side we all geek out over hip-hop and jazz music. This episode is very special to us (it’s our first one) and we want to extend a huge thank you to Chrys for taking the time to sit down and chat with us. Dig it! Anthony's Recommendations: The Youtube channel for Chillicothe, Ohio photographer Matt Day: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCopwCE5bVtffQif8IFkbUuw The Instagram for Matt Day: @mattdayphoto The Youtube link for the Blue Note related documentary that he mentioned in the episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhS2SrWW6VI&has_verified=1 Andre's Recommendation: Ghost Notes: Music of the Unplayed by Brian "B+" Cross: https://www.mochilla.com/ghostnotes/ut-press Generally Specific is recorded at the Wavcave Studio in Bushwick, Brooklyn and produced by Andre Doughty and Anthony Cosme. To check out the Wavcave space and all they have to offer, check them out here: http://www.wavcavebk.com/. Our theme song and additional music come from Nothing_Neue. You can check out more dope stuff from him here: https://soundcloud.com/nothing_neue.

Welcome to Generally Specific, the podcast that talks to inspiring people about what inspires them. Each week, Anthony and Andre will invite a guest to talk about what they're doing and what gets them going. To start the show off, Anthony and Andre talk about their inspirations, the creative process and much more. The show is recorded at the Wavcave Studio in Bushwick. The music for the show is produced by Nothing_Neue. You can check out music from him here: https://soundcloud.com/nothing_neue Anthony's Recommendations: - The Americans by Robert Frank - Bystander: A History of Street Photography by Colin Westerbeck - Walker Evans Andre's Recommendations: - Yours Truly - Yours Truly Creative - Yours Truly: The Art of Sampling with Robert Glasper