Get to know Atwood Magazine‘s writers in our special column where they become the interviewees, sharing their personal playlists and talking about their experiences covering music!
New York native Ciaran Short couldn’t avoid noise growing up, but eventually, amidst the chaos of the world’s loudest city, he trained his ear to listen for the moments of pause. Ultimately, he found he could not only focus, but truly extend these instances through his writing practice.
Atwood Writer’s Playlist: Ciaran Short
Meet Our Writers: Ciaran Short!
Where are you from and where are you based?
Ciaran Short: I was born and raised in New York City. I grew up on the Upper West Side, but these days I spend most of my time on the Lower East Side.
How did you get into music writing?
Ciaran Short: My freshman year of high school I went to the Governors Ball Music Festival for the first time and experienced music in a completely new way. My limited funds as a teen often resulted in me going to a lot of concerts I didn’t particularly like, so for some time, concerts were less about enjoying the music and more about experiencing the atmosphere. With festivals having such a robust lineup, though, I finally had the opportunity to see artists I truly loved. At the time, there was no one I was more excited to see than Kanye West, who was headlining the festival. It was a couple weeks before Yeezus was going to come out and he played the album in its entirety. The menacing drums of “Black Skinhead” tore through the crowd like a bomb. He had previously debuted the song on SNL a couple weeks before, but no one was prepared for the full live experience of the album. Collectively hearing such a beautiful and haunting album in real time on a summer night in New York City among thousands of people, I had never felt so present. That moment has inspired all of my creative pursuits. Trying to capture that feeling in words led me to writing about music and steadily chasing that feeling at the concerts I go to.
Who was your very first concert, and who have you seen most recently?
Ciaran Short: I don’t actually remember my very first concert because there were a lot of events and live performances my parents would drag me to around the city, so concerts felt sort of commonplace. I was also never the one actively choosing to see the shows and typically the music wasn’t really my vibe. However, I have a very clear memory of the first concert I ever went to alone.
I was in the 7th grade and had just started to really explore the city freely yet I still had pretty strict rules when it came to going out at night. A work-around for this was being in groups, so a bunch of my friends and I planned to go to a concert. It was 2012 and one of the most popular songs at the time for middle school boys was obviously “Rack City,” so when we saw that Tyga was going to be at the Best Buy Theater, now the Playstation Theater, for what were like $15 tickets we jumped at the opportunity, collectively lobbying that our parents let us go.
Now the actual music, I don’t remember at all. I wasn’t a very big fan of Tyga at the time and am not at all now, but the people in the crowd I’ll never forget. Witnessing the split-second change in demeanor from people aimlessly milling about and waitin, to erupting in sheer energy and excitement as the set began was thrilling. I instantly felt like I was part of something bigger than myself. Most of the people there were united by their love of Tyga and witnessing the pure joy bouncing around me in the bodies of the crowd got me hooked on seeing live music. I now try to go to concerts by both emerging and established artists as much as I can. The last concert I went to was a showcase featuring the Ariel Vera Quartet, Stice, and the Miranda Agnew Quartet at All Street NYC. The show featured a lot of really impressive and experimental jazz music that music wise could not have been more different from my first live music experience, but that same energy of elation and excitement was still palpable in the room.
Who are two or three of your favorite up-and-coming artists right now?
Ciaran Short: Three of my favorite up and coming artists are Blackboy Infinity, Kin River Works, and Mathew Freakbones. The three artists exist in very different worlds of music, but are all navigating the New York music scene with a unique and refreshing approach. Blackboy Infinity has created a cohesive universe, displaying his equally infectious personality, punchy rhymes, unrelenting energy, and masterful comedic timing across his songs, music videos, and social media content. However, when listening to Blackboy Infinity, you’re not just listening to a fun song; you’re truly getting an intimate view into his community, as the subject matter of his songs frequently feature subjects and themes the artist is genuinely passionate about as he fully expands on projects with supporting visuals and promotions. Kin River Works opts for a more subdued and stripped down artist persona, allowing listeners to fully immerse themselves into his smooth yet raw musical output. On his songs, Kin River Works bares his soul with a cutting honesty that, when supported by his calming voice, creates an ephemeral atmosphere mimicking the fleeting heartbreak often explored in his music. Somehow, his music creates a duality in promoting internal reflection and thought, while also offering a serenity that immediately puts the listener at ease. Inversely, Mathew Freakbones seemingly exists on a spectrum of simultaneous emotion and confusion beyond the confines of genre or even language. With a chant-like repetition and a storytelling lyrical delivery, Freakbones truly takes the listener on a journey of various twists and turns, showcasing the limitless potential of his imagination. Although Freakbones has a very limited catalog of music at the moment his entry into the music world feels monumental, everyone I know that’s heard the song and seen the video has had a similar reaction in feeling as if they’ve slipped into a euphoric trance, resulting in a compulsory need to listen again and again.
What’s something you’ve learned from working as a music journalist?
Ciaran Short: Something I’m still in the process of learning is finding balance between trusting my instincts and pushing the boundaries of my tastes in all areas of art. By interrogating my preferences, I’ve come to recognize the value of music beyond just what I like or typically gravitate towards genre wise. In doing so, I’ve been more open minded in exploring and continuously finding new music.
What’re your favorite moments covering music? Can be from interviews, reviews, in-person events/shows, anything.
Ciaran Short: Simply finding new artists I love. I feel like nothing gets me more excited than finding an album I can listen to straight through with no skips and adding songs to new playlists. Discovering new music is like the early stages of falling in love, but hopefully without the eventual heartbreak to follow.
If you could ask one question to any artist or band, who would it be and what would you ask?
Ciaran Short: I’d ask Drake how he really feels about his beef with Kendrick Lamar and how he plans to bounce back.
What are you most looking forward to this year, music-wise?
Ciaran Short: I’m really looking forward to A$AP Rocky’s new album, Don’t Be Dumb. The two singles he’s put out and the accompanying visuals in support of the album have brought his unique artistry back into mainstream hip-hop. Rocky has consistently pushed the genre forward with everything from his fashion choices, music videos, and, most importantly, his music itself. With a clear and concise understanding of visual and sonic aesthetics, A$AP Rocky always creates a little universe to accompany his albums that feel experimental and daring, while remaining true to his roots and spirit.
It feels like a generation of rappers are transitioning from being young trendsetters to a phase of either becoming icons or just old heads. Much of the world-dominating beef between Kendrick and Drake seemed to clearly outline this shift in culture. A$AP exists in this previous class of rappers that rose to popularity during the mixtape and blog era, prior to the true take over of social media in the music industry. However his rise was at the tail end of the blog era and much of his sound has pushed beyond the boundaries of traditional hip-hop, aligning more with a newer and more genre-fluid approach to rap, present in the styles of many emerging artists. Even with a lot of artists of Rocky’s age and established stature often releasing overhyped projects that result in inevitable let downs, I have the utmost confidence in his ability to deliver. Further, with the long hiatus between his last album release, it’s evident Rocky has been meticulously perfecting this album over the past 6 years.
Moreover, A$AP Rocky’s relevance to New York City cannot be overstated. Although hip-hop was born here, in recent years not many NYC rappers have achieved an upper echelon of mainstream success and popularity like him. With the reassertion of A$AP on the map, a palpable energy will be felt as the city will inevitably rally around the release. I can’t wait to be moving through the city and catching snippets of his songs being played on stoops and leaking out from car windows.
Can you please explain (in 2-3 sentences) why you chose the top 5 songs on your playlist? (you can break them down one by one)
Ciaran Short: These aren’t necessarily my favorite songs of all time, but they’re a collection of tracks that I’m always able to return to in order to provide a sense of perspective and ground me in a current moment. My favorite place to listen to music is on the go in New York City because I’m able to let my mind go blank and fully lose myself in whatever I’m listening to. “I Need A Forest Fire” by James Blake and Bon Iver, “BTSU” by Jai Paul, “Holding On” by James Vincent Morrow, “33 ‘GOD’” by Bon Iver, and “Needy Bees” by Nick Hakim all exist in a plane of ethereal and introspective music heavily driven by instrumentation to allow ambient contemplation, as well as swelling lyrics that propel me forward in movement. These songs very much set the intention and mood for the entire playlist, as set out to feature not just my favorite songs, but songs that I particularly never get tired of, which I believe is the mark of a truly great song.
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