Alexander Giannascoli (born February 3, 1993), better known by his stage names Alex G or, formerly, (Sandy) Alex G, is an American musician, producer, and singer-songwriter. He started his career with
DIY
"Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and semi ...
self-releases on
Bandcamp
Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...
and began building up an audience with his label debut, ''
DSU'' (2014), released on
Orchid Tapes
Orchid Tapes is a Canadian–American independent record label based in New York City. It was founded in 2010 in Toronto, Ontario by Warren Hildebrand. Operated by Hildebrand, the label has released a number of indie compilations and original r ...
to critical acclaim from various publications. He later signed with Lucky Number, who reissued his earlier releases, ''Rules'' and ''Trick'' (2012). In 2015, he signed with
Domino Recording Company
Domino Recording Company or simply Domino is a British independent record label based in London. There is also a wing of the label based in Brooklyn, New York that handles releases in the United States, as well as a German division called Dom ...
and released his sixth studio album, ''
Beach Music
Beach music, also known as Carolina beach music, and to a lesser extent, Beach pop, is a regional genre of music in the United States which developed from rock/ R&B and pop music of the 1950s and 1960s. Beach music is most closely associate ...
''. He followed it in 2017 with ''
Rocket
A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...
'', which received further acclaim and recognition. Giannascoli's eighth studio album, ''
House of Sugar
''House of Sugar'' is the eighth studio album by American musician Alex G, released on September 13, 2019, through Domino Recording Company.
The album's title is a reference to both the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia and the gingerbread house ...
'', was released in 2019, and his ninth album ''
God Save the Animals'' was released on September 23, 2022.
Early life and career
Giannascoli was born in 1993 in
Havertown, Pennsylvania
Havertown is a residential suburban unincorporated community in Haverford Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It is located approximately 9 miles west of the center of Philadelphia. Havertown's ZIP Code is 19083 and "Havertown" is a posta ...
.
At age 11, when his parents bought an
Apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...
computer, he learned how to play his brother's guitar and began recording music.
While attending
Haverford High School
Haverford Senior High School is the public high school of Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, United States, operated by the School District of Haverford Township. It is at 200 Mill Road in Havertown.
The school serves the entirety of Haverford To ...
, Giannascoli made two albums that he shared with friends.
He experimented with different musical styles while making collaborative music, which included the "
goth
A Goth is a member of the Goths, a group of East Germanic tribes. Two major political entities of the Goths were:
*Visigoths, prominent in Spanish history
*Ostrogoths, prominent in Italian history
Goth or Goths may also refer to:
* Goth (surname) ...
techno
Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...
" he made with his sister in their band MOTHER, as well as the projects involving his high school band The Skin Cells, described as "
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
that accidentally ended up being
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
".
In 2011, Giannascoli enrolled at
Temple University
Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...
, where he studied English in hopes to become a teacher, but eventually dropped out to pursue a musical career.
After self-releasing various albums, EPs, and singles on Bandcamp from 2010–2012, Giannascoli's popularity spread through word of mouth, blogs, and reverence by other musicians.
''
The Fader
''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes.
It is o ...
'' called Giannascoli "the internet's secret best songwriter."
This led to
Orchid Tapes
Orchid Tapes is a Canadian–American independent record label based in New York City. It was founded in 2010 in Toronto, Ontario by Warren Hildebrand. Operated by Hildebrand, the label has released a number of indie compilations and original r ...
signing Giannascoli to their roster, as well as the release of his label debut, ''
DSU'' (2014),
which garnered acclaim from music critics. Following the release of the album, Giannascoli went on tour throughout North America and Europe.
In November, ''DSU'' was released by Lucky Number in Europe on all formats with two new bonus tracks. The label later also reissued his two preceding releases, 2012's ''Rules'' and ''Trick''.
In 2015, Giannascoli signed with
Domino Recording Company
Domino Recording Company or simply Domino is a British independent record label based in London. There is also a wing of the label based in Brooklyn, New York that handles releases in the United States, as well as a German division called Dom ...
and released his debut with the label and sixth overall studio album, ''
Beach Music
Beach music, also known as Carolina beach music, and to a lesser extent, Beach pop, is a regional genre of music in the United States which developed from rock/ R&B and pop music of the 1950s and 1960s. Beach music is most closely associate ...
'', on October 9. The following year, Giannascoli worked with
Frank Ocean
Christopher Francis "Frank" Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987), is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. His works are noted by music critics for featuring avant-garde styles and introspective, elliptical lyrics. Ocean ...
on his albums ''
Endless
Endless or The Endless may refer to:
Business
* Endless (private equity), a British firm
* Endless.com, an e-commerce website selling shoes and accessories
* Endless Computers, an American operating system company
Film
* ''The Endless'' (film ...
'' and ''
Blonde
Blond (male) or blonde (female), also referred to as fair hair, is a hair color characterized by low levels of the dark pigment eumelanin. The resultant visible hue depends on various factors, but always has some yellowish color. The color can ...
'', providing guitars and arrangements for several songs.
On March 2, 2017, Giannascoli announced that his second album with Domino, entitled ''
Rocket
A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...
'', would be released on May 19 and shared the first two singles, "Bobby" and "Witch".
On April 4, Giannascoli announced the change of his stage name from Alex G to (Sandy) Alex G, with no further explanation, and shared another single from the album, "Proud".
The music publication ''
Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'' attributed the name change to a legal conflict with singer and YouTuber Alex Blue, who was operating at the time under the trademarked name "Alex G".
On choosing the name 'Sandy', Giannascoli said it "was the first thing
eput on Bandcamp" and that he had "just used that ‘Sandy’ as a sort of
ocial mediatag" since then.
On May 4, he released two more singles, "Brick" and "Sportstar", before the release of the album. ''Rocket'' received further acclaim from music critics and appeared on multiple publications' year-end lists of the best albums of 2017.
Giannascoli's eighth studio album, ''
House of Sugar
''House of Sugar'' is the eighth studio album by American musician Alex G, released on September 13, 2019, through Domino Recording Company.
The album's title is a reference to both the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia and the gingerbread house ...
'', was released on September 13, 2019. The album received positive reviews and placed 17th on
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
's year-end best albums list. In June 2020, he dropped "(Sandy)" from his stage name, returning to going by Alex G.
Giannascoli scored the film ''
We're All Going to the World's Fair
''We're All Going to the World's Fair'' is a 2021 American Coming of age film, coming-of-age horror film written, directed, and edited by Jane Schoenbrun. The film stars Anna Cobb in her debut role and Michael Rogers (actor), Michael J. Rogers. ...
'', released on April 8, 2022.
Giannascoli's ninth studio album, ''
God Save the Animals'' was released on September 23, 2022.
Musical style
Giannascoli's music is often characterized as
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
with a
lo-fi
Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...
aesthetic due to him recording all of his music by himself in his home. He is frequently compared to singer-songwriter
Elliott Smith
Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of hi ...
, who is an influence of his. Other comparisons include
Built to Spill and
The Martinis
The Martinis are a rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1993. The band consists of Pixies guitarist Joey Santiago and his wife Linda Mallari, both of Filipino
Filipino may refer to:
* Something from or related to the Philippines
** F ...
.
''
The Philadelphia Inquirer
''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...
'' praised him as "a particularly gifted melody writer" whose "fuzzy, sometimes distorted songs, which hark back to slightly askew 1990s bands such as
Pavement, can't hide his skill as a pop craftsman and a constructor of elliptical narratives that call for repeated listening."
He stated that his creative process consists of him usually working alone in his room with his guitar and adding other instruments later. When asked about working in a professional
recording studio
A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enoug ...
, he replied, "I feel like I'm eventually going to have to do that, but I just don't want to. Because I don't know how to work all that stuff, and I don't want anyone else to have control. I just want to follow my own ideas, and I'm uncomfortable doing it any other way."
Despite being formerly hesitant to record his music in professional studios, Giannascoli's ninth album ''God Save the Animals'' was entirely studio-recorded with help from
Jacob Portrait during the pandemic.
Discography
Studio albums
Live albums
Soundtrack albums
Extended plays
Split 7"
Singles
Credits
Notes
References
External links
*
*
Alex Gon YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alex G
1993 births
Living people
American indie rock musicians
Musicians from Philadelphia
People from Haverford Township, Pennsylvania
Temple University alumni
Domino Recording Company artists
Third Man Records artists