April 2019

Artist: Sofa City Sweetheart

Album: Super(b) Exitos

Label: Casa de Lopez

Reason We’re Cranking It: Tapping into the sonic sorcery of ‘60s pop, Sofa City Sweetheart’s Juan Antonio Lopez has crafted a dozen memorable tracks – a full front-to-back album worthy of your attention – further feeding our belief that 2019 will eventually be recognized as one of the best years for recorded music.

What The Album Tells Us About Them: Part Sean Lennon and part Elliott Smith, Lopez and his sweetheart of an alter ego have carried the storyteller’s torch forward, highlighting both the pleasures and the pain of humanity while disguising the emotions behind throwback melodies that circle around continuously in your mind as if caught in a retro rotary.

Track Stuck On Repeat: If The Foundations’ “Build Me Up Buttercup” was rewritten for a silent spaghetti western, “Floating” may very well be the end result. Short, sweet and undeniably neat, this lyric-less tune relies heavily on humming harmonies that float in and out, carrying you away.

And that means…

Prior to booking the role of Jenna Mueller on “Wilfred,” Fiona Gubelmann had considered walking away from acting and returning to college. Fate stepped in, however, and her on-camera career has been rising steadily ever since. The California native, who was once pre-med, is currently starring as Dr. Morgan Reznick on ABC’s “The Good Doctor,” and she can also be seen as the lead of the recently-released romantic comedy, “The Way We Weren’t,” available now on VOD.

We recently sat down with Gubelmann to discuss putting your best foot forward, comfort-inspired risks, and why her younger self would be surprised by how much comedy is listed on her resume.

TrunkSpace: “The Way We Weren’t” is a modern look at the classic romantic comedy. In a way, it feels like a bit of a throwback. As a performer, what appealed to you about the project and getting to navigate the narrative as your character Charlotte?
Gubelmann: When I read the script, I thought it was not only hilarious, but it also had heart. I really connected to Charlotte and her need to try and change who she is in order to fall in love. And the emotional growth she had in the film.

TrunkSpace: One of the things that’s great about the film is that it’s relatable. We have all exaggerated or embellished things about ourselves while trying to appeal to the opposite sex. We upsell, basically. While Charlotte obviously went to the extreme of that concept, was that something that Fiona could look at in retrospect, perhaps while reading the script for the first time, and find some common ground in? Did it kick start any memories of your own dating fibs and allow you to be both the performer and the audience?
Gubelmann: Yes, exactly. We all want to present ourselves in the best light, whether it’s when we meet someone we are attracted to, new friends or even when looking for a new job. And it’s something that is becoming more and more embedded in our every day lives. When you flip through social media accounts or magazines, we are being presented with these idealized realities that aren’t always reflective of what’s actually happening. This film is definitely relatable.

TrunkSpace: You were recently upped to a series regular on “The Good Doctor,” which was renewed for its third season. You’re the lead in a romantic comedy that was released in time for Valentine’s Day. Has it felt a bit like “when it rains it pours” lately in terms of good news/happenings for your career? From an outside perspective, this seems like a really great run of career-defining moments.
Gubelmann: Yes, thanks! It’s been amazing! Working on “The Good Doctor” has been a dream come true! It’s such fun and challenging job and I’m very lucky to work with people who are not only incredibly talented, but also some of the kindest people I’ve met. The cast and crew are truly a family, and I’m absolutely loving it!

TrunkSpace: So much of the success of a romantic comedy goes into the chemistry between the costars. How do you personally try to find and establish that on-screen rapport with your costars, and in the case of “The Way We Weren’t,” with Ben (Lawson) specifically?
Gubelmann: Oh yes, chemistry is very important. Not just in terms of a love interest, but with everyone you work with. Often times, the more comfortable you are with one another, the better your performances will be. When you’re relaxed, you’re more willing to take risks and make choices that can be scary. Ben is not just a talented actor, and ridiculously funny, but he’s one of the sweetest people I’ve had the pleasure of working with. We had actually worked together on “Modern Family,” and when I was cast in “The Way We Weren’t,” I thought of him for the part and mentioned him to casting, so I was thrilled when they cast him.

TrunkSpace: For the audience, the most enjoyable part of a movie or series is the end product, but for those involved in the project, we would imagine it is the experience. For you, what will you take away from the production of “The Way We Weren’t” that will stay with you going forward?
Gubelmann: From “The Way We Weren’t,” I definitely take with me the memories and the friendships that I formed and strengthened. A few of my friends were cast in the film, and so it was great getting to work together. The cast really bonded and became friends. I still keep in touch with a lot of them, which doesn’t always happen.

TrunkSpace: We read that you fell in love with your “The Good Doctor” character Morgan right away. Does that personal connection to a character translate on-screen? Can the love you have for a character directly influence your performance?
Gubelmann: Of course! When you love your character, I think your excitement and enthusiasm drive you to work harder and explore more. You spend lots of time thinking about why your character does certain things, trying to understand them, coming up with fun choices. It’s great!

TrunkSpace: Is there a character that you wished you had more time to spend with, even a guest spot that you would have liked to explore further?
Gubelmann: Oh, yes. Most of them. Guest stars go so quickly and you always want more. I loved working on “Mad Men” and wished we’d had more time. And on “Telenovela” I had the best time playing Crazy Kelly! I wished we could have done more with her.

TrunkSpace: There are a lot of ups and downs in the pursuit of a career in the arts. Was there ever a moment where you thought about walking away from acting, and if so, what kept you on your path?
Gubelmann: Yes, right before I booked “Wilfred,” I was considering going back to college. But then I booked “Wilfred,” and things have been a dream since then.

TrunkSpace: Would 12-year-old Fiona be surprised by how her career has played out thus far?
Gubelmann: Definitely. I wanted to be a dramatic actress, and can’t believe that most of my career has been in comedy. I was also pre-med in college and find it pretty funny that I’m now playing a doctor on TV.

TrunkSpace: Time machine question. If you could jump ahead 10 years and get a glimpse of what your career looks like a decade from now, would you take that journey? If not, why?
Gubelmann: Yes. No. Maybe… (Laughter) Probably because I’m impatient and hate surprises.

“The Way We Weren’t” is available now on VOD.

“The Good Doctor” airs on ABC.

Artist: Drugdealer

Album: Raw Honey

Label: Mexican Summer

Reason We’re Cranking It: We live a pretty vanilla lifestyle, so until “Raw Honey” came along, we didn’t have a Drugdealer. Thankfully this musical collective of eclectic collaborators (say that five times fast!), which is the brainchild of Michael Collins, is just as addictive as an illegal narcotic… at least so we’ve heard.

What The Album Tells Us About Them: What’s old is new again. Channeling the vibe and honesty of the singer/songwriter movement of the 1960s and mashing it together with the kinds of guitar riffs you’d hear pouring from the amps of southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd, Collins is tapping into something that feels 8-track-organic, but is crisp enough for the digital age. They’re dialed in and we’re answering the call.

Track Stuck On Repeat: The mesmerizing tone of Weyes Blood’s vocals on “Honey” is the curb appeal that brings you into the song, but once inside, you make yourself at home with a track that is a modern day The Mamas and the Papas.

And that means…

Artist: Fat White Family

Album: Serfs Up!

Label: Domino

Reason We’re Cranking It: A million light years ahead of their 2016 sophomore effort “Songs For Our Mothers” in both craft and creativeness, “Serfs Up!” is an eclectic mix of tunes that seem to be making sense of our strange world in real time through song. It’s group therapy with a groove.

What The Album Tells Us About Them: In-fighting and personal demons have followed the band since their formation in 2011, but you wouldn’t know it by listening to them come together with such visionary cohesiveness on this album. What they’re saying may not speak to everyone, but how they’re saying it is going to capture an audience that they probably never intended tapping into when they first came together.

Track Stuck On Repeat: If Monty Python formed as a group of glam rockers rather than a comedy troupe, they may have produced something along the lines of “Tastes Good With The Money” as opposed to “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.” We’re not laughing, but we’re certainly still having a good time.

And that means…

Growing up, film and television became an outlet for Juliet Landau. By immersing herself in the lives of those characters that she followed on screen, the former “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” star felt less alone in the world. It’s why she became an actress, and now, a filmmaker.

Her directorial debut, “A Place Among the Dead,” has been receiving rave reviews at private screenings around the world, but before it reaches the masses, she will be joining the cast of “Bosch” in Season 5, which is available now on Amazon Prime.

We recently sat down with Landau to discuss joining the well-oiled “Bosch” machine, how a single line can become the core mantra of a character, and why her directorial debut “A Place Among the Dead” has proven to be so personal to both herself and audiences.

TrunkSpace: We previously sat down with a number of your “Bosch” costars including Lance Reddick and Amy Aquino. Are there nerves involved when joining a series that already has an established on-set tone? Does it take some time to discover where your place is among that existing groove?
Landau: It’s wonderful to come onto a set that runs like a well-oiled machine. It’s a family of extremely talented people, who engender being creative and collaborative. This is how it is on the “Bosch” set. Everyone in the cast and crew loves what they do and is excited by the show they are making. I loved the working experience and I made genuine, lifelong friends. Also, I was so fascinated and invested in Rita Tedesco, the character I play, that I didn’t think about anything else, including being nervous. I was deeply engaged in the idea of bringing her story to life.

TrunkSpace: Is there something kind of exciting about joining an established series that has a loyal fan base behind it, knowing that there will be eyeballs on it when it airs?
Landau: Yes! Sometimes, you play a character in an Indie you believe in, but it’s a roll of the dice. You don’t know how many people will see it. It is similar to when you play a part in a black box theater because touching even a small audience is profound. It’s nice when there’s a passionate fan base. I’ve experienced this from the Buffyverse and from Tim Burton’s “Ed Wood” and even from a black box theater experience, which stimulated massive repeat viewership! Now I’ve been engaging with fans of the “Bosch” series and books, which has been fabulous! It’s easy to get bewitched by “Bosch.” Harry is a character we all wish really existed. He has an unwavering moral compass. As it turns out, my eyeballs will be seeing Season 5 at the same time as everyone else’s! What I do know from the scripts and the shoot, is that Season 5, like 1 through 4, rocks!

TrunkSpace: In the series you’re playing a court reporter who will have a secret teased out over the course of the season. Without giving too much away, what were you most excited about in terms of tackling Rita?
Landau: Rita had a hold on me from the first line I read on the page. I immediately became intrigued by the dichotomy of her life, by the risks she’s willing to take and the price she is paying. I delved into a ton of research about the secret part of her life, which I can’t divulge yet, but I can say it is one of the most interesting paths I’ve explored as an actress. Sometimes, a certain line becomes almost the core mantra of the character. With Rita, there were a few because she has the persona she shares with the world and a very different private persona. I learned a lot, even from the practical, court reporter aspect.

TrunkSpace: “Bosch” found a home with Amazon and built up a loyal fan base through the streaming platform. Netflix. Hulu. CBS All Access. The list goes on and on. As an actress, how has the popularity of streaming platforms changed the industry for you? Are there more opportunities now because there is more of a need for content?
Landau: The landscape has certainly changed and continues to do so at lightening speed. There are more opportunities. It is especially nice for actors and creators, when streaming services use their platforms for character-driven material.

TrunkSpace: Aside from your on-screen work, you’re also a writer, director and producer. Does this “content is king” world that we currently live in impact the Juliet who wears those hats?
Landau: It does and in a positive way. I love having an idea and taking it from inception to completion. Generating content is a two-way street. It’s about opening a dialogue with your audience. I became an actress and now a filmmaker, as a way to connect and communicate. Growing up, movies and TV made me feel less alone. They helped me process things I was grappling with and gave an outlet for my feelings. Like the adage, “If you build it, they will come,” if you craft a powerful story, whether it be drama or comedy, content is king and there will be viewership for it.

TrunkSpace: Your film “A Place Among the Dead” is extremely personal for you. Does that closeness to the material make it harder to relinquish control and release it into the world, or is it easier to see it off because you’re eager to share it?
Landau: I’m eager to share it. My husband, Deverill and I, have put a lot of passion and work into the process. It’s been an incredible journey. “A Place Among the Dead” is about the repercussions of growing up under the sway of narcissism and evil. It questions, if you come from evil, will you continue to go towards the dark side in life, or can you make a change and go towards the light?

I chose to make my directorial feature debut penetratingly personal, to invite the viewer to do the same. As they say, the more personal, the more universal. As I touched on earlier, all great work provokes conversation and can even provide healing. This is the stuff I am after with this movie.

It’s scripted as a meld of fact, fiction and the fantastical. I play an alter-ego version of myself, as do the following actors who have what I like to call, “cameos on steroids”: Gary Oldman, Ron Perlman, Robert Patrick, Lance Henriksen, Joss Whedon (my old boss from Buffy) and Anne Rice, appearing for the first time ever in a film.

TrunkSpace: What was the most enjoyable aspects of your “A Place Among the Dead” journey thus far? What made all of the blood, sweat and tears worth it?
Landau: We recently held in-house screenings and this has been the most exciting part! The response has been so powerful and beautiful. It’s everything we’d hoped our special movie would illicit. We did one for a theater full of young people from the Midwest. They were inspired and galvanized by the film. The Q & A was electric. They kept asking if their teacher had told us the inner thoughts they’d confided in him and if that’s why he brought them to see the picture. He didn’t even know what the movie was about and of course, hadn’t shared their private affairs!

We held three other sneak-peek screenings in LA, London, and NY, which included industry notables such as Rian Johnson (“Star Wars: The Last Jedi”), David Greenwalt (“Grimm”), Jim Kouf (“National Treasure”), Jodie Foster (“Money Monster”), David Grossman (“12 Monkeys” TV series), April Webster (“Star Trek Beyond”), Eryn Krueger Mekash (“Ratched,” “American Crime Story”) and many more!

The entire audience, many who came out crying, stayed to talk about the film unprovoked for an hour and a half afterwards. Every time discussing the nature of evil, their experiences with it, their own childhoods, their parenting, their unhealthy relationships, the voices in their heads which drive them, and the times they’ve ignored red flags. I truly have never experienced anything like the cascade of intensely personal stories shared at a movie before.

TrunkSpace: “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” was a phenomenon and would be extremely difficult to replicate in any time period, but certainly today because audiences are more segmented than ever. When you first stepped foot onto that set, could you have ever envisioned you’d still be approached by fans eager to discuss the series 20 years later?
Landau: I did know that we were making something special. I knew Joss Whedon’s voice was exceptional and that Drusilla was a unique and complex role. The day I was cast, Sarah (Michelle Gellar) was on the cover of TV Guide for Buffy for the first time, so I felt that there was a bit of a ground swell starting to stir, but I had no idea about the impact and longevity. Also, when you are shooting, you kind of are in this little bubble of creativity. You are having your experience and what happens after it airs, is everyone else’s.

TrunkSpace: What has been the highlight of your career thus far?
Landau: I am very excited about everything happening now, both as an actress and as a director. Deverill and I are in the midst of working on another project called “The Undead Series.” Envision Jerry Seinfeld’s “Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee.” This is “Vampires In Coffins Getting Blood!” All of the people who worked with us on “A Place Among the Dead” came back to work with us again. We have 26 additional interviews including Willem Dafoe, Tim Burton, Nathan Fillion, and oh, I have to mention some of the comic book talents we have since you may want to know! They include Steve Niles (“30 Days of Night”), Marv Wolfman (“Tomb of Dracula,” “Blade”), Georges Jeanty (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Superman”) Also for “A Place Along the Dead” we use Mark McHaley’s artwork (“X-Files”) and our composer Monica Richards is married to Steve Niles. He actually plays some guitar in the score!

We’re in prelim talks with a few of the biggie distributors on these two projects. The interest and momentum is exciting, but what’s most important is meeting everyone to decide the right home for our babies!

TrunkSpace: Time machine question. If you could jump ahead 10 years and get a glimpse of what your career looks like a decade from now, would you take that journey? If not, why?
Landau: It ‘s funny cause we ask a similar question in a way to each of our interviewees in “The Undead Series.” We ask if they would choose eternal life if they could. The answers are compelling. Hmm… A time machine… No, I just want to be in the present, experiencing the journey as it unfolds. There’s enough to relish that way!

Season 5 of “Bosch” is available now on Amazon Prime!

For more information on the future release of “A Place Among the Dead” and “The Undead Series,” follow Landau at Twitter and/or Instagram.

Featured Image By
Photographer: Deverill Weekes/Makeup & Hair: Shanna Cistulli/Stylist: Rebecca Penton

Artist: Heather Woods Broderick

Album: Invitation

Label: Western Vinyl

Reason We’re Cranking It: Capable of carrying the listener away and inducing them into a trance-like state, “Invitation” takes you by the hand and leads you into Broderick’s mind where she paints an extremely intimate portrait using the types of thoughts that we all find ourselves revisiting when surrounded by isolation and stillness.

What The Album Tells Us About Her: Written in Oregon, Broderick was able to capture the look and feel of the Pacific Northwest in her music, crafting dream-pop sounds that cause the listener to sway side to side like coastal trees dancing in the breeze drifting off of the ocean. She hasn’t just created an album that you can listen to, but a world that you can live in.

Track Stuck On Repeat: The second single released from the album, “White Tail” details the songwriter’s struggles with depression, sparking a thought-provoking self-examination by way of lyrical snippets like, “surrender to sleepless shifting.”

And that means…

Artist: Diane Coffee

Album: Internet Arms

Label: Polyvinyl Record Co.

Reason We’re Cranking It: Quickly leaping to the top of our still expanding Best of ‘19 list, “Internet Arms” is a meticulously crafted and fully fleshed out magnum opus from Diane Coffee, the alter ego of former child voice actor Shaun Fleming. Having once given life to animated characters on popular Disney series like “Kim Possible” and “Teacher’s Pet,” he has now birthed a beautiful collection of pop songs from the mind of his fictional caffeinated surname, which we recognize as his greatest role to date.

What The Album Tells Us About Them: Prince meets David Bowie. Yes, we know that’s high praise, but if Fleming keeps writing and releasing albums, he has the potential to amass a library of greatness equal to those musical icons who came before. With “Internet Arms” he already has a horse in the race.

Track Stuck On Repeat: We’ve listened to it all, front to back, too many times to count, but some of the notables are “Not Ready To Go,” “Stuck In Your Saturday Night,” and “Doubt.”

And that means…

Artist: Wargirl

Album: Self-Titled

Label: Clouds Hill

Reason We’re Cranking It: A genre mashup that mutates track to track, the self-titled debut from this LA collective is like a rock roller derby filled with the perfect blend of finesse and hard hits.

What The Album Tells Us About Them: The six members of Wargirl clearly have their individual influences, which they brought to the table when conceiving the songs that would make up the album. Looking to make a splash with their debut, they’ve dropped a sonic smorgasbord that runs the gamut of musical sub-genres, making it impossible to imagine what their future offerings will sound (and feel!) like.

Track Stuck On Repeat: Taking us back to California circa 1960-something, “Mess Around” is a time machine tune that has us tapping along with the infectious beat and Doors-like keys on the dashboard of our DeLorean.

And that means…

Not everyone can say that they’ve stood face to faces with a boulder made of hungry aliens, but then again not everyone is Jocelyn Panton, the talented actress who can currently be seen dishing out an intergalactic smack down in Season 1 of “Critters: A New Binge,” currently available on Shudder.

We recently sat down with Panton to discuss camping out in the campy, joining the “Critters” club, and the key to not getting lost in the chaos of a career in the entertainment industry.

TrunkSpace: We’re pop culture fanatics who grew up in the ‘80s so we have to start with the obvious. As far as life moments go, where does standing next to a giant boulder of Critters rank, because if it was us, it would be pretty high?
Panton: Ohh it’s pretty high up there. Standing right next to that furry ball of death goes down in the books for me as one of life’s epic moments.

TrunkSpace: The “Critters” franchise has always been campy on purpose, and “Critters: A New Binge” certainly plays up that fun for the audience. That had us thinking… does that heightened sense of reality make it fun for the performers as well? Are you able to arrive to work each day and say, “Well, today’s the scene with the boulder made of monsters… AWESOME!”?
Panton: For sure! It made every day all about having as much fun as possible. If you’re being campy, you get to be silly and just play around. It also makes for some great bonding experiences and on-set camaraderie. Watching that boulder be rolled out and the crazy makeup and guts, we were all like, “Woah, that’s so cool.” And it was super fun to be able to sneak a photo with it on my last day because I knew I would be holding onto that photo forever. We were also constantly getting surprised by the fun and crazy ideas being presented by the different departments on each day.

TrunkSpace: What was the biggest highlight for you in shooting “Critters: A New Binge?” What will you take with you through the rest of your career/life?
Panton: My biggest highlight was probably the scene where I got to (spoiler alert!) shoot a whole lot of them and kind of help save the day, but I felt it was still pretty badass in Ellen’s sort of innocent, kind of adorable way. That and the hairy balls scene. Getting to have lines like that was hilarious and fun. What I’ll take with me for the rest of my life, for sure the memories and the awesome reminder that I got to be involved in something so awesome.

TrunkSpace: As a genre, horror always has a bit of a built-in audience. Fans of the genre will tune in to see a film or series even if they don’t know that much about it, but with a project like “Critters: A New Binge” there’s also an established brand attached to it. As a performer, is that exciting knowing that you’re going to have an audience – regardless of how big – when it is eventually released?
Panton: Yes, I feel lucky to be a part of it. In a way, I feel like I’m being welcomed into a club of sorts that has existed for a long time, which adds to the excitement and wow factor for me where I’m like, “I get to be on this awesome franchise called ‘Critters?!’” There have been so many moments along the way where I’ve stepped back with excitement and had those kinds of thoughts. I still do.

TrunkSpace: You’ve also worked on Hallmark Channel projects, which in a way, has a similar fan base to the horror genre in that people will tune in because they know they’re going to see the kind of storytelling that they enjoy. As an actress, are you finding that more and more projects you’re auditioning for are focusing on a particular audience as opposed to trying to appeal to everybody? Is there a change happening even at the network level?
Panton: I would say yes for the most part and especially here in Vancouver where I am based. We have “Supernatural,” which has the exact kind of audience you describe and then we have lots of the superhero shows like “The Flash” and “Supergirl.” And then every now and then there are shows/movies that you really don’t know what to expect, that does something new and doesn’t really fit into a particular mold per se. But then again, I guess that is kind of a genre in and of itself that appeals to a certain audience. I think networks are realizing there’s a market for everything and to be more specific makes things even more interesting. It’s kind of like staying true to who you are and with that brings more passion to the work and people can feel it. That’s why I think there are so many amazing TV shows getting released these days.

TrunkSpace: As you mentioned, you’re based in Vancouver. How important are networks like The CW and Hallmark Channel, both of which do a lot of filming there, to the talent who call the city home? Could it still thrive if those productions moved elsewhere?
Panton: Oh, sooo important. There are so many of my friends who rely on those shows for their bread and butter – and even me! In the last year, most of my gigs have been for The CW, Lifetime and Hallmark, so it would definitely be different and a lot harder if they weren’t here. They allow us all to pursue our passion. I have no idea what would happen if those productions moved elsewhere. I cross my fingers that it would never happen, but it’s always important to be working so hard, always improving your craft no matter how successful you get, so you can eventually get work outside of this city and are never dependent on things staying the way they are because we all know that things change and all things come to an end at some point or another.

TrunkSpace: At what point did you realize that acting wasn’t just a passion but a career path, and did you have to convince yourself to take the leap to commit to it 100 percent?
Panton: All my life I loved acting, from the moment I realized it was a passion of mine when I saw a musical as a kid – I just felt like something reached inside me. My dad was an entrepreneur growing up and told us to pursue our passions in life, but I think because we lived an hour outside of the city it still seemed a bit far-fetched to pursue it. After high school, I did broadcasting school which moved me to the big city and because I was doing that, which is still a bit more ‘out there’ than a lot of paths many people pursue, it made me feel one step closer to acting and that’s when I realized I can make it work and figured out how to get my foot into the industry. It didn’t take a lot of convincing, more just for a brief time when I worked at a bank I realized I wasn’t happy and I knew I couldn’t carry on doing something I wasn’t happy doing for the rest of my life.

TrunkSpace: There’s a lot of uncertainty that comes along with a career in the arts. What have you found to be your rock in terms of staying focused and on your path throughout the course of your career?
Panton: So many things. Having a support system is huge and I’m so lucky to have that with family. Not everyone gets that, but it helps even just being involved in the community – even if it’s taking acting classes and getting tight with everyone there. Also having other things that I love to pursue on the side, like planning trips or taking up another hobby. It forms you as an actor but is sometimes a distraction because it can get hard. Another thing that can help to stay really grounded is to be constantly reminding myself that, like anything, it takes a lot of hard work and to be really strongly skilled and to constantly be asking myself what is the next thing I need to do to improve myself.

TrunkSpace: What has been the highlight of your career thus far?
Panton: I would say playing Marilyn Monroe on “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.”

TrunkSpace: Time machine question. If you could jump ahead 10 years and get a glimpse of what your career looks like a decade from now, would you take that journey? If not, why?
Panton: No, I don’t think I’d want to take a glimpse of it. In this day and age when it’s so hard to be present with what we’re doing, I think it would make it even harder to focus on what’s in front of me without thinking about the successes or worries that await me in my future. I also think there are so many life lessons along the way that lead us to where we end up. It makes the reward in the end so much more valuable and cherished. I think I would value where my life is much more if I really understood the hard work it took for me to get there. If I knew where I was going to be, I think it would be much harder to absorb everything from each moment that I have to learn.

“Critters: A New Binge” is currently available on Shudder.

Artist: Son of Cloud

Album: Self-Titled

Label: Self-Released

Reason We’re Cranking It: An atmospheric exclamation point into producer-turned-solo artist Jonathan Seale’s creative mindscape, the Texas native’s vocals are soft and soothing, but it’s the album’s collective theme – families and how we exist within them – that speaks volumes.

What The Album Tells Us About Him: Having worked with artists like Feist, Fleet Foxes and Lucius, Seale is used to being the ear of an album, but with his self-titled debut he has also become the voice, cementing himself as a folksy virtuoso who can spin musical magic from anyone in the room, including himself.

Track Stuck On Repeat: The perfect song to kick off the album, “How To Love You Today” sets the table for the journey Seale is about to take you on… one that is whimsical, poignant and worthy of a frequent revisit.

And that means…