Answers with Allie Gonino

Answer 1

Congrats on your big debut solo project! "Hollywood High" is a compilation of original songs in a five-song EP you released on April 7, 2015. What kind of feedback have you received now that your EP has been out for over a month?

Thank you for the congrats. I am so happy it is finally out. The feedback so far has been pretty positive overall, but I think that just means not enough people have heard it. Ha. I am proud of it though, and it is just inspiring me to make more.

What inspired the name of your most recent EP? What does "Hollywood High" mean to you?

There are quite a few different ways I could look at the meaning of that phrase. In one way it stands for the sort of "High School" feeling that I get being in Hollywood. The entertainment industry is pretty small and the more I immerse myself in this world, the smaller the world gets. Alternatively, it also stands for the "high" you can potentially get when living in L.A. and being apart of this little bubble. It is easy to let your ego get the better of you, to compare yourself to other people in the industry, and to lose yourself to addiction or relationships. On a more personal take, it's an ode to myself to always put my path first before letting myself become distracted by fear of failure or intimidation.

Do any of the songs hold an extra special meaning to you?

I would say "Madman" is pretty special to me. It was inspired during a time where I was having real challenges in my last relationship, at the same time, my parents were on the brink of divorce. It is a song about ego, really. When we allow ego or jealousy or fear to determine our actions, we end up hurting the ones we love the most, when we could just talk it out.

Others have described your sound as folky and bewitching. How would you say folk music has had an influence on you and your sound?

I have been listening to folk rock bands all my life, and I have played the violin for many years. There is just something more poetic about Folk Music for me. I love painting images and feelings with music, and for me, nothing does that better than the kinds of instruments utilized in folk music.

Name a few songs that would be included on the soundtrack to your life.

"Vienna", Billy Joel; "Wide Open Spaces", Dixie Chicks; "Landslide", Stevie Nicks; "Mykonos", Fleet Foxes; "Holocene", Bon Iver.

And of course I have to ask about "The Red Road"! What a stellar season! What would you say was the scene or episode that surprised you most this season?

Ha, I think I would have to say the last episode! I knew Jean was crazy but I had no idea she was capable of murder. And we do not even know if Junior or Marie survived the break in?! Sad day.

Now that season 2 of "The Red Road" is over, what's next for your acting career?

I just wrapped a little indie movie in Ottawa called, "The Preacher's Confession". Right now I am auditioning for other projects, and at the end of June I am performing in a new play called "Suicide Notes: In Their Own Words", at Theater Asylum in L.A. The cast will be reading suicide letters written by real people, which may prove a bit intense, but it is the first live theater project I have done since high school, so I am really looking forward to it.

How in the world do you find time to juggle both an acting career and a music career?

I have no idea sometimes. I do not like to be bored. I am not terribly busy in either field yet, so if I have a break from one I will tend to focus on the other. Though I would like to be making a lot more music, and touring more.

If you had to pick acting or music, which one would you choose?

I hope I would never have to choose, but in an imaginary world, I would probably say music.

What are your passions in life besides acting and music?

I am involved with this organization called Thirst Project which is a non-profit that builds wells in developing parts of the world. The world water crisis is just one part of the global climate challenge we are facing today. One of the main reasons I like Thirst Project is because we work so closely with young students to tackle the world water crisis. This gets young people actively participating in something greater than themselves and gives them the opportunity to make a huge impact on others. Water is the most fundamental and essential of all resources on Earth for sustaining life. When people have access to clean water, disease and mortality rates drop, children can go to school, women can contribute financially to their communities and provide for their families. Water is amazing!