When I started mix swapping with Liz over at Dance To The Radio, I was reminded of how much I love creating mix CDs for people. There's an art to it that everyone from Rob Fleming to Rob Sheffield will attest to, and I think finding that proper balance in sequencing is as satisfying as surprising your best friend with what you've made. I was also reminded of the people in my life that have made me outstanding mixes, the mixes that make me expect Saves The Day after a well placed My Chemical Romance cut. It reminded me of the mixes that marked road trips, and the ones that are tied to the most personal moments of my life. In short, I'm reminded of the connection we share through music, that special bond all of us feel when our friends assemble the perfect set of songs with us in mind.
So in order to explore that feeling of artistry as well as intimacy, I've begun a new project that will be documented on This Song Starts A Craze... called the Great American Mix Up. I recently mailed/surprised one of my good friends with a mix I assembled especially for her. In turn, she'll follow suit by sending one of her close friends a mix CD. I'm hoping that this trend of surprising people in the mail with mix CDs will catch on, spreading across every state in the country. As people receive these mixes, I'll be posting who they are, what kind of music has been assembled for them, and how they feel about it.
Ultimately, I'd love for this project to really be about the ones we care about. I personally believe making a mix CD is one of the most personal things you can do for someone. Hopefully, seeing that kind of thoughtfulness spread across the country is something other people would want to be a part of as well.
So without further adieu, I'd like to introduce the first person to be a part of the Great American Mix Up.
NAME: Brandon
CITY/STATE: Rohnert Park, CA
TRACK LIST:
Time To Relax- The Offspring
Run's House- Run-DMC
The Days Go By Oh So Slow- Nightmare of You
Roxanne (The Police Cover)- Fall Out Boy
Tiger Mountain Peasant Song- Fleet Foxes
Be Calm- fun.
Time To Break Up- blink-182
Chillin' (Feat. Lady GaGa)- Wale
The Calendar Hung Itself...- Bright Eyes
Between the Bars (Elliott Smith Cover)- Madeleine Peyroux
Death By Blonde- DeVotchKa
The Start Of Something- Voxtrot
Sunshine All Night- Gold Motel
Written In Reverse- Spoon
Idioteque (Radiohead Cover)- Amanda Palmer
I Put A Spell On You (Screamin' Jay Hawkins Cover)- She & Him
Cut Your Hair- Pavement
Words I Might Have Ate- Green Day
City Girl- Tegan & Sara
Thrash Unreal- Against Me!
Glory Box- Portishead
Signs (Acoustic)- Bloc Party
BRANDON'S IMPRESSIONS/THOUGHTS: A perfect mix with the perfect balance of songs from mutual bands we love (Bloc Party, Bright Eyes), bands I've never heard anything from (She & Him, Against Me!), bands I adore even though I may never have told you (Fleet Foxes, Tegan & Sara) and just plain old awesome music. Every song now instantly reminds me of my friend. Mixes make my heart smile.
CONTACT: http://caitlinbrandon.com
5 comments:
I love this idea!
AWESOME IDEA! LOVE IT. I'm going to do this.
@Heather: Thanks! Glad you like it. :)
@Liz: You totally should. Honestly, I thought about how psyched I'd be to get music in the mail, and I think the thought is incredibly attractive. BTW, I'm ALMOST done with my mix for our next mix swap. I'll email you tonight.
"I personally believe making a mix CD is one of the most personal things you can do for someone." Truer words have never been spoken.
Though I must admit I'm slightly confused about the format. The Impressions/Thoughts category; is that your words or Brandon's?
Either way those are pretty awesome songs. I actually found the Fall Out Boy cover of Roxanne back in my Limewire days and I feel it is high up there on my list of covers.
@Matt: I should probably make it clear that those were Brandon's impressions, not mine. Thanks for the catch.
Honestly, I just recently found that FOB song when I was looking for Folie A Deux b-sides. Being a huge Police fan, it was a welcome surprise.
Speaking of Police covers, have you heard TBS's cover of "Message In A Bottle?"
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