April Monthly Mix 24

This month we are mixing things up with music from your very own Curio Cabinet writers! Enjoy each unique curation and learn a little bit about what draws us to music.

inside my mind

Abby Schirmacher

“Music has always been grounding for me. I rarely sit in silence and am usually listening to music when I’m driving, working, reading or relaxing. Music connects me to the world and helps my mind focus on a task at hand. Rhythm helps me make sense of the music I listen to, so I am often trying to identify a tune that will encourage me to relax and focus. I am constantly multitasking and thinking about what’s to come but music forces me to be present. It’s how I view the world with intention and allows me to slow down and appreciate life and the beauty around me.”

“My favorite genre’s include indie, alternative, indie pop, R&B, funk and hip hop. I can’t get enough of some of the classic 70s artists like Fleetwood Mac and The Police. I love live music and often find myself saying yes to an invitation to see an artist who I may be familiar with live, and finding that I love their music as a result. Dancing is a release for me so whether it be boogying to Jungle at Red Rocks, swaying to Summer Salt at the Gothic or getting my groove on to Channel Tres at Mission Ballroom, I will always be having the time of my life at a great show.”

Jessica’s Monthly Mix Vol.1

Jessica Engen

“I listen to music a lot and have a very eclectic taste ranging from K-Pop to Megan Thee Stallion to Hozier and more. I fill my life with music, playing it when I drive, when I work out, when I meditate, etc. Whatever the situation is and whatever the vibe is – I will try to match it with music. I prefer to listen to music that makes me “feel” – whether that be with heavy bass, an intense beat, or intriguing lyrics – I want to feel the song.“

I am drawn to artists and songs that give me that frisson (that shiver or tingle down your spine feeling that gives you goosebumps in the best way possible). I feel like this mix gives you a taste of just a little bit of the myriad of music that I listen to! Hope you enjoy it!”

The Curio Cabinet: Jordan’s Mix

Jordan Garcia

“My relationship with music has taken an unexpected journey over the last few years. I am completely a product of my environment. Growing up, my dad enforced that we would all play an instrument in our household, so I played the violin for 9 years of my life. Whenever someone asked me what my music taste was, I would always joke that my dad grew me up only listening to European white men. But it’s true! In our home, Sting, U2, Coldplay, or classical composers like Rachmaninoff, Brahms, and Shostakovich would be blasting. You haven’t heard real music until you’ve listened to the entirety of Scheherazade by Rimsky Korsakov. During car trips, we would also only listen to classical music and play ’20 bucks, what instrument is this.’“

“When I wasn’t listening or practicing classical music, I would be glued to the radio, taking in as many different genres as possible. I was deeply drawn to indie/rock music and it’s been that way ever since! Although my music taste to some was deemed as “good”, I always felt embarrassed or ashamed by this because the shock factor of “shouldn’t you like hip-hop” was constantly in question. Over the years I’ve embraced it! As someone who grew up with these deep classical roots and practices, the instrumentals, lyrics and soothing nature of indie music brought me back to the sounds that used to fill my home. However, over the past few years, I have gone through what I call an R&B Renaissance. I wasn’t completely uncultured you guys! Living in a split household, my mom played a lot of Earth, Wind, and Fire, Indie Arie, Jill Scott, and Lauryn Hill. I couldn’t connect with it as much back then, but now Soul, R&B and Hip-Hop have been deeply transformative for me. I feel lighter, and it fuels me creatively in a different way. It’s been helping me escape and pay more attention to the tempo and how it uplifts me and makes me feel. I adore my music taste, it’s versatile, it’s fun, its deep and ever expanding.”

High&Dry

Victoria Glidden

“I think my parents are the reason I’m so music obsessed. I grew up listening to Pink Floyd, Morcheeba, Frank Sinatra, watching musicals, and singing in the car always. Now I feel so honored to write about music, listen to worldly libraries online, and even make some from my own apartment. The more music I make, the more I seem to pay attention to production of songs. Recently I have been obsessed with heavy atmospheric songs. Thick layering vocals, shimmering percussion and intense lyricism are a foggy aura coming out of my headphones. This month I curated a large collection of songs that play with transition and build themselves around you.

Unlike many of my playlists, this one feels like it can actually be played on shuffle. The focus on production and transitions blends the songs together despite the difference in energy between some. This playlist is a moody spring soundtrack, something to sit at the park with while watching the clouds roll by, the leaves blow or the flowers bloom. Music feels as ever-present to me as the sounds of life do. I love to capture a time or season in just a short list of songs.”

Stay tuned to see next month’s mixes and who we are listening to these days. 

Are you interested in sharing a month of music with us? Send an email to [email protected] to let us know.