SPEAKER_01: 0:46

Welcome back to another Super Awesome Mix. My name is Matt Sidholm alongside my co-host and co-founder of Super Awesome Mix, Sam Abusalbi. Sam, how are we doing this week?

SPEAKER_00: 0:56

Doing really well. I'm really excited as always whenever we have a guest on the show, which we do today. So today I'm going to be introducing Tori from Kalzana Artist Management. So Kalzana is a strategic artist-centered management company. They do consulting and artist services as well. They basically help grow artist careers across marketing and brand strategies, fan and community building and release strategies, as well as song feedback. All the things. Tori and I actually met at the gym that I go to here in the Upper West Side. And she, funny enough, actually changed my life. I don't know if she knows this or not, because she introduced me to the magic of iced Americanos, which is now my exclusive drink at coffee shop. So ever since that conversation we had, Tori, that is just my go-to drink. Everyone knows it, and that's great. But uh I'm very excited to have you here on the show. Welcome.

SPEAKER_03: 1:44

Thank you so much. I'm so glad to hear that I changed your life with an iced Americano, as everyone, I mean it's it's gonna be the drink of the summer.

SPEAKER_00: 1:51

So I agree. Yeah, exactly. Um, I think Sabrina Carpenter should rewrite her espresso song.

SPEAKER_03: 1:59

Iced Americano. It's a mouthful, but it is.

SPEAKER_01: 2:02

That's tough to get into a song lyric, I feel like. But if anybody could pull it off, right? Might be Sabrina Carpenter.

SPEAKER_00: 2:09

Yeah, exactly. Um, well, this is great. So, you know, we we got into a conversation. Uh, you're working in artist management, um, and you are the co-founder, in fact, of this company. Tell us a little bit more about it. How's that going?

SPEAKER_03: 2:20

Yeah, it's going really well. Honestly, we I so the company has existed for two years, but I came on last year to do booking um for my now co-founder Kelsey. Um, she started it all by herself, um, which is incredible. But I really like as I was doing booking with her, I was like, I want to do so much more. Like, let me do everything. Like, let me take, you know, let me talk to the clients, let me figure out because I love marketing. I studied film um at NYU. Um, and that's what I thought I was gonna do uh pre-pandemic. And then um, yeah, so I sort of fell into this strategic role because every time we would have like a meeting every Monday, I would just like take it further and ask her questions and be like, Can I do this? Can I help you with something? And then eventually she's like, Hey, do you want to just be my business partner? And I was like, Yes. And so I just on in February, I quit my job. Um, it was it's a really funny story because like I we both went to the Grammys. It was my first time, and I was still working um on Wall Street at the time. And at LAX, I had this realization, I was like, I don't want to go back to Wall Street ever again. And so I just sent my email and quit on the spot and was like, Kelsey, I'm coming, like I'm I'm full time, like I'm sitting at the airport, like, oh my God, my this is my dream. I'm so scared. Um, but I just felt like I needed to do that. And since February, we have grown so much. We've kind of shifted the business model around a bit as well. We now work with label clients as well. So doing social media strategy for the um this label that we work with in Denver, um, where that's where Kelsey's based. And yeah, so we work with their clients on social media and digital ads. And then we have our own clients where we really like focus on this artist-centered, like, you know, where are you in your career? How can we meet you and how can we take you to the next level? And then we also offer management for the clients that are then ready, once they have that brand foundation, once they've been playing live uh for a X amount of time, you know, however much experience they have with live, make sure that they're honed in on those skills. Um and making sure they have social media, which it's a beautiful tool. Um, it's really hard for musicians to use. So once they have that down, like what they're posting and making sure that they're consistent with it, we like to then kind of bring our artist uh services clients into management and take over because we know their brand and their music and their aesthetic the best out of anyone. So we figure, okay, so if we can offer both, it seems like a streamlined process and they feel like they're being taken care of and they can trust us as well.

SPEAKER_01: 5:02

Tori, that I love that story. I love just the quitting on the spot as well. That's that's incredible.

SPEAKER_02: 5:08

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01: 5:08

Um, but I imagine, I mean, you said you had a background, you know, you went to film school. Like film school, you know, making films is about telling stories. And I imagine, like, when you're promoting these artists, you you're just trying to tell their stories. So, I mean, can you talk about how like there's actually maybe more of a natural fit than it appears for something like this?

SPEAKER_03: 5:27

100%, because I'm even building out like um sort of, you know, the first few months we really want to dig into the brand. That's really our main focus. And with branding, it's not marketing, like it's not just marketing. That's just a like touches the surface. Like branding goes so deep that I actually like to think about storytelling, you know, for the musician, but as a movie, like what is the plot of their brand? What is what are who are the characters, the recurring characters, the ones that you invite for a collab? Who are these people? How do we, you know, kind of scale it just like a movie? That's what I have in mind when I'm thinking about, you know, okay, how can we best tell this story? What, you know, um, like who are they? Are they the tragic hero? Are they the rebellious, you know, uh protagonist? Um, are they the antagonist? And do they and who's their opponent? So thinking about all of these plot points and how to develop that, and then making sure that everything ties back to this. Because if there's a reference point, it's a lot easier for people to understand the why behind what they're doing. I see all the time where artists are just like, oh, I posted this video, I posted this video, I posted this video. They have no idea why they posted it. They just like see generally that happening, and then they have they're like, and it got three likes. Like, why is that? Trying to kind of ask us to explain the nature and the of the algorithms. It's like people want to be entertained. They want to, they want your story. They nobody, I heard this quote the other day like nobody's really looking to discover new music. They they stumble upon it, but they're not actively like, okay, who's saying out now, stream my music? Nobody. People are looking to be entertained. And so once I really like grasp that, I was like, oh my god, my my experience actually does align completely. And I'm not, you know, I'm within my wheelhouse, which is a really cool revelation because I have worked in music, but really like, you know, I've created a documentary, I've made these short films. Like, it's like the the visual has been my emphasis. So I always felt like, oh my gosh, a fish out of water. Like, am I equipped? And now I realized, yeah, I am equipped. I'm like um more than equipped, and that's helped with my confidence, and it's also helped me hone in on the brands of our clients in a way that I don't think anybody else would take the time to do. And it's actually so, so, so necessary. And it does take a few months, but once that's down, everything else is easy.

SPEAKER_00: 7:57

That's incredible. Yeah, I love that. I think that's a really powerful way of imagining a brand. And you've actually given me a lot to think about after this call. I'm gonna dive into uh our own branding exercise with that in mind. Yes. Um but you know, let's get into your mix because I'm really excited to talk about it. Um, and I'd love for you to just give a brief, brief kind of introduction to it. I believe it's called Top of the Mountain and uh 12 songs, same as all of our other mixes on the show. But yeah, give us a brief introduction before we go into each song.

SPEAKER_03: 8:26

Yeah, so I am from the Northridge Mountains. Um, that's where I was born and raised till I was 18 years old, and I sort of resented it in a way. I was like, oh, I'm from a small town, like I'm a big city kind of girl, which is the biggest cliche you can think of. But I, you know, I did, I left, and I am so glad that I left. I traveled the world, I went to New York, I lived in Spain, and at each point in my life, the older that I get, the more I become reflective, and also the more I love where I come from. Because I'm like, who got this experience to live in literally nature's most beautiful scenery? Uh if you look up the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Appalachian Mountains, like it's honestly like incredible that I was exposed to different cultures in terms of music. Like I grew up with bluegrass, I grew up with folk, I grew up with because I'm an hour away from Atlanta, grew up um with like RB, hip-hop, rap, like literally so many different types of music that I was always just exposed to. And I didn't realize actually how much it shaped me. And so whenever I was, you know, putting together my mix, which was by the way, the hardest tax task I've ever had to do in my entire life, you have I changed the title, I changed the flow, I changed the songs. Like up until like that last week, I was like, ah, like literally, like it, I was being like super self-critical, like, oh my gosh, does my music taste okay? But then I'm like, right, no, let me go back to the roots. Who am I? And how can I tell my story? So I guess reflecting on my own brand, um, that's sort of how this all came about. The top of the mountain is one of the places that I seek solace in whenever I go on hikes. I just sit there. I'm not on my phone. I am completely present and one with the world, and I think about my past, my present, and my future. So I wanted to tell that story through this mix where it kind of brings you along. It's like the changing of the seasons. If you really like listen to it front to back or top to bottom, whatever, visual. Um, you sort of gain a sense of like the changing of the leaves and the sort of like like youth, the youth of springtime into the chaos and wonder of summertime and this reflection and starting to settle back in in the fall, and the really like focusing on myself in the winter of like who am I? Um, so it really I wanted to bring the listener on a journey of my own life by including songs that um people have shown me or that I've just discovered myself to sort of show how storytelling is so interesting. I thought about I was like, it's so cool that people share their stories through other people's stories. Like that's sharing music.

SPEAKER_02: 11:03

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 11:03

And so I included a lot of that um throughout. And so those are the main themes, but I feel like if I sat here and talked, I could tell you an hour's more of like what they all mean.

SPEAKER_00: 11:15

No, that's awesome. Um, I think that's a perfect description for the vibe that I got from this mix, and I thought it was really well put together. So let's let's get into it. Track number one, top of the mix. It is 16 by Baby Keem.

SPEAKER_03: 11:26

Yes. Oh my gosh. The song is like, this song for me is like it reminds me okay, so let me share who shared it with me, which was my brother. Um, he was telling me about like Kendrick Lamar's younger cousin, and I love the title of the song because I was like 16. That's really where my music taste started to like become its own. It wasn't just a reflection of my parents and like what I've been, you know, consuming via my peers. It was really like 16 was like the year that I was making the playlist and developing my music taste. Um, I feel like the song is just very upbeat and sort of like this like youthful springtime that I was touching on earlier, where it's just like the sort of the magic of writing with like you feel that first crisp air of like springtime, and you're like, oh my gosh, winter's over. That's how I feel whenever I listen to this song. If you dig into the lyrics, it very much is like it's kind of tragic, actually, um, about like, you know, a person in relation to somebody that they may love and they come from like an impoverished background and some tragedies. And if you really dig into it, it's like, wow, how did Baby Keen bring levity to this really dark subject and sort of make it like this sort of young love, um, but also so profound. And I just love whenever music is able to do that because for me, music brings levity to my life when I'm going through things. Um, so yeah, it just it for me it sparked the beginning of spring and it also sparked a lot of like internal um like commentary about the song um and what it actually means versus what it sounds like it means.

SPEAKER_00: 13:08

Right, right. Yeah, we talk a lot on the show about sometimes the um there are songs where like the the lyrics match the vibe, there's songs where they don't, and it all works, doesn't matter, right? Like it it all it's uh whatever however it is communicating to you is what matters most, I believe. Right. Um and so I totally agree. I think this is a really nice way to kind of open the the mix up. I think it sets the mood for what's to come. And I really enjoyed this one. I just thought it had a very smooth vibe to it. Almost reminded me of Pofu a little bit, like if you're familiar with his music, um which uh I really liked. I went through a phase where he was like all I listened to, but this one is really good, and I I really enjoyed having this open the track up, open the mix up.

SPEAKER_02: 13:47

Yes.

SPEAKER_01: 13:48

All right, so track two, you have Songbird by Ava Cassidy.

SPEAKER_03: 13:53

Yes. So of course you may know this song as a Fleetwood Mac song, which most people do. But my dad shared this version with me, and he is one of my biggest sources of inspiration when it comes to music. Like he is all over the place, but in the best way. Like he is like uh Enya, Allison Krause, and then he can go to REM, like uh Eat the Eagles. Like he is just well-versed, Pink Floyd, like he loves to show me like live performances. Every time I go to his house, he like puts up, he's like, watch this. And we watch like a 20-minute documentary or live performance or whatever, like has piqued his interest or that he used to watch or listen to. And I love the way that he shares music with me because you know, of course he showed me the Fleetwood Mac song before, but in passing and things like that. But he was so intentional about the way that he showed me this song. And this song really made me think of spring because I was like, wow, songbirds, like birds drooping, obviously. But it's such a sweet love song. The way that Eva Cassidy sings it, it's so sweet. And I love the sweetness in her voice. It's almost like this satisfying, like she sang it exactly how I would want to sing it if I sang it. Like if I had those pipes. Like it was so sweet. It was like a love letter. And I feel like love letters are just the purest form of expression of love. And it felt like, you know, with my dad sharing this song with me, it's like a love letter. Like, here, here's a piece of me. Also, Eva Cassidy, she didn't get famous until after her death. And she was an incredible blues, jazz, soul. Like, if you go into her repertoire, she's amazing and she does incredible covers that make them feel like their own. Um, so I just included that one because it's a song that, you know, I love the Fleetwood Mac version. Do not get me wrong. I I I included that one first. But then I started to think about when I'm talking, what would I want to say? And this version really speaks more um about me and my experience.

SPEAKER_01: 15:55

Uh, I love that. Yeah, I love all of that. I this uh I'm with you. I I love the original, but this one was just yeah, talking about making it your own, even though people are gonna be familiar with the song. And I thought this was something, you talk about the sweetness to it. I felt like this is a version that you could play like at a wedding reception, like it could be someone's first dance or something, which I don't know if I would say that about the original, but this one I think fits that vibe kind of perfectly. And then I love hearing about you know your dad and and you kind of sharing music like that. Because I do that with my daughter a lot of times because she's got a pretty good ear for music and she'll make connections between songs, so she'll she'll recognize like a sample or something, and then I'll go play her the original, and I'll be like, no, no, no, this was the original one, or listen to this, okay, see how this connects. And she's really good with that stuff. So I I love hearing about that connection because I I try to do that with her because she's so into music.

SPEAKER_03: 16:47

That's so special. I love that.

SPEAKER_00: 16:49

Matt, have you introduced her to anyone beyond Bruce Springsteen, though?

SPEAKER_01: 16:53

No, it's really just Bruce Springsteen. I just take any song she's listening to. And I go, no, no, but listen to this Bruce Springsteen song. Like, this is so this is kind of like the Jonas Brothers, you know?

SPEAKER_02: 17:04

Like I try to real.

SPEAKER_01: 17:08

There's a line there, yeah. The Jonas Brothers spent some time in New Jersey, so it's yeah, anyway. I try to just tie it all back to Bruce, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 17:17

All right, well, let's take it back to where uh you are from, the Blue Ridge Mountains, and that's track number three by Fleet Foxes.

SPEAKER_03: 17:25

Yes. Well, this one's I guess very this one's more of the obvious reasons why I included it, but the backstory in summary is that the Fleet Foxes, like the Fleet Foxes, have been the soundtrack to my fall into winter since I can remember, probably since I was 16. Uh, they have a sound that I don't know why, but for me, I just feel it so much. I it feels like this, like their music keeps coming up in very important parts of my life. Like I was about to move to Spain, and the person that I was nannying for, um, the dad, like put on the fleet foxes album that had like uh White Winter Hymnal and like all of their like I think it was that album, and it they put it on the speakers, like and it came through the ceiling. And I almost started crying. I was like, this is me. Like it just felt like I was just sitting there, like in bliss, like listening to the loudness of the fleet foxes, and their voice is so calming, and the music just feels like home. And I think that's why I got emotional in that moment because I was nanning in the Hamptons, which was far from you know the Blue Ridge Mounds, but I felt instantly transported. And I think that that's what the Fleet Foxes music does for me. It's like it doesn't matter at what point in my life, they are going to sing me through certain seasons, and for me it's fall and winter. It's just completely encapsulated.

SPEAKER_00: 18:47

Yeah, I get that vibe with them as well. Um, and I I love fall. That's like one of my favorite that is my favorite season, hands down. I love the changing from summer into winter. Um, and this song I think absolutely would go on a fall mix for me. I love those opening notes. I I I'm 100% with you in terms of the emotion that comes through. I I wrote haunting like 15 times when I was talking about this track because I just feel like it has like the instrumentals are haunting and it's gorgeous, and their vocals are so perfect on top of that on top of it, very delicate. Um and just gives you, yeah, it gives you all that feeling of of kind of change in the air, but also like comfort and coziness and all of that. Um so I I thought this was such a beautiful track.

SPEAKER_01: 19:29

Alright, track four, it is Spayside by Bonnie Bear.

SPEAKER_03: 19:34

Yes, and Spa well, Bonnie Bear in general is another I I I put them next to Playboxes because I it's the same. It's like staple for me, staple fall and winter. Spayside I love because whenever I it first dropped, um which was very recently, um, I was so excited because it was a nod to Bony Bears like for Emma, like that sound whenever they first like they had I mean that was an incredible album. And they they deviate um from the genre, and I love the genre Benton fancy, but the familiarity, it was like I knew the song the first time I heard it, and it was so beautiful and poignant and sad. And I know this song is about like kind of this feeling of guilt about and almost the desire to feel guilt when you do something wrong and mess up everything. Relationship or love or whatever, in whatever way that looks like. And I thought that was a very specific emotion that I was like, wow, people probably experienced that, but they've never heard it put into a song like that. And so I kind of included this because it was it's just such a new song, but it brings such a reflection for me every time I listen to it and just think about like people's heartbreaks, my own heartbreaks, and sort of this like, yeah, like desire to feel negative emotion because you feel like you deserve it, which is so sad and wrong, but it's something that we feel at certain points. Um, and so with that emotion, I was like, Yeah, I just wanted to include it because I've been thinking about repeat also like for the since it's released, I probably listened to it about like six times a week or so.

SPEAKER_01: 21:19

So yeah, this was one where definitely the lyrics fit the vibe of the song, and uh you know the lyrics I'll call out here nothing's really something, now the whole thing's soot. And I thought that was just like, you know, just the idea this whole this whole thing's just burned up and it's just destroyed, and it's just the way he describes that there. I'm just like, oh my gosh. So no, you're right, you really do feel it from him, as you always do. Like that's that's one of the kind of the signature things I think about his music is that you do feel kind of the emotion that he's going for, and I think that's why he connects with so many people. But yeah, this is uh this was a great song, very much in line with Bonnie Fair, but I mean, I think just another, really great offering from him.

SPEAKER_03: 22:00

Right.

SPEAKER_00: 22:02

All right, let's go on to track five here. Um, this is one, you know, you mentioned emotional songs. This is one that almost made me cry. This is River by Leon Bridges.

SPEAKER_03: 22:12

Leon Bridges is a genius. I love everything that he does, the people that he collaborates with. But this one was so actually interestingly, I before I had this one on the playlist, I had um that Allison Crowell song from Oh Brother, where are thou? Like, as I went down to the river to pray, because I just like it felt very like. I mean, I grew up listening to it and my parents would play it and stuff like that. I listened to it um at this like Unitarian church that I went to when I was younger, and so it was just very like a part of my childhood, but I didn't resonate with it as much in terms of you know, what am I actually gonna listen to on a day-to-day basis? And I had, I think I had both of them in the playlist. So it was that one and then River, and then I was doing like a little bit more research into River, and it was actually inspired by the Al by the Allison Krause song. And I was like, what? Like that's crazy.

SPEAKER_01: 23:07

That's awesome. That's amazing.

SPEAKER_03: 23:10

I was like, so okay, I thought it was just me that felt those similarities and the vibe, but it was literally inspired by it. And I just love whenever the choir comes in. I really feel that. Um, I didn't grow up like super religious, but I I love church in the sense of community and communing with people um and and feeling the energies of people around you. And it just feels this song feels so intentional, and it feels like I can just imagine walking because I used to have a creek in my backyard, and it I just imagine myself walking down the hill to the creek and like listening to the song in my headphones and pretending it's a river. And it just it's one of those songs that I think will always be a part of my playlist as I grow up. It has been for a very long time now. Um, and yeah, it's just a really special song for me.

SPEAKER_00: 24:00

Yeah, this one is just absolutely gorgeous. Um, you know, this is one of the ones where I think like the lyrics and the sound of it really match up beautifully. Um, it has, you know, you mentioned church. I wrote that it has like a gospel feel to it. And I think just having that choir come in. And the uh the bridge with Brittany Jesse and her voice is like unbelievable. I just think it's so gorgeous. Oh my god, that's the part where I just felt very emotional listening to it. Like you can really allow yourself to sink into that, into this song in that way.

SPEAKER_03: 24:26

You're so right, because you like that's where it kind of like hits you. Like in the heart, you're like, oh my god, like why am I like tearing up on accident?

SPEAKER_00: 24:36

Yeah, beautiful song. Well done.

SPEAKER_01: 24:39

All right, track six. This is El Condor Pasa, parentheses, if I could by Simon and Garfunkel.

SPEAKER_03: 24:46

Simon and Garfunkel. They are they are my favorite band or group duo. Um, because this one is a nod to my dad again. Um, he so Bridge Over Troubled Water is my favorite song because it's just like I, whenever I was like one or two, my dad would just play that song for me. And that song I didn't want to include in here because that one just makes me cry every time I hear it. And like sometimes I'm like, I try to do it on the piano, and I I'm like, this time I'm in a good mood, like I'm not gonna cry. And then I start crying whenever I play it. Like, I just can't edit it, I can't talk about it. It's just one of those songs. And I was thinking about like, oh well, I have to have the Simon and Garfunkel song just because like I know the majority of them, and that my dad would be like, What why wouldn't you include them? Um, so El Condor Passa, it for me is summer. Like it feels like I am going on a hike. This is probably to do with the movie Wild that has this song in it. I don't know if you've seen it with Reese Weatherspoon, but incredible soundtrack for the movie. Um, but this one is just really special to me because hiking is also something that I do with my dad. So I was thinking, okay, in the summertime, and I'm actually I forgot to say this in the beginning, but I'm moving back to Georgia um in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains um in one week, actually tomorrow.

SPEAKER_00: 26:06

Wow. Actually, at the end of this recording.

SPEAKER_01: 26:11

This keeps, yeah, this keeps advancing. Like actually, guys, we're gonna cut it off. I'm gonna move. I'm literally driving to Georgia right now. Um, we're gonna record the rest of this from the car.

SPEAKER_03: 26:21

That's so funny. I did not even, I don't think I've processed that I'm moving, although you can see my bed frame in the background.

SPEAKER_01: 26:26

I thought you were just a minimalist. I just thought you had just assumed.

SPEAKER_03: 26:30

Yes. Yes, so tomorrow I'm moving. Um, and so I was thinking about like, well, I'll have a summer with my dad because that's where he lives. And this would be something that would be on our like combined playlist. It just, I love the lyrics so much. Like, I'd rather be a hammer than a nail. I'd rather be a forest than a street. That that is me. I used to want to be a street and now I want to be a forest. And I think it's sort of like this moment of summertime that goes into the fall of like, who am I becoming? How am I changing? Um, how are these mountains guiding me? And what does it mean to go through the peaks and the valleys and the, you know, the whole life cycle, but also just one hike as well. Like I feel like it's all related and I just love the nature imagery. Um, and yeah, it's just a nostalgic tune.

SPEAKER_01: 27:23

Yeah, I mean, it's a beautiful piece of music, and it was interesting to learn that it was just originally just an orchestral piece, and then Paul Simon kind of came across it and was like, I'm gonna add some lyrics to it, which is you know, pretty risky, but I guess if you're Paul Simon, you can pull that off, right? Like I mean, I wouldn't want like Justin Bieber to do it, but I feel like Paul Simon in like that sweet spot in 1970 could totally pull it off. And so, yeah, just a just an amazing song and just so cool that he took this this piece of music and just kind of made it his own with this uh because there's a ton of different versions of the just orchestral music out there, but then this one is unique because of the lyrics. So, yeah, just just an amazing choice. And I loved how, you know, amidst all this kind of modern music, you just kind of throw it back to Simon and Garfunkel right here in the middle. So that's well done.

unknown: 28:13

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00: 28:15

All right, let's move on to track number seven, uh, another amazing song. This is Guild the Lily by Billy Strings.

SPEAKER_03: 28:23

Oh my gosh, Billy Strings. If y'all haven't heard of him, you better hear of him because he is literally like the most talented musician, up and coming, but also like very established. Um Billy Strings is that was another, like my dad was last time I was with him, he was showing me like a Billy Strings interview, and it was really cool. But the first time I actually heard this song was in Denver, Colorado in March. Um, like the song specifically was shown to me by one of my best friends. She's always had incredible taste in music. And there was something about being with her and my other best friend, Jessie, who is featured on this playlist, we'll talk about later, I guess. Um we were all three of us were in the car, and she's like, Oh, I have this new song that I just love to listen to. And when I heard, oh my gosh, the band, like the music, the instruments, the way that it like I was in awe. Like I was in the backseat of the car and I was just like, I could just see it. I could see like birds and like clouds and like summertime. It just uh it just was one of those I feel this um songs that was recently introduced to me. And I was like, How have I not been listening to Billy Strings for the last like year? Like this is crazy. And um yeah, just an incredible piece of music. I love music that really, really it's not just I feel like a lot of songs today do sound similar. And this feels like music. It feels like you can see these people playing the instruments and getting into it too, not just you know, do do do do like they're they're like this is their lifeblood. And I love songs that make you feel that way.

SPEAKER_00: 30:04

So I actually saw um I love this song, and I actually thought it was produced by John Bryan, which I love his music. He's done a lot of um movie soundtracks that I've enjoyed as well. I think he did iHeart Hugabies, which the soundtrack to that movie is way better than the movie itself, which is amazing. Um I love when that happens.

SPEAKER_01: 30:21

But no, this was people either love that movie or hate that movie. Like there's no middle ground there.

SPEAKER_00: 30:26

No, there's no middle ground, but I hope they can enjoy the music because it's excellent. But um, no, Billy Strings here is it's it's a beautiful song. Um, I love the lyrics. I'd sing along with the birds, I'd sing along if only I knew the words. And I just, there's something about that that is like just really I don't know. It's so I find that really calming. I'm drawn to those lyrics. I think just because it is like in order to really listen to the birds, you have to be very present, you have to be aware, and you just kind of wish you could more commune with them or something in that moment, right? I think that's why that lyric speaks to me. So I was just I I loved the song. I felt very calm listening to it.

unknown: 31:00

Yes.

SPEAKER_01: 31:02

All right, track eight. We've got These Days by the Jesse Williams band.

SPEAKER_03: 31:07

Yes, so I've been listening to this song a lot these days because my friend just released this song. She's also um someone that I manage, and she's also someone that is from my hometown. I've known her since I was eight, and I'm going back and we're gonna be together, and we are going to be like children together, making music, being a part of music. And I am just like this song specifically, it feels more like spring into summer. Um, and there's just so much greenery that comes to mind when I think about this song. I love all the instruments that she uses. Um, her band is incredible. And the song lyrics, it's just they're so about like moving forward, but like we all have these similar experiences in life, and there's so many cycles where like rinse and repeat, you know, this monotony that we have, but like we're somehow still moving forward. And I love how she's able to capture this really specific concept in her song. And yeah, I just think she's one of the most talented people that and I listen to her music recreationally, not just because I, you know, am managing her, which I, you know, I put it on in my car, I roll my windows down, and I drive over the George Washington Bridge usually whenever I'm going to the city every day. So it's just one of those songs that makes you think about like, oh, these days, yeah. Like, what are these days about? And um, yeah, it's just it's one of those songs that I'm gonna have on repeat this summer, probably.

SPEAKER_01: 32:38

Um, I love this song. Yeah. I I was not familiar with the Jesse Williams band prior to this, but um, yeah, definitely gonna dive into more of her work. But this one I thought was perfect because it's the beginning of the summer, and a lot of people just graduated from high school or college or whatever, and I thought this was great lyrically with like kind of life advice, right? And like things to do, like you said, kind of how to move forward and all of that. So as people are going through these transitions and like you said, sort of transitioning in seasons, if you will. Um, I thought this was really well done and and kind of fits the uh the whole mood of the mix so far as we're going through the different seasons.

SPEAKER_02: 33:16

Okay, I love that.

SPEAKER_00: 33:18

I'm gonna hopefully um now that you are moving closer, you will not be alone. But track number nine is Rather be alone. And this is by Leon Thomas, featuring Hallie.

SPEAKER_03: 33:28

Oh my gosh, Leon Thomas is my like current obsession, I would say. But as I started to think about songs and their feelings and their vibes, I this one really oh, I I don't even know. This one is where it's like the end of fall into winter. Like I'd rather be alone, which is usually how I feel. Right. Um, I'm like, I will, you know, take the hiatus from socialization for about you know three months. But I also just like loved the the um the woman featured on the song is so incredibly talented, and I had never heard of her before. But like bringing like the the dynamicism between their two voices, like the contrast is so it's sweet and dark at the same time. And I was like, how are you doing this? Like your cult, like I will definitely like be taking this into winter for me. Um because it's just one of those that makes me feel like okay to indulge in wanting to be alone. And making me feel like maybe my own company is it can be preferred, which is not something that I've ever really, you know, it's been hard to grapple with is like, you know, I'd rather be alone. Um, and then also just the lyrics of I'd rather be alone than in a broken home. It's so tragic. And it's but it's so it's like that's like being repeated throughout. So just the the storytelling through the way that it's written is so simple, yeah. It tells the story of childhood and um just how music can come from something like beautiful music can come from something so tragic. Um, so I just really appreciated the song, and it's been on repeat since it dropped. I think it dropped in like April, and I have been non-stop listening to it because I just think it's so beautiful.

SPEAKER_00: 35:16

Yeah, I I loved this song too. I think this is probably one of my favorites on this mix. Um her voice is gorgeous. I I love the I just love how the song unfolds too, just musically. Um, like that jazzy drum play in the background is just like oh, it's so it's perfect. I love it. Um and I agree with you. I think sometimes, you know, especially around holidays, um if you celebrate Christmas or any of the holidays in the winter time of the year, yeah, you are kind of like forced into a lot of interaction. But like winter out in nature is generally pretty introspective and quiet, and like, you know, bears hibernate and trees go into themselves and into their roots and and everything like that. So I definitely agree there's like a tension between, you know, hey, we're gonna throw you in a bunch of holiday parties and a bunch of social situations versus like you get to just kind of hibernate and go in, you know, be like a little bit alone for a while. And I think that's really important to have that time. So I love that description that you have about that.

SPEAKER_01: 36:13

All right, track 10. It is Harvest Moon by Lord Huron, and this is specifically the version recorded at Spotify Studios.

SPEAKER_03: 36:22

Oh, I love Lord Huron. They're so good, but I didn't want to include the night we met because like obviously I love that song, but that song makes me really sad. And this song, Harvest Moon, makes me want to dance at the like first sign of fall. Like the leaves are falling off the trees, and I want to like dance and like it almost feels like a dream in a way. You have these like like and you and the lyrics talk about like dancing with your loved one, and so which is probably why I want to dance, but I just love the way that it feels like such a sweet introduction, like the harvest moon, the way it's so picturesque, and because of like the way that I, you know, visualize this one makes me feel like oh, I can imagine the moon there. I'm with my loved one, we are just outside, we are like it's probably dusk, which is my favorite part of night. And we're just like little children, like swaying with the leaves in the wind, and just like being a part of the change ourselves. We're moving and life moves, and I just love how fun this song is compared to the other song that I love by them the night we met, but it's so different in the way that it expresses itself. Um, so I just really appreciate this um yeah, the lyrics and just the imagery that comes to mind whenever I listen to it.

SPEAKER_01: 37:48

Yeah, it's it's funny that you emphasize the lyrics because this one, I was kind of captivated by the arrangement and just the the instruments and stuff in the background to where I was like, you know, the lyrics could end if they could just kind of keep the music going. Like I'm with you. Like I kind of had the same sort of feeling about like just kind of being outside and kind of the vibe that it invoked. And to me, I was like, I could, I could just listen to this musically just on repeat, you know, and and obviously the lyrics add to it as well. But I think that was the part that more captivated me here, too. It was really, really cool, really well done.

SPEAKER_03: 38:21

You're so right, because if you take out the lyrics, you still get that same feeling. Yeah, nothing's really lost.

SPEAKER_01: 38:27

Right, right. I found that just really remarkable and really, yeah, really well done. Yep.

SPEAKER_00: 38:33

All right. Um, last two tracks on the mix, and I don't know if this was on purpose, but I really loved kind of the book ending here because this is 17 by Youth Lagoon, and we opened the mix up, of course, with a song called 16. So I'm curious if that was just coincidence or or you had something in mind here.

SPEAKER_03: 38:50

Oh, yes, I had something in mind. I was thinking about so this song is very interesting because I listened to it when I was 17, definitely. And but whenever I was 17, I'm like trying to put myself in the fields of reflecting on 17, having not experienced it, which is like it it goes to show that you know, at 17, I was having these big feelings. When I was 17, I'm thinking about myself in the future, reflecting on myself in that moment. And I thought that that was crazy. I put the distance between 16 and 17 because honestly, I feel like it tells like the rest of the songs in between tell the story of the year. So you have all of these changes and nature, you know, blooming and going inward, and these self-reflections and self-discoveries. And then in 17, you're looking back and you're saying you're no longer interacting with your environment as much. You're more so like, well, when I was 17, my mama said to me, Don't stop imagining. And we kind of do stop imagining. And so the songs that I included are the ones that make me imagine. So I wanted to add this at the very end because although it was a song that I listened to a lot, like it was one that I had to rediscover while putting this playlist together. I'm so glad I stumbled upon it again because I remember resonating so much with this song, not even knowing what was to come. So it just feels special to like, you know, kind of wrap it up where it started.

SPEAKER_00: 40:19

Yeah. Oh, I love that. And it it's making me think about songs that I listened to when I was a teenager and got, you know, like again, you think you you especially I think late teens, you feel like you've already arrived, but looking back now, you You know, I'm I'm I just turned 40 and I'm like, I was a kid, you know, like I was very much a child. Um, but I didn't feel that way. You know, I felt very worldly and mature. And I think that that's like such a fascinating part about late adolescence. So I I I love that description of it. Um I'm thinking about the music that I listened to back then and when I thought that I knew everything and that I had nothing more to learn. Um, which is great.

SPEAKER_01: 40:56

And he has just for the record, he hasn't learned a thing. Not a thing.

SPEAKER_00: 40:59

No.

SPEAKER_01: 41:00

There's been no lessons learned.

SPEAKER_00: 41:02

It's really at best, I'm like 17 and a half. I think that's it.

SPEAKER_01: 41:10

I actually don't allow him to vote. I have to like restrain him. I'm like, you're not mature enough.

SPEAKER_00: 41:20

Um but no, this is this is a beautiful song. I I obviously I was gonna call out that line too don't stop imagining the day that you do is the day that you die. And I think that that especially is so true. Um, you know, I I love the work that we do on Super Awesome Mix and all the podcasts and everything, because it does force a creativity. And I think being creative and being imaginative and and you know, envisioning a life for yourself is how you stay young and how you stay youthful for sure. Because the second you stop dreaming is the second, like I don't know, I feel like you start dying. Like there's no better way of putting it.

SPEAKER_03: 41:53

Exactly. I yes, just yes.

SPEAKER_01: 41:57

Well, I think the title of this last song then fits perfectly with everything we've talked about, all led to this. So great job putting this together. But the title is I am, and it's by Georgia Smith.

SPEAKER_03: 42:08

Yes, I am. Obviously, this was more of a titular nod to the wrapping up of, but also kind of it's a paradox because it's like we're wrapping up, and we are. So I am in this moment, taking everything, the accumulation of everything I've ever learned throughout life before me, which can be you know manifested with this playlist, I guess, or encapsulated. Um and I am like, and what am I gonna take with me? It's it's it's a present tense, but it's also like almost stepping in to your own and claiming who you are. I am this, I do not care what you think. This is ultimately this song, if you really dig into the lyrics, I do it's it has a huge broader cultural and um societal meaning. But you take it and it's like I don't have to conform to the pressures of everything around me. And that's the biggest realization I had, and it wasn't long ago that I had that. And it's I'm 27, like, and I feel like I'm getting really old. And as I get older, I'm like, how did it take me this long to step into my power, to my confidence, to who I am, to who I am? Why don't I love myself so radically? And I think this song really gives permission to love yourself radically. And the fact that it's in the present tense, it just it felt like the ending and yet the beginning. So yeah, I just felt like it was the perfect. And this is the song that encapsulates winter for me. And I used to listen to it like at night time whenever I was roaming around like whatever country I was in, and Georgia Smith, she just has she's always had my heart. So it has like that feeling, but I also really um I just love I Am. Like, yes, period.

SPEAKER_01: 44:00

Yeah, I I thought this was great, and and really, I mean, and and you know, talking about from the beginning the the four seasons, and you really brought it back around. And even when I was listening to it, you know, you did an excellent job of just kind of taking us all the way through. And then this one brought us back. But even though like lyrically and and title-wise, like things evolved. So I just thought this was really well um well put together and just a great way to to wrap up the mix here. Um, but also amazing. I mean, you said you were 27, but we've also had references on I mean NYU film school, you were at the Grammys, you worked on Wall Street, you almost moved to Spain. I feel like you've done way more at 27 than I have, and I'm like way older than you.

SPEAKER_03: 44:44

And it's so crazy because you pointing that out, it's like, oh yeah, but for me, I'm just like, I could be doing more.

SPEAKER_01: 44:50

Like that's how I feel though about my own life sometimes. And then like I I recently went to a high school reunion and talking to other people. They're like, You're doing all that? I was like, I guess it is a lot. I guess I just don't think about it.

SPEAKER_03: 45:06

Yeah, but you have to have someone be your mirror for you. Yes, yeah. And thank you for for being mine right now. That was really nice.

SPEAKER_00: 45:15

Well, Tori, thank you so much uh for being on the show with us and for putting together this beautiful mix. Uh, I was introduced to a lot of new music and I I love how you laid it all out here. This is really, really well done. So I really appreciate all the thoughtfulness um that you put into it. It it really shows it was a great mix to listen to.

SPEAKER_03: 45:34

Thank you so much. Thank you all both for having me. This was so fun. I would do this every morning, honestly. This is like the best way to wake up. So thank you so much. You have a new fan for life. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 45:45

Thank you, Tori. And Tori, tell tell the people out there if there's artists listening that want to get in touch with you, how can they how can they reach out and and maybe get a little help with their careers?

SPEAKER_03: 45:55

Definitely. Anyone can DM Kelzana. That's K-E-L-Z-A-N-A-M-G-M-T. We're on Instagram. And then we also have Kalzanamanagement.com. Uh, and yeah, just send us an email or a DM. I'd love to speak to literally everyone. So the more I have in my inbox, the better. And yeah, thank you so much for providing a platform for Kalzana as well.

SPEAKER_01: 46:18

Absolutely. And we'll include links and to in the uh show notes. So anybody out there listening, you can go directly there and reach out to Tori and get some help with your career, or just maybe learn about some of these new bands because I I know I got introduced to a lot of new music today, which was awesome. Um, so thank you so much. Uh Sam and I have plenty of other mixes to work on, but maybe we'll have Tori back at some point, or maybe one of the artists she represents will come on. So don't worry, I feel like she may become a recurring character in our story. Okay. I have a feeling there. Yeah. Um so we'll get to work on our next mixes, but for Tori and Sam, this is Matt, and we'll see you next time.