The Playlist: Victoria Smith of SF Girl by Bay
This week’s post featuring blogger, photographer, and design junkie Victoria Smith of sfgirlbybay makes the second mention in a row of KCRW—are we on to something here? Take a look at Victoria’s work playlist to see how the Santa Monica-based public radio station may or may not have influenced her musical taste.
What do you listen to while you work? I very often listen to KCRW—a public radio station broadcasting out of the basement of Santa Monica College. I love their “Eclectic 24″ station and I listen via iTunes. They play tons of great indie music that I tend to gravitate towards. They mix it as if I would have.
How do you listen? I listen on my iMac streaming from iTunes through a Harmon/Kardon speaker system.
Do you have any favorite music websites/providers? As I said, I really love KCRW, so they are my biggest provider, via iTunes. I always seem too busy to buy a lot of music lately—but I used to. I have Pandora, but the time never seems to be there to actually utilize it like I’d like to.
Does music influence your work? I think so, or rather sometimes I make it influence my work! Like, if I’m feeling a bit tired or uninspired, I’ll put on an old 80’s mix I’ve made (that once inspired a whole post about Madonna—read it here). Or if I need some energy, I’ll put on something really rockin’, like some Killers or Franz Ferdinand. Or, if I’m in a mellow mood, I’ll listen to some She & Him, or some Wilco, Yo Lo Tengo, My Morning Jacket. I have pretty eclectic taste and I like music from a lot of genres.
Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste? I host these Sunday Night Suppers with a group of creative friends here in San Francisco. My friend, designer Tom Bonauro, is usually in charge of the music. He’ll burn a CD from his vast collection and we’ll play that all night. He has amazing taste and influences me a lot. After the dinners, I burn copies for all the guests and send them out. It’s a great thing to be able to share—a musical memory of the evening. And not to push KCRW (but I seriously swear by them, and am a supporting member), but they introduce to me some great artists all the time. Also, they have a celebrity guest DJ project, and I’ve discovered some great music there. Rosanna Arquette has amazing musical taste.
If your work was a song or a musician, what or who would it be? Oh wow—that’s a hard question! Maybe Elvis Costello—he is a pretty eclectic musician who’s made a lot of different genres of music. I can identify with not wanting to be pigeonholed into one particular style. And he’s quirky and his music has a sense of humor to it; Watching the Detectives is a good example of his dark humor. I like that.
Read on for Victoria’s playlist…
VICTORIA’S PLAYLIST
Song For No One, Miike Snow
Home, David Byrne & Brian Eno
You and I, Wilco
Avalon, Roxy Music
The Last Goodbye, Jeff Buckley
Moby Octopad, Yo Lo Tengo
Human, The Killers
Wild One, Iggy Pop
Get It On, T.Rex
Rebellion (Lies), Arcade Fire
The Step And The Walk, The Duke Spirit
Heaven, The Psychedelic Furs
Chains of Love, Erasure
Come on Home, Franz Ferdinand
Sing, Glen Campbell
Images: Victoria Smith
Great playlist, some of my personal favs! That last question IS tough!