Before I became a musician and music teacher, I was a music fan.

It started with cassette tapes of bands like The Beach Boys, The Beatles and other 50’s-60’s rockers that my Dad would play in the car on road trips. My sister and I also had the standard children’s songs, too, from artists like Sharon, Lois & Bram and Raffi.

When I was in Grade 7, I began finding my own musical interests on the radio and from friends, and began making my own mixtapes with songs from Rick Dees and the Weekly Top 40 on Kool 93.9FM. Yes, I realize how that is giving away my age.

Over the years, I’ve developed a love for creating mixtapes and mix CDs for all kinds of purposes: road trips, parties, studying, dancing, love letters in sonic form, new music sharing and more. I’ve also created my own playlist formula, which I call the “Ultimate Mix”. It’s a process I use to build a dynamic and comprehensive listening experience for bands and artists, one that represents the entirety of their album discography.

When I began making “Ultimate Mixes” in 2005, it started out as a fun venture that I didn’t anticipate would continue some 15 years later. After resisting streaming music apps for years, I’ve decided I can enjoy my mix CDs and digital playlists simultaneously. For many people who will visit, they will only digest music digitally.

So, please enjoy these Spotify playlists that have been carefully curated to represent an ultimate listening experience for each band. Most songs are in original track order and have equal representation from all albums. These are not “Best Of’s”; you won’t find all the hits here. Instead you’ll have a more complete set of songs that shows the full range of a band’s abilities. Eventually, each Ultimate playlist will have some “liner notes” or commentary from me, further explaining my selections, for the keeners out there.

If you have a band or artist you’d like me to check out or make an Ultimate Mix for, send me a note, tweet, DM or Facebook message.

Featured Mix: Pete Yorn

 

 

 

 

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