RIDING THE MUSIC WAVE
Writers and the music that inspires them.
Why we’re “riding the music wave”
Riding the Music Wave was born out of Assistant Editor Carla Crujido’s love of music, late ‘70s surfing culture, and her Pacific island roots.
Unbeknownst to her mother, one of the first concerts she attended was with her older brother at the Troubadour in Hollywood, California. She was twelve. What followed was decades of seeing shows everywhere from abandoned churches to Wembley Stadium.
It was her obsession with music that lead to the creation of Riding the Music Wave and her childhood growing up in an iconic Southern California beach town replete with mythic surf culture that inspired the name. Of the idea behind the playlist she says, “You can tell more about a person from their musical taste than anything else.” Crujido asks each writer to tell us how music inspires or informs their writing and give us a playlist that reflects those influences.
What are you waiting for? Surf through the playlists, read the writer’s words, and listen to who they are.
RIDING THE MUSIC WAVE VOL. 7: STAFF EDITION
River Styx staff members share our Spotify playlists and discuss the music that inspires us.
RIDING THE MUSIC WAVE No. 6: CARMEN MARIA MACHADO
“When I think about my relationship with music, I am always struck by the collage-y mishmash quality of it…”
RIDING THE MUSIC WAVE No. 5: ISMET PRCIC
“During COVID, I lost my mind in that tiny flat in Salem, OR, in an apartment complex that used to be a ropy motel.”
RIDING THE MUSIC WAVE No. 4: JOE HOLT
“A few years back I had a weekly radio show called North Star Nugs, on which I played jam bands, jazz, and improvisational music.”
RIDING THE MUSIC WAVE No. 3: KEVIN SAMPSELL
“I always wanted to be a DJ when I was a kid, growing up in Kennewick, Washington.”
RIDING THE MUSIC WAVE No. 2: CHELSEA HICKS
Music is really important to me, but finding music that I like can be difficult. It’s not about genre.
RIDING THE MUSIC WAVE No. 1: BRANDON HOBSON
“Because serious art is where complex and difficult questions are made human and uncomfortable in a time when most people don't like to feel uncomfortable…”