This week's mixtape rewind takes us back to an earlier season where we were joined by Tony Smith, formerly of the band Sleeper Agent.

Tony Smith's musical journey begins with Saturday mornings filled with Christopher Cross's "Ride Like the Wind" – his mother's chosen soundtrack for family cleaning day – and ends with the transcendent experience of Bon Iver's "Naeem."

Each selection marks a transformative moment: discovering Ben Kweller's "Wasted and Ready" at 3am led to a shift away from nu-metal toward indie rock; encountering The Pixies' "Debaser" completely redirected his career aspirations from filmmaking to music; and Modest Mouse's "Trailer Trash" became a personal anthem while working two jobs during high school, feeling trapped in his Kentucky hometown.

What makes this episode special is Smith's vulnerability in sharing how deeply these songs penetrated his life. With three tattoos inspired by tracks on his mix, he demonstrates how music becomes physically part of our identity. His emotional description of waiting years to hear Bon Iver's "Naeem" in studio form – "my body filled with this strange chill and warmth at the same time" – perfectly captures music's power to move us beyond words.

You can find his Spotify playlist here:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1RyTOvV7DHYRfW4UdDHTry?si=610402a96acc4fe4

You can find the Super Awesome Mix app list here:
https://app.superawesomemix.com/i3BxT4TjZeZyZ4Gb8
 
Preview of his list:

1. I Want You Back by The Jackson 5
2. Bad, Bad Leroy Brown by Jim Croce
3. Working Man by Rush
4. MMMBop by Hanson
5. Wasted & Ready by Ben Kweller
6. Debaser by Pixies
7. Trailer Trash by Modest Mouse
8. Hummingbird by Wilco
9. Lust For Life by Girls
10. Falling In Love Again by Joyce Manor
11. Something by Julien Baker
12. Naeem by Bon Iver

Follow us @superawesomemix on Instagram to discover more personal musical journeys and share your own musical milestones that defined different chapters of your life.

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