Nostalgia

College Radio: Seattle Sound 

My AU soundtrack: Crystal White, SIS/BA ’03, SPA/MSOD ’20

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iPhone with headphones
  • "I Find It Hard to Say (Rebel)," Lauryn Hill
  • "My Life," Erykah Badu
  • "It’s Love," Jill Scott
  • "It Feels So Good," Sonique
  • "Work It," Missy Elliott
  • "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)," Modjo
  • "One More Time," Daft Punk
  • "Traveling," Hikaru Utada 
  • "Tempted to Touch," Rupee
  • "Girls Dem Sugar," Beenie Man featuring Maya
  • "I’ve Known the Garden," Res
  • "2 + 2 = 5," Radiohead
  • "Cool Generator," Bad Moves
  • "Bike Song," Honey
  • "Heir to Nothing," Coup Sauvage and the Snips 

As executive director of Seattle’s Rain City Rock Camp (RCRC), Crystal White pitches a tent big enough for everyone. 
 
Founded in 2008, RCRC empowers youth and adults of marginalized genders through music, making them feel like rock stars. Campers learn an instrument, form a band, write a song, and perform at one of the Seattle’s storied live music venues—all over the course of a few days.
 
The goal is not perfection, but rather feeling perfectly comfortable in their own skin. “Music is about trying something new, being vulnerable, and making community,” White says. “It’s about finding your voice”—even if not’s not a great singing voice. 
 
Before trading one Washington for another in 2021, White worked for many years with Girls Rock! DC, the organization she cofounded in 2007. Inspired by the youngsters’ moxie, she formed a band of her own, Coup Sauvage and the Snips. “I was a backup singer—a Snip,” she says with a warm laugh.
 
Although the group broke up (it was amicable), White, who now works with upwards of 500 aspiring musicians each year, is still with the band. 
 
Tune in to White’s mix on Spotify.