MORE THAN WORDS

by CARA MCDONALD

subject, a love language of its own. The curation, the assemblage and flow, from A side to B side, were painstaking creations that led the listener down a musical path toward some inevitable feeling or conclusion.

For me, every magazine we create feels like a mixtape— I’ve often used the metaphor to explain what an editor does, and the curation angle is on point. But more deliciously and shamelessly riffing on the concept is our story this month

“Your Summer Mixtape,” a deep-dive into the Northern Michigan music scene profiling the vanguards, the up-andcomers and those on the cusp of discovery. Baked into the story are the songs we can’t stop thinking about, and the story itself flows in mixtape form, artist choices and song picks perfectly paced from beginning to end. If you want to get right to the tunes, we have—because we love you—put it all into mixtape format with a Spotify playlist: link.mynorth.com/summermixtape.

From the annual Red Hot Best picks to songs just right for a porch beer with some friends, this issue is our way of saying, “I get you. I see you.” We hope it sets the stage for a magnificent summer.

Cara McDonald Executive Editor cara@mynorth.com