This week, meet our lovely and multifaceted AGM, Riley! In between SCOPE, the nursing program, and caring for her cat, Clover, she's handpicked folk and indie-rock class like Fleet Foxes, Clairo, and Car Seat Headrest to set the perfect mood for fall.
Name: Riley Caylor (she/her)
Hometown: Des Moines, IA
Year: Senior
Field(s) of Study: BSN Nursing
SCOPE Position: Assistant General Manager
Spotify Playlist
SCOPE Selects: Riley Caylor on Spotify
The Deep Cuts
I’ve made a playlist a month for roughly 3 years now. My favorites tend to come out of this time of the year. This playlist mixes my usual alternative indie regulars with folkier songs from artists like Twain and Fleet Foxes. Songs like English House and Dear Mexico make sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee in the morning feel like such a pleasure. And though I’ll have my moments with those, I also have artists like Car Seat Headrest and The Last Dinner Party to pick up the energy at times. When it comes down to it, I tend to fill my head with slower calmer music, so between those two extremes there’s mostly filler. Stuff that helps me to zone out when school, work, and other stressors are taking up extended amounts of room. I’m a decently high energy, extroverted person but I feel like my music reflects my inner world a lot more. I’ve always viewed sharing music and playlists as one of my more intimate secrets. At the end of the day, walking around to this stuff makes my days, and this playlist is all mine.
Three Favorite Albums
Revolver by the Beatles
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco
Twin Fantasy by Car Seat Headrest
Favorite Concert Experience
It’s genuinely hard to pick a favorite concert experience. I’ve literally had countless moments in crowds where I’ve been brought to tears by the realization of the songs that take me through my days. If I had to choose only one, though, it might be just recently when I saw Lizzy McAlpine in concert at Hinterland. There were so many memorable artists from that weekend- Chappell Roan, The Japanese House, Vampire Weekend- but I connected pretty tremendously with Lizzy’s most recent album. The songs portray a grief that aches but simultaneously glares with hope, lyrically and instrumentally. It felt very personal and that is why it’s probably my favorite recent concert experience.
Hobbies / Interests / Fun Facts / Campus Involvement
I really wish I could say I have more hobbies than I do. I’m in the nursing program and that takes up most of my time during the semesters. I would say being involved in SCOPE has always been an expression of my musical hobby. It’s fun to connect with people that are interested and passionate about music in the same or similar ways that I am. In my personal life I really enjoy being active, watching movies, cooking new foods, and spending time with my friends. I also have a cat named Clover who is, and I’m very serious, my world. Other than that, I just aimlessly walk around campus with headphones and scrubs on.