In on the record, we speak with members of the Precious Sound community about their music truths, precious mementos, and more.  

This week, we sit down with Michaella, our brand strategist who is readying the site and experience for you, our future Precious Sound user.  We talk all about her dream record collection, her love for the Opera, and raising her two little boys in a home full of music. 

Precious Sound: What most excited and surprised you about Precious Sound’s silver, gold, and platinum records? 

Michaella Kurdziel: The first time I got to hold one of our records, I felt like one of those celebrities that gets on stage at the Oscars and goes “Oh my gosh, it really is so heavy!” But really, it is so heavy. When I think about how someone is going to feel when they get their first Precious Sound record, I want to replicate that feeling of suddenly having something in common with a celebrity. That first moment of touching the record, seeing how beautiful the metal is in person, putting it on your own turn table—it’s got to be magic. I’m so glad I got to feel it and see it myself as we’re building in the background. 

I have also loved learning the technicalities of the process to create a brand-new Precious Sound record. Everything from the density of the metal (gold vs. silver vs. platinum) to the quality of the master makes an enormous difference.

PS: What song or artist would you like to see (and hear) on a gold record? 

MK: So many! Someday I hope I have a whole library worth of records that match to different moments and stories. There would be one with a song from The Boxer by The National that reminds me of a late-night drive, one with my wedding song Can’t Help Falling in Love with You by Elvis, one with Heart of Gold by Neil Young because my dad used to play it on guitar for me when I was little...oh I could go on. Someday, all of them. 

PS: What did music mean to you growing up?  

MK: Music was in and around my life all the time growing up. My favorite fun fact: My parents actually met because they both played in bands—my dad on guitar, my mom a singer—and so I’m always happier when there is music around.  

Growing up, I took any potential musical performance talents into ballet and really doubled down there from ages 3 to 18 (ultimately deciding to go to college rather than take a crack at going professional). My favorite classes were always the ones with a pianist in the room, but my most favorite ever was an advanced technique class I once took that had a drummer as the only accompaniment. It changed the way I look at music composition and the intersection with dance. 

PS: What role does music play in your life today?  

MK: Today, the most important thing I can do is pass the importance of music on to my little boys. From a music appreciation end, there is so much I can teach the boys through music. Someday we’ll get deeply into subjects like the social impact of music or the finer points of classical composition, but for now we’re working through our rock unit, seeing their faces light up as they discover Queen, the Beatles, the Jackson 5...it’s amazing.  

PS: When it comes to listening to music, do you have any kind of rituals?  

MK: It all depends on whether I’m listening to music for purpose or pleasure. If it’s music for purpose, it’s to get me in the right mind space. If I need to focus, it’s always classical (Mahler is a favorite), headphones, and go.  

When I’m listening for pleasure, there is much more of a ritual. I love listening to something on vinyl, and it is a bit of a wind-down exercise for my husband and I at night. Two glasses of wine, trading album “picks.” It’s always fun to see where the music goes for the night—sometimes it turns into a dance party. Other times it’s more relaxed. 

The last ritual I have around music is filling myself up with stories about music. I’m a nut for memoirs and biographies, and the stories musicians tell...can’t compare to anything else. 

PS: What's your favorite spot to hear or memory when it comes to music?

MK: I went to college in Nashville, and, like many people do, fell in love with going to see concerts at the Ryman Auditorium. It literally feels like going to church because the venue is a former church and it adds to this sort of spiritual nature of seeing a show there. 

The concert that made it my most memorable venue was a 2007 Regina Spektor concert. I had asked a ton of friends if they wanted to get tickets and everyone was busy or declined...but. I really wanted to go. So, in a completely uncharacteristic move, I bought a single ticket and took a cab downtown. I danced, I cried, I had the time of my life. It was a testament to how powerful music can be, and I still play that album when I need a pick-me-up.