Meet Memphian No. 90: Lucia Kaminsky

Meet Memphian No. 90: Lucia Kaminsky

365 Memphians - Lucia Kaminsky

Memphian number 90, Lucia Kaminsky, talks about the perfect mixtape, the two most unique places in Memphis and mom's empanadas:

Name: Lucia Kaminsky

Occupation: Project Coordinator for the Memphis Chapter of The Recording Academy
(GRAMMY Awards)

Hometown: Miami, FL (yes, I miss the beach)

Neighborhood: Harbor Town

If I were to make the perfect Memphis mix CD, it would have: You can’t have a Memphis mix
without paying homage to artists such as Al Green, Otis Redding, and Howlin’ Wolf. I would
then add current hard working acts like Lucero and The Dirty Streets, a dose of Project Pat, and
some garage rock courtesy of Goner. Rounding it out would be some wistful singer/songwriters
like Grace Askew and possibly a Jeff Buckley bonus track—although he’s not a Memphian he
spent enough time here to effectively haunt the city.

The best part of my job is: my job. I’m lucky to be working in the industry that I always wanted to
be a part of. I love being exposed to new music every day and working for an organization that
cares about the preservation and integrity of music and its makers.

I love my neighborhood because: it’s kind of like its own little world by the river. It’s quiet and
charming but still close to work and midtown life.

My favorite comfort food is:
I’m Argentinean so it would have to be my mom’s empanadas. Last
time she came to visit she made a bunch for my friends and froze some for emergencies.

The best thing about spring in Memphis is:
Growing up in Miami, I never experienced the
seasons changing as we only had two: hot and tolerable and hot and sticky. The best thing
about spring in Memphis is how beautiful everything looks when it’s blooming…until the pollen
attacks my sinuses.

My favorite annual Memphis event is: This year it will be Beale Street Music Festival because
the Avett Brothers are playing!

The coolest person I’ve met in the last year is:
Hands down Marshall Grant of Johnny Cash
and the Tennessee Two. I had the honor of spending time with him when we were preparing an
event last summer. I got the chance to go to his house in Mississippi and choose some of his
memorabilia to display at the Brooks. Spending an hour in his man cave listening to his stories
was one of the highlights of my life.

When friends come to visit, I always take them to:
the root of it all: Sun, Stax, and Graceland. After that I fill them with barbecue followed by some local music.

If it was my last night in town, I would:
go to Ernestine and Hazel’s for a soul burger and then
go to Wild Bill’s. They’re the two most unique places in town.

I love Memphis because:
it has an enigmatic character that can only begin to be explained
through its history and the people that keep the spirit of the city alive. It has an inexplicable raw
soul to it that has completely turned me from a city girl into whatever it is that I am now.

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M.Spence
Good idea about the mix---I have been collecting "Memphis" songs for years and I have about 240 songs that mention Memphis. Always looking for more. Mickey Spence
March 31, 2011 11:21am
Stacey
I second her choice of the 2 most unique places in town! Ernestine and Hazel's and Wild Bill's. You just can't beat it!
April 5, 2011 4:19pm
Asha
I am from Miami also. I moved to Memphis 2.5 years ago. Your "Hot and tolerable and hot and sticky comment" was right on the money. People don't believe me when I tell them that I didnt need Zyrtec in my life before I hit I-55. And when I do go home I grab a mango from my parents yard, beg my mom to make plantains, and spend at least two days on Lincoln road.
May 18, 2011 9:16am