What California’s Coast Sounds Like

Date 23 August 2019

If you find yourself at Timber Cove Resort on California’s ruggedly cinematic coast, chances are you’ll hear music that you’ll strain to remember the lyrics of, and which band sung it. The task of finding that perfect playlist that adds just the right notes to your experience belongs to Nicole von Gierke, partner and co-founder of Wave Hospitality Advisors. We had a brief chat with her on music and beyond, and she, in turn, has very generously shared a Timber Cove playlist with us.

Von Gierke’s passion for music has served her well in curating both the resort’s vinyl record collection in the rooms as well as the playlists in the public spaces.

Listen on Spotify

Who or what are your biggest (musical) influences?

An old friend in the music business has been incredibly influential over the years because he has exposed me to so many up and coming artists that I might have otherwise missed. Sometimes he’ll send me an album and ask which song I would pick. I like it when I happen to pick the one they’re releasing/using, but I really enjoy it when my choice is different because then I can make a case for “my song” and get them to agree with my point of view! My friend has turned me onto some talented artists before they’ve “made it” that I can’t imagine living without, like The xx or Citizen Cope…two entirely different sounds, by the way. Lately, my two teenage daughters have also influenced my musical tastes and they help make contributions to the Timber Cove playlists. I am so happy that they’ve inherited my love of music and I can’t wait to see who they introduce me to next.

What’s the last thing you read that made you feel something?

I have a passion for travel and, because of our profession in hospitality, we are fortunate that we get to travel quite a bit. I recently read “Destination Earth: A New Philosophy of Travel by a World Traveler” by Nicos Hadjicostis. He had me hooked from page one: “Travel is the departure from one’s little pond. It is the bold renouncement of the petty comforts that hold us prisoner. It is a movement away from the known towards the unknown and unimaginable.” He made me want to pack a bag and head off on my next adventure straight away.

Is there an artist today who strikes you as particularly innovative?

I think Billie Eilish and her brother/songwriter Finneas O’Connell are incredibly innovative. Billie’s music is unique and her new album “When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go” has a couple things that I find so creative. Some of her songs fade out of one and into another in a way that allows them to stand alone as a complete song, but if you’re listening to the album straight through, you can’t really tell where one song has ended and the other has begun. And, the reason she popped into my head when asked this question is that the last song on the album, “Goodbye”, includes lyrics from all of the other songs on her album…with a fresh sound that is so original. It’s not done in an obvious way, and I didn’t even realize it until I’d heard the album a couple times, but once I “got it” I was so excited about the cleverness of it!