Backstage with Astral Mixtape

There are bands that sound unique, and then there are bands that feel unique - groups whose music doesn’t just fill the air, but expands it, reshapes it, and makes it shimmer differently for a moment. Astral Mixtape is firmly in that second category. Their work is more than an unconventional blend of genres; it is a living, breathing ecosystem built on curiosity, trust, and a shared belief that music can be a space for transformation.

Astral Mixtape, Honeywell Arts Academy Concert Series

You hear this the moment their sound unfolds. It isn’t classical, at least not in a strict sense. It isn’t electronic, though flashes of EDM pulse through it. It isn’t jazz, though improvisation is part of their bloodstream. It isn’t folk or film music or alternative rock - and yet it somehow carries the emotional signatures of all of them. The band often uses the term “indie classical,” but even that feels almost too narrow. The truth is simpler: Astral Mixtape makes music that feels cinematic, immersive, and deeply personal. Their creative world is a constellation of influences, and they invite you right into the center of it.  

“We love drawing from everything that inspires us,” they say, “and that becomes part of the language we write in.” Their performances combine virtuosic classical chamber playing with electronic textures and spontaneous improvisation, the familiar merging with the unexpected. It’s a sound that often leaves audiences reaching for the same word: cinematic. And this is exactly what Astral Mixtape aims for - an expansive musical experience that feels almost like stepping into a world you’ve dreamed of before but never quite visited.  

A Transformative Encounter: Honeywell Arts Academy - Resonance  

While their sound has always been rooted in exploration, something shifted for the group during their time at the Resonance, part of Honeywell Arts Academy - an intensive program that brought together artists from an astonishing range of genres and backgrounds. For Astral Mixtape, the week was nothing short of transformative.  

“Each musician came from a totally different artistic world,” they recall, “but everyone collaborated at such a high level, and so quickly.” What struck them most wasn’t just the talent in the room, but the openness - an eagerness to share knowledge, swap ideas, and absorb new perspectives without ego or hesitation.  

Juan-Salvador Carrasco, cello

There was a spirit in the Academy - an electricity - that lifted everyone. Musicians who had never worked together before were suddenly creating with astonishing clarity and speed. “It empowered us to step outside our comfort zones,” the band says. “Every day felt supercharged.”  

This experience didn’t fade once the program ended. It embedded itself in the group’s creative DNA, fueling the work they continue to build today. The Academy became a reminder of the artistic generosity that makes collaboration not only possible, but transcendent.  

Friendship at the Center of the Craft 

One of the most striking things about Astral Mixtape is that the band was built on friendship long before it was built on music. This foundation shapes everything: the way they rehearse, the way they write, the way they challenge each other, and the way they support one another.  

This closeness allows them to navigate creative differences with grace and humor. Their ongoing inside joke is that whenever someone has a deeply held idea, they start with: “I feel strongly…” It cracks the tension, opens the door, and signals that - even in moments of disagreement - there is trust.  

Michael Siess, violin

“All jokes aside,” they explain, “we let the best idea win. We try everything, combine ideas, and experiment until it works. We trust each other’s taste, and ultimately, we’re all trying to make the group the best it can be.”  

This trust isn’t a philosophical posture; it’s an everyday practice. The band describes creative disagreements not as roadblocks, but as invitations - opportunities to refine, reshape, and deepen the song. There’s no room for ego when the goal is collective excellence.  

And then there’s the humor. Rehearsals, by their own admission, can be incredibly silly. If someone is most likely to spark laughter, the band quickly names Misha, who they describe as the guardian of their “baseline of silliness.” But really, humor is shared - like everything in Astral Mixtape. It keeps them grounded, keeps the music human, and keeps the work joyful.  

“We always rein it in when we need to,” they say, “but we also want audiences to feel that authenticity.”  

Music Shaped by Life, Culture, and Story  

What makes Astral Mixtape’s music so vivid is that it carries traces of each member’s personal background. Their songwriting process is entirely collaborative, which means everyone’s stories, tastes, and experiences seep into the work.  

These influences appear in many forms:  

-the spark that inspires a new melody  

-the interpretive decision that shifts the emotional tone  

-the rhythmic idea born from a childhood memory  

-the harmonic language shaped by years of studying a particular tradition  

Nathan Ben-Yehuda, keys

Their personal connections also inform the band’s broader artistic life - shaping performance opportunities, collaborations, and even business decisions. Their music is inseparable from who they are as people.  

Dream Collaborations Across Time  

If Astral Mixtape had the chance to collaborate with anyone - living or from generations past - their list is both reverent and bold.  

Misha Vayman, violin

At the top sit Radiohead and Flying Lotus, artists known for constructing sound worlds so textured and expansive you can almost feel the edges bend around you. “They paint vivid, reality-distorting musical landscapes,” the band notes - something Astral Mixtape strives for in their own work.  

Esperanza Spalding also ranks high on their list, not only because she is a visionary vocalist and bassist - two roles the band doesn’t have - but because her conceptual storytelling resonates deeply with their narrative-driven approach.  

And then there are the giants of classical modernism: Stravinsky, Bartók, and Ravel. Composers who fused influences fearlessly, who invented languages that were startling in their time. Imagining what they might do with today’s technology feels like an artistic daydream too irresistible to ignore.  

A Space Where Sound Becomes Story  

Astral Mixtape’s music is not passive. It asks something of you. It invites you into a space where genres dissolve, where emotion leads, and where precision and imagination coexist. Their performances feel like taking a journey - one shaped by friendship, humility, curiosity, and the quiet courage to experiment without fear.  

To watch them perform is to witness a group fully engaged with each other and with the world they’re building in real time. Their sound is a reminder that music is not just crafted - it’s lived.  

Astral Mixtape isn’t simply redefining what an ensemble can sound like. They’re redefining what an ensemble can be: a place of possibility, a meeting of minds and hearts, a shared act of creative generosity.  

And for those who encounter their work - whether in an intimate performance or through a cinematic recording - there is a sense of being welcomed into something both deeply personal and beautifully expansive.  

Join us in Wabash for the Academy’s summer performances and enjoy the Honeywell Arts Academy Concert Series through June 2026.

Tickets are available at honeywellartsacademy.org.