It’s time again for playback. This week’s installment comes from Kyle Hershberger. Hershberger is a freshman biochemistry major from Cary, but originally hails from Kentucky. He misses his friends and family back home, but enjoys DeKalb and all it has to offer. Due to his tastes in music of the 1960s and ‘70s, Hershberger said that unfortunately, he hasn’t attended any truly great concerts. If he could make the ultimate mix CD, these would be the tracks:

1. “Comfortably Numb” – Pink Floyd. “David Gilmore is a great guitarist. It’s more or less about the band’s previous member and their problem with drugs.”

2. “Little Wing” – Stevie Ray Vaughn. “It’s actually a cover of a Jimi Hendrix Song. It’s just music and him playing the electric guitar.”

3. “Wish You Were Here” – Pink Floyd. “It’s a great acoustic song that makes me think of people dear to me, who I miss.”

4. “Stairway to Heaven” – Led Zeppelin. “It’s a classic and there is no reason to dislike it.”

5. “Paint It Black” – Rolling Stones. “I was definitely born in the wrong era as far as music goes. This song is a favorite because it just appeals to me.”

6. “Numb” – Linkin Park. “This song helps me realize that you need to let things go, to be ‘numb’ so to speak, and not let things get to you.”

7. “Seven” – Revis. “It’s a mellow song and it reminds me of leaving childhood bonds and stepping into the real life; the beginning of the end.”

8. “Gravity” – A Perfect Circle. “It’s an uplifting song about not giving up. In the chorus, it says ‘I’m surrendering to gravity and the unknown/Catch me heal me lift me back up to the sun/I choose to live.’ It sounds like he’s letting go of things.”

9. “Redhouse” – Jimi Hendrix. “He’s a hell of a guitarist. You hear the entrance of the song and cannot forget the melody.”

10. “The Star-Spangled Banner” – Jimi Hendrix. “I consider myself patriotic and the mixing of rock ‘n’ roll with this song makes it more meaningful. I feel like I can connect with the song more.”

11. “Angie” – Rolling Stones. “It’s a really good song acoustically. I’m not sure, but I think it’s about Mick Jagger’s feelings towards someone he knew. The melody makes me feel relaxed and somber.”

12. “Colorblind” – Counting Crows. “My perception of the song is that he doesn’t see things in color and he sees things the same. He talks about things like egg whites that are just pale and bland. The song is very soothing.”

13. “Green Eyes” – Coldplay. “It reminds me of certain people I care about in the verse where he says, ‘You are the sea/Upon which I float.’ I associate the song with people who are a major part of my life.”

14. “Beautiful Day” – U2. “On the good days when you listen to it, it makes those days great. Through the harder days, it’s an uplifting song.”

15. “With or Without You” – U2. “This song reminds you that even though there’s someone out there you care about, they can’t hold you back from something you want to do.”