Skip to main content

Trail Mix

As Diana and I prepare for a few days out of town together this weekend, I'm putting the finishing touches on something I originally planned to be a one-disc affair: a roadtrip mix. But this is me, Mr. Oh Wait There's That Song That I'd Love to Hear Too. So, it's now a four-disc set.

Add to the pile is a David Garza compilation and (hopefully) a disc of stuff Diana wants to hear, and we're pretty set for driving around Arkansas for a few days.

A band I keep coming back to with this mix set is the one and only, Fleet Foxes. I still think the praise for their debut album was a little exaggerated when it was released, but there are some really, really pretty songs on it . . . even if I can't help but think of My Morning Jacket. (To deal with such, I've thrown in MMJ songs on the discs that feature the Fleet Foxes.)

Since I've only seen Arkansas in pictures and heard about it from friends, I expect to see lots of hills and mountains. In turn, I put a lot of songs that would fit sunset drives around mountains, like MMJ's "Golden" and Bruce Springsteen's "Tomorrow Never Knows."

As much as I love some good chaotic metal or punk, for the sake of time, I've opted out of that stuff. I still can't forget driving back from Austin one year and listening to face to face's self-titled album almost four times in a row. Punk rock is great, but not with albums that are less than a half-hour on a five-hour drive.

So, here's to a good mix to a new place.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Go Where You Wanna Go

It's been a year since I moved away from Lakewood, and even though I could relocate to a new place as a newly-single guy, I've chosen to stay where I am. I enjoy living in North Dallas/Richardson given its central location, being not too far away from places I have enjoyed going to in my fourteen-plus years living in Dallas County. Living in Lakewood for nine years was critical for me, but I am glad I don't have homeless people going through my garbage, my street getting shut down like it's Mardi Gras on Halloween night, and I don't have to answer to the not-so-friendly landlords who bought my old place. I have a new housemate moving in at the end of the month and I have many reasons to be excited as he's been a friend for many years. Couple that with a humongous  new record store opening in nearby Farmers Branch , shows to see, and a quick trip to Los Angeles for something very cool (for which I reveal at a later date) and I'm happy to say fall is sha...

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Catherine Wheel

Originally posted: Tuesday, August 29th, 2006 Despite managing to release five proper albums, Catherine Wheel was one of those bands that always seemed to slip past the mainstream rock crowd. Yes, they got some nice airplay in their day, but people seem to have forgotten about them. You may hear “Black Metallic” or “Waydown” on a “classic alternative” show on Sirius or XM or maybe even on terrestrial radio, but that’s about it. For me, they were one of most consistent rock bands of the ’90s, meandering through shoegazer, hard rock, space rock and pop rock, all while eluding mainstream pigeonholing. Led by the smooth, warm pipes of vocalist/guitarist Rob Dickinson (cousin of Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson), Catherine Wheel featured Brian Futter on lead guitar, Dave Hawes on bass and Neil Sims on drums. They weren’t a pretty-boy guitar band, but they weren’t a scuzzy bunch of ragamuffins either. Though the band hailed from England, Catherine Wheel found itself more welcome on American air...

Socials

 Hey, everyone! You can find me on several other platforms: http:/ http:// themeparkexperience.substack.com http:// Instagram.com/ericjgrubbs http:// TikTok.com/@ericjgrubbs http:// threads.net/ericjgrubbs http:// ericjgrubbs.bsky.social Thanks!