August 2014

  • Kinky Friedman – 1976 We’re in Texas now, via a Chicago to Texas transplant, and I’m not talking about my bizarro self but about one of Texas’ treasures the great Kinky Friedman. His contributions to my August driving theme, now stationed in the South, are these pair of awesome country rock songs. Both of these…

  • The Outlaws…Good Ol’ Southern Rock Band What will follow for the remaining month of August (heck, even the remainder of the summer if I feel like it) is me taking a musical vacation through our great Southern states. I’ll bring up some brilliant country or southern rock artists and try to give y’all the skinny…

  • Dire Straits 1979 Before I attempt to present a quasi-Southern journey through the good ole USA, I’d like to stick just a tiny bit more in England, London specifically. From London, hails one of the greatest purveyors of down home open road rock music, Mr. Mark Knopfler. Seemingly, the mutant musical offspring of JJ Cale,…

  • Danny Kirwan and Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac If, you’re still following my theme for this month, a selection of driving songs (one for the trip somewhere and one for the trip home), you’d notice I’ve downshifted somewhat. After a while of just red-lining songs its better to engage some cruise control and maintain efficient momentum…

  • Wishbone Ash – 1972 Let’s continue to blur the lines between driving and homecoming songs a bit more. Continuing on this August driving playlist of mine I want to include more songs that converge on that open road feeling. Its a feeling that at the end of the day must remain lighter, yet have a…

  • Daniel Fichelscher and Florian Fricke of Popol Vuh There are many roads to lead to the same destination. As I continue finding new ways to take this theme I have running in my head for August, a grand driving playlist (just a snapshot in time for this year), I have to resolve that not all…

  • Kevin Ayers – 1973 As August saunders on, with way too much energy (good and bad) this year, I think its about time to aim the direction of my theme to a place that requires less propulsion. At the end of the day you want to pump people up who are hearing the driving playlist,…

  • Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother from NEU! This is a split decision. These driving songs show two different ways to get to the same destination. I had such a hard time picking which songs to feature from the great duo of Michael Rother and Klaus Dinger because they in essence created the best driving groove…

  • Can – 1977 Further along in this month long journey through great driving songs we’re still in the country of Germany. To be precise, Cologne, West Germany. The two songs I’ll review today from CAN one “Oh Yeah” the driver, and “Fly By Night” the meditative/homecoming track present two interesting sides of the same band.…

  • Faust 1973 Sometimes, the oddest part of driving long distances is that sense of trance it lulls you into. You’ve seen hundreds of cornfields, hills, prairies, and desert plains, so much so, that you lose track of distance and time. Usually, what takes us out of this stasis is a well-placed jolt, or in my…

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