A couple years ago, as spring was breaking across 2011, Your Girl in Music left her well-paying Agency gig as Bossman’s secret weapon behind and transformed her anonymous blog into an online music mag, reinventing herself as a publisher in the process, and increasing the site’s content output exponentially overnight. Suddenly I was cranking out extensive and in-depth features on artists, shows, and particularly on every major US music festival I could get credentials for, which was most of them as it turns out. On my shoestring start-up budget, my MINI Cooper clocked a few thousand travel miles easy. Fantastic, except I’m not crazy about driving. Something would need to be done.

And when I say “I’m not crazy about driving,” what I mean is I have lost my voice screaming frustrated obscenities on 10 minute commutes when ‘Bama’s in town. I’ve suggested a friend and I have happy hour over skype (“It’s the same thing… better, even!”) instead of our usual bar when google predicts delays. I probably only really left Voldy because once hired in Beverly Hills, our Los Feliz home meant ~2 hours behind the wheel each day, I just happened to also have an arsenal of better reasons to bail. The only thing I loathe more than driving is parking in LA. I think I got the MINI Cooper to distract myself from the fact that I am, in fact driving, while behind the wheel, as much as it’s possible. And it sure does just that, to a degree.

So, as should be clear by now, a solid soundtrack is perhaps my one defense against my rage speeding recklessly into/off of some majestic interstate scenery. Thus was born a perfect road-trip playlist of my most clutch motoring anthems: equal parts heavy and soft, it works as well going to as it does coming from and most importantly, induces a pumped-up carefree energy along with a zen focus.

Getting Here + There + Everywhere Between: the Road Trip mix

Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen
Cars & Guitars – Tori Amos
On the Road Again – Willie Nelson
Running on Empty – Jackson Browne
No Cars Go – Arcade Fire
California (Tchad Blake Mix) – Phantom Planet
Midnight Rider – Allman Brothers Band
Ridin’ Dirty – Chamillionaire
Road to Nowhere – Talking Heads
Interstate 8 – Modest Mouse
Carolina In My Mind – James Taylor
Ticket to Ride – The Beatles
101 – Albert Hammond, Jr
Fast Car – Tracy Chapman
Home – Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
West Coast – Coconut Records
Passenger – Iggy Pop
Daylight – Matt & Kim
Cruise Night – John K. Samson
Big Jet Plane – Angus & Julia Stone
Another Travelin’ Song – Bright Eye
The High Road – Broken Bells
Jessica – the Allman Brothers
Runnin’ Down a Dream – Tom Petty
Highway Star – Deep Purple
Livin’ on the Open Road – Delaney & Bonnie
Behind the Wheel – Depeche Mode
Cars That Go ‘Boom’ – L’Trimm
Take it Easy – the Eagles
Gear Jammer – George Throrogood
Radar Love – Golden Earring
Low Rider – War
The Long & Winding Road – The Beatles
Truckin’ – the Grateful Dead
In the Fast Lane – Jean-Luc Ponty
Suicide Blonde – INXS
Freeway Jam – Jeff Beck
Freeway of Love – Aretha Franklin
No Lookin’ Back – Michael McDonald
Long May You Run – Neil Young
Two Lane Highway – Pure Prarie League
I Can’t Drive 55 – Sammy Hagar
Going Mobile – The Who
Concrete and Steel – ZZ Top
Road Trippin – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Who Ride Wit Us – Kurupt