I am leaving on a weeklong fieldtrip Saturday morning, TAing a field biology course. There will be lots of driving (thousands of miles, probably me at the helm). I will be with undergraduates (mostly Texan) of unknown musical preference. Any suggestions for accessible road trip music with which to appeal the masses and keep me truckin'?

I'd probably go with some Brainiac.

Good suggestion. I'm thinking of putting a lot of alt-country on my iPod, in the case that there are some Texan country listeners I can convert. Good idea?

Yes. How about some Robert Earl Keen? You're in Austin after all. Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash...

I was kidding but whatever. Some might like it.

The Bush Twins like Robert Earl Keen.

I'd recommend silence.

Jim White has been pretty universal to everyone for whom I've played it.

I think so. Probably some MMW/Soulive for the jamband factor. ...Trail of Dead's last two or Relationship of Command may work for the nu-metal heads.

dude, go with Slobberbone

or show some love for the local fellas and play some Gourds...but not Gin and Juice, that shit just isn't funny anymore

Hell yeah.

Also toss in Son Volt's Trace.

The Band, either S/T or Music From Big Pink.
Steve Earle, I Feel All Right
Marah, 20,000 Streets Under The Sky
Bruce Springsteen, Darkness On The Edge of Town
Bruce Springsteen, Born To Run
Lucinda Williams, Car Wheels On A Gravel Road
Drive By Truckers, The Dirty South
Slick Rick, The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick

I wouldn't necessarily go primarily one genre cause you might end up boring yourself. Mix that shit up a bit, but I wouldn't stray too far from some fairly recognizable stuff like Bruce, Stones, The Who, shit like that.

Hank, Sr.
Johnny Cash
Willie Nelson
Son Volt (esp. "Windfall" and "Tear-Stained Eye")
Ryan Adams - "Damn, Sam (I Love A Woman Who Rains)"
some Roky Erickson

Good. I'm loading up my iPod. Keep 'em coming.

Swervedriver (seriously, you must have this on a road trip)
The Stooges
Spoon
Boards of Canada
White Zombie?

Personally, I would use this as a platform to introduce them to some new musics. That's if they aren't already into this kind of stuff. Being college students at UT-Austin, most of these kids are already into college rock.
Some of them may be into Texas stuff like Jason Boland, Randy Rogers, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Pat Green, Wade Bowen, etc.

Having just logged on some major road miles, I played a lot of stuff that I normally would have played for a general audience, despite the fact I was alone.

Stones
Who
AC/DC
Wilco
Ryan Adams
Blur
Oasis
My Morning Jacket
Tragically Hip
Guess Who
Joni Mitchell
Pavement
Beatles
Spoon
Queens of the Stone Age
Dylan
Elton John
Sloan
Built to Spill
Neil Young
Lou Reed
Counting Crows

London Calling - The Clash

keeps everyone happy.

Yes. That was another I played on my trip. You can't lose with it. I also played Sandinista! but that would probably alienate.

Ray Chalres is pretty universal.

If you're in charge, play whatever you want & don't worry about them. My most valuable life lessons came in college when it occurred to me that life is in fact, not fair.

Jason & The Scorchers

I could totally just be a stereo Nazi . . . many hours of nothing but Merzbow, Sunn o))), Lightning Bolt, and Sleep . . .

I'm sad to say that the only Jason & The Scorchers I have so far are a couple of tracks that I got from Billzebub mixes . . . definitely good road music.

Hayes Carll/ Little Rock- a new release that'll have you wanting to pull into every road-house honky tonk you see.

(Colinswood is yr friend for this)

Can't go wrong with some Old 97's.

Hell yes, I will spin Mezcal Head



Au contrair, I am driving away from Austin to help one of my old friends TA a Field Biology class out of my undergraduate alma mater, Abilene Christian University. Although there may be a few freaks, druggies, and outliers - like I was when I was there - I expect that there will be a few from the Jars of Clay crowd, and a few from the CMT crowd. I plan to shock and awe them, and corrupt their pure little Christian hearts. Trying to decide if I will burn all of my bridges with my friend Tom if I bring a hip flask, some cigarettes, and a secret stash of Sticky Icky. Such things are strictly prohibited amongst that crowd, which is why I feel I must . . .

Jayhawks - Hollywood town Hall