My Kind of Country

Country music from a fan's point of view since 2008

Drive time

20 Comments Posted by on March 12, 2009

shaniaI’ve spent about 5 hours today in my car.  My best friend Angel and I were about an hour north of our hometown in the city of Columbus, OH doing some shopping.  So, half of the time was just ‘road time’ where we were on the same highway going directly from point A to point B.  The other half was spent hopping the parking lots and parking garages, and maneuvering our way around the busy streets of the Polaris Center in Columbus.  Those are two very different driving experiences for sure.  Open road as opposed to congested city streets.  But there was one constant for the entire trip that both Angel and I agreed on: music.  What is a road trip without music?  Hell, what’s a jaunt to the grocery store without a tune along the way?  One of the first things I like to do when I get in the car is make sure I have a CD (you know, those round plastic circle things people used to listen to music on?) in the car stereo.  

I usually opt for up-tempo stuff when I am driving.  My friend Angel, on the other hand, always prefers the weepers.  So, we went from Jo Dee Messina’s ‘Bye, Bye’ to ‘Helping Me Get Over You’ from Travis Tritt and Lari White.  Then, we might listen to Garth Brooks’ ‘Callin’ Baton Rouge’ followed by ‘Texas Tornado’, the Tracy Lawrence classic. And you can guess who picked what.  Now, when I was on the air as a DJ for WPAY, I hosted a show from 3pm to 7pm for a short time and we called it Drive Time with J.R. Journey.  The show was designed for the rush-hour crowd as they were making it home from work.  Not that I really had any say about the music I played, but it’s always been my thinking that at the end of the day – and especially in their cars – people want to hear music that kicks a little.  

But, based on some of the requests I used to get (which I wasn’t allowed to play anyway), there are a lot of people who want to hear the ballads at the end of the day.  I guess it depends on the mood I’m in too.  Some days it’s Shania Twain’s Come On Over and others it’s Trisha Yearwood’s Hearts In Armor.  It’s usually the former though.  Like I said, I like the fun, snappy, fast-paced songs when I’m driving.  Then I’ll let the ballads pour out once I get home and get my shoes off and a glass of bourbon in my hand.

So, do you agree with me and Angel; is music essential in the car?  What’s your music of choice on the road?

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20 responses to “Drive time”

  1. Michael March 12, 2009 at 6:44 pm

    Yes, music is definitely essential for a road trip. I have to admit though… I’m much more like your friend. My favorite road trip CDs (Yeah, I still listen to the old fashioned things too) are:
    Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles and Mary Chapin Carpenter’s Come On Come On
    Generally speaking, I usually prefer slower ballads at all times anyway. The only time I need something fast is when I’m working out.

    Reply
  2. Chris March 12, 2009 at 6:45 pm

    I agree, music is definitely essential- I always listen to music in the car. What I listen to always changes though, like recently it’s Neko Case, Kelly Clarkson and Martina McBride all shuffled together.

    Reply
  3. Steve from Boston March 12, 2009 at 8:55 pm

    Any portion of the catalog of Patty Loveless is my essential traveling companion. There is a Loveless song for every mood and every occasion. But always, Patty’s music is always there, a ready and reliable friend for any listener.

    Or Bluegrass…sometimes I put on “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” when I’m driving fast, and pretend I’m in a chase scene…(Yeah, I know, I know….I may need professional help. 😉 )

    But Country music in general, is ideal for the car, whether for a long road trip through the countryside, or short hop to the city, Country is especially well suited to travel. It is also perfect for a movie soundtrack., and hey, isn’t the road just a metaphor for life in general?!

    Reply
  4. Razor X March 12, 2009 at 8:59 pm

    I don’t have a CD player in my car, but I have an adapter to play my iPod through the cassette deck (I really hope there’s nobody here that doesn’t know what a cassette deck is 😉 ). I’m always listening to music in the car. What I’m playing just depends on what kind of a mood I’m in. Lately I’ve been playing a lot of Conway Twitty and Waylon Jennings.

    Reply
  5. Steve from Boston March 12, 2009 at 9:21 pm

    I am one of the fortunate few to have a combo CD/cassette player in my car, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

    Yep, old school to be sure…:)

    Reply
  6. Lanibug March 13, 2009 at 9:22 am

    must have music in the car – but on some occasions, I will switch to listening to the old time radio classic shows, but that is only when I am driving for long distances —

    JR – you were about 10 minutes from me…I am in the arena district…..

    Reply
  7. J.R. Journey March 13, 2009 at 10:31 am

    I saw Reba at th Germain (formerly Polaris) Amphitheater in 2004, Lanibug.

    Reply
  8. Leeann Ward March 13, 2009 at 10:51 am

    Love music in the car. I prefer the faster tunes though, especially on the highway. It’s kind of hard to hear the slower stuff over the noise of the highway for me.

    It used to be CDs for us, but it’s always one of our ipods now. I like to put it on shuffle and be surprised.

    Reply
  9. bll March 13, 2009 at 1:43 pm

    I listen on cassette tapes as well ; I can’t see replacing a paid for, runs fine vehicle just to get new technology. I rarely listen to the two ‘country’ stations here as I can’t stand the Flat Rascals or Kenny Cheesey.

    I listen to an eclectic mx of Irish, folk and country. This morning it was Garth’s Fresh Horses, yesterday it was the Rovers. Tomorrow? Who knows.

    JR, I presume you live in either Delaware or Union County? I’m in Columbus, on the west side.

    Reply
    • CMW March 13, 2009 at 9:04 pm

      Well, you could just replace the stereo inside the car instead of getting a whole new car. 😉

      Reply
    • J.R. Journey March 14, 2009 at 4:27 pm

      No, I live in Scioto County – in southern Ohio on the banks of the Ohio River. Columbus is north of me – not I north of it, as would be the case with Delaware and Union Counties.

      But it’s great to have so many fellow Ohioans here!

      Reply
    • lanibug March 14, 2009 at 5:50 pm

      I cannot understand why you would not want to listen to our lovely country stations — when one only plays Kenny Chesney and Rascal Flatts and at least the other one is better, but you have to like the older country music — since I live in Champaign County and work in the Arena District — I only listen on my way into town for the traffic…..

      Reply
  10. Felipe March 13, 2009 at 3:32 pm

    Music is essential in the car, yes!
    I spend 2 hours a day in a free ride, so I listen to music that fits on my friend’s taste, and it’s terrible! hahaha
    His radio plays always the same songs that are success today, as Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and things like that, when it don’t turn to samba, funk and other freak stuffs…

    I don’t have the permission to drive yet (just with 18 here), neither have a car, but I guess I’d play the faster tunes, as Leann said.

    Reply
  11. CMW March 13, 2009 at 9:17 pm

    I’ve got a CD player with an aux input on the front panel for the mp3 player (not ipod), so I’m pretty well set up. Tempo isn’t a big consideration for me, but I do usually prefer songs I know the words to so that I can sing along. Being alone in the car is one of the few opportunities I get to sing out loud without anyone reminding me that I sound terrible, so I take full advantage of that time.

    When I’m driving with someone else in the car, I usually opt for something that will make them think I’m cool. Also, to that end, I don’t sing.

    Reply

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