Maybe its nostalgia for family vacations and childhood summers, but August feels like the perfect time for a road trip, and the perfect road trip needs a soundtrack, a mix of new songs and old jams, sing-alongers and sad ones. How to craft the perfect mix? We asked Portland, Oregonbased musician , who plays a story-focused brand of folk ( once called him the love child of John Prine and Mitch Hedberg) and spends most of his time on the road, touring with musicians like Donavon Frankenreiter and Jack Johnson. Craigies on tour across the East Coast through September with his new album, . He told us what hes listening to now, which albums helped shape him as a performer, and what he does when lyrics hit him when hes behind the wheel, which they usually do.
Find Some Good New Material
Theres a lot of good music out now. Ive been listening to Nathaniel Rateliffs new record, , a lot. Leon Bridgess new one, , is real good, too. John Prines new album, , blew me away. My friend , an amazing songwriter, has a new record coming out in October, which everyone should listen to. And Ill always listen to Todd Snider, Loudon Wainwright, and Hurray for the Riff Raff.
Mix in Some Classics
For me, as far as classic goes, I like live songwriter records. There are two live Greg Brown records, and , that I listen to all the time. And Simon and Garfunkles , which they did right after releasing Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. For me, when I was coming up, listening to musicians have conversations was a big part of learning how to perform for crowds and be a storyteller. Its not a normal human interaction.
Tap into Nostalgia
I was at a caf矇 the other day and heard a song by Pearl Jamand I just went down a wormhole on their old stuff. I did the same thing with安hats that crappy band called她h yeah, the Goo Goo Dolls. When you have Spotify at your fingertips and a bunch of hours in the car, you can go forever.
Keep Your Ears Open
One of the best things about being on tour is that people tell me things. A guy stopped me recently and said, I think youd be into . Id heard about himhes an Austin-based singer-songwriterbut I hadnt taken the time to listen, so I cued him up, and now I really like him. When youre out of your element, you hear different things. I Shazam. I Shazam a lot.
Dont Write Music in the Car (Okay, Maybe a Little)
Most of my songwriting happens either while Im driving or while Im watching someone else play music, which are both the least conducive places to write. I dont mean Im stealing stuffI just write better when Im listening to music. Writing is a multilevel process, and the road is an important place for me to work it out. If I do a tour with someone else in the car, Im not in the zone as much. I notice that if I dont have that time alone, I cant write as well. I use Evernote, and Ill constantly be writing something down while Im driving. Which isnt particularly safe.