Road Trip Music - Cue the Theme Music Playlist

The last month has been extremely difficult for me. Between two weeks of final exams and starting new jobs, there have been some mornings as I drive to school or work that I'm just not sure I can make it through another day. That's when its time to cue the theme music. When I was in high school, my friends and I had those songs we would play as loud as possible in the car just to get our spirits up. Our favorite was "Minority" by Green Day. We always felt better about life as we shouted the lyrics out the window.

As I've gotten older, I still have theme music that I love to yell out the window. And so to get me through these past several weeks, I made a playlist to keep my spirits up.

"Cue the Theme Music" Playlist

1. "Don't Stop Believin'" Journey
2. "Carry On My Wayward Son" Kansas
3. "Free Bird" Lynard Skynard
4. "You Give Love a Bad Name" Bon Jovi
5. "Gimmee Three Steps" Lynard Skynard
6. "Smoke on the Water" Deep Purple
7. "All My Life" Foo Fighters
8. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" Nirvana
9. "Cold Hard B****" Jet
10. "Back in Black" AC/DC
11. "Whole Lotta Love" Led Zepplin
12. "Don't Fear the Reaper" Blue Oyster Cult
13. "Simple Kind of Man" Lynard Skynard
14. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" Rolling Stones

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Roadtrip Music - St. Patrick's Day Soundtrack

Back in my younger days, I was quite fond of whiskey, bourbon, and scotch. While other girls my age were sipping on cocktails and martinis, I was nursing a neat glass of Talisker single malt scotch aged 10 years or maybe just knocking back some Jack Daniels. But over time, my love has waned. More accurately, my ability to bounce back from a night of drinking has significantly deceased throughout the years. But once a year (and only once a year), I still drink whiskey.

And that time is tonight: St. Patrick's Day.

My relationship with St. Patrick's Day is a little difficult. While I think it is a great day to celebrate Irish heritage or just get blind drunk, I am not Irish. I am Scottish. When I was little, my grandmother on my mother's side would sit me down with her and tell me about our Scottish heritage. My family has also embraced our heritage. One of the funniest things I've ever seen was my parent's reaction when they found out my sister was dating a guy with the last name "Cromwell." (For those who don't get why that's funny, brush up on your European history a little). In pursuit of my Scottish roots, I actually spent some time living in Edinburgh and reading Scottish literature. Suffice it to say: I'm really, really into being Scottish.

So tonight I will be wearing my shirt that says, "Suck It, I'm Scottish" and joining my friends with a glass of whiskey to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. And of course, I have made a playlist to drink to.

Let's Drink Until We Can't Feel Feelings Playlist

1. "Kentucky Bourbon" Murder by Death
2. "As Long as There is Whiskey in the World" Murder by Death
3. "Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)" The Doors
4. "Bottle of Jesus" Beth Heart
5. "My Alcoholic Friends" Dresden Dolls
6. "Alcohol" Gogol Bordello
7. "When the Heat Dies Down" The Kaiser Chiefs
8. "Leeds United" Amanda Palmer
9. "The Seven Deadly Sins" Flogging Molly
10. "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" Dropkick Murphys
11. "Drunken Lullabies" Flogging Molly
12. "The Spicy McHaggis Jig" Dropkick Murphys
13. "Another Irish Drinking Song" Da Vinci's Notebook

Road Trip Music - "Light It Up!" Playlist

A new year and time for a new playlist! Many of my playlists tend to center around a theme I accidentally discover in my collection of music. This time, it was fire. As I was listening to Franz Ferdinand's "This Fire" for what must have been the ten millionth time, I realized that many of my songs have a similar focus on flames. So I decided, for my New Year's Eve adventures, to compile a playlist of burning hot music to light my way through my nighttime adventures. And now I'm pleased to share it, for those also inclined towards scorching music.

"Light It Up!" Playlist

1. "Danger! High Voltage" Electric Six
2. "Start the Fire" No Doubt
3. "This Fire" Franz Ferdinand
4. "We Didn't Start the Fire" Billy Joel
5. "Pistol of Fire" Kings of Leon
6. "London Calling" The Clash
7. "Fire" Jimi Hendrix
8. "Light My Fire" The Doors
9. "Ring of Fire" Johnny Cash
10. "Playing with Fire" Shannon Curfman
11. "Smoke on the Water" Deep Purple
12. "Ash" Murder by Death
13. "Lake of Fire" Nirvana
14. "The Desert is On Fire" Murder by Death
15. "Ampersand" Amanda Palmer
16. "Streets of Fire" The New Pornographers
17. "Fiery Crash" Andrew Bird
18. "Run" Snow Patrol

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Road Trip Music - "Sometimes I Wonder About You" Playlist

It's officially October, my favorite time of year! The weather starts getting cooler and crisper, the leaves start changing, and it is the one month I can dress up like a zombie and nobody looks at me funny. That's right. I dress up like a zombie. Next week, I'll be posting about my trips to local Zombie Walks in Lawrence and in Kansas City. And soon I'll be posting about my trip with my favorite tourist-ing partner Anna to Tempe, Arizona for the International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Fest. So in preparation for a month of creepy road-trips, I thought I would share a creepy music playlist.

There is a story behind this playlist's name. If the fact I dress up like a zombie didn't clue you in, I'll say it now: I'm weird. I love horror movies, ghost stories, and all things slightly creepy. This has a tendency to disturb my family. One day, I was at my parents house, reading on the couch. My father came in and asked what I was reading. I showed him my book, "Stiff: The Fascinating Lives of Human Cadavers." My father stared at me for a moment before finally saying, "Sometimes I wonder about you." Then he walked away.

So I have made the "Sometimes I Wonder About You" Playlist, a soundtrack to all my creepy roadtrip adventures this month. It includes songs about mayhem, murder, zombies, and just plain freaky stuff. Because this is a rather...um, creepy?...playlist, I do not recommend it for anyone under the age of 18 and I definitely do not recommend it for anyone without a morbid sense of humor. That being said, enjoy!

"Sometimes I Wonder About You" Playlist

1. "Walk Like a Zombie" HorrorPops

2. "Devil with the Black Dress On" Jack Off Jill

3. "Missfit" HorrorPops

4. "Super Sadist" Jack Off Jill

5. "Highway55" HorrorPops

6. "In Old Yellowcake" Rasputina

7. "Hitchcock Starlet" HorrorPops

8. "The Curse of Millhaven" Nick Cave

9. "Rumbrave" Murder by Death

10. "Jack Killed Mom" Jenny Lewis

11. "Killbot2000" Murder by Death

12. "Psycho Therapy" The Ramones

13. "Eet The Children" Otep

14. "Prison Song" System of a Down

15. "Sacrilege" Otep

16. "I Wish You's Die" Betty Blowtorch

17. "T.R.I.C." Otep

18. "Mis Ann Thrope" My Ruin

19. "Menocide" Otep

20. "The Crimson" Atreyu

21. "That Crown Don't Make You a Prince" Murder By Death

22. "'O'Malley's Bar" Nick Cave

23. "'52 Ford" Murder By Death

24. "Holloway Jail" The Kinks

25. "Crazy People" The Wreckers

26. "Henry Lee" Nick Cave

27. "Down in the Willow Garden" Kristin Hersh

28. "Death is Not the End" Nick Cave

Road Trip Music - "Away We Go" (100th Post Soundtrack)

Well, it's official! This is the 100th post on The Yellow Brick Road Trip! And in honor of this momentous occasion, I thought I would share my new road trip soundtrack.

I haven't made a road trip soundtrack in a while, just soundtracks to long hours of studying evidence procedure. So it was nice to think about the music I want to listen to while driving as quickly as I can away school. Some of the songs are repeats from previous mixes, but I think this is a nice way to celebrate 100 posts of vagabonding!

"Away We Go" (100th Post Soundtrack)

1. "Hell on Wheels" Betty Blowtorch

2. "Thelma & Louise" HorrorPops

3. "The Get Away" Pretty Girls Make Graves

4. "Highway 55" HorrorPops

5. "Satan is My Motor" Kaiser Chiefs

6. "Oh My God" Kaiser Chiefs

7. "Take Me Anywhere" Tegan & Sara

8. "A Change Would Do You Good" Sheryl Crow

9. "I Saw a Cop" Jill Sobule

10. "God's Country" Ani DiFranco

11. "All American Girl" Melissa Etheridge

12. "North Carolina" Melissa Ferrick

13. "Everyday is a Winding Road" Sheryl Crow

14. "Nowhere to Go" Melissa Etheridge

15. "LA Song" Beth Hart

16. "Westbound" Melissa Ferrick

17. "Giggling Again For No Reason" Alanis Morissette

18. "I Drove All Night" Cyndi Lauper

19. "Vegas" Sara Bareilles

Roadtrip Music - "You Can Take the Girl Out of the Country, But Not the Red Out of Her Neck"

While on the road, Anna was eager to play with my iPod and to enjoy some good ol' country music. Apparently, her life in Chicago has lacked the twang we had back in Oklahoma. I was happy to oblige with an old playlist I made as an homage to my redneck youth.


"You Can Take the Girl Out of the Country, But Not the Red Out of Her Neck" Playlist

1. "Sweet Home Alabama" - Lynard Skynard
2. "No Riders" - Shannon Curfman
3. "Redneck Woman" - Gretchen Wilson
4. "Hicktown" - Jason Aldean
5. "Broken and Ugly" - Beth Hart
6. "Sin Wagon" - Dixie Chicks
7. "Wild One" - Faith Hill
8. "Way Back Home" - The Wreckers
9. "I Go Back" - Kenny Chesney
10. "Not Ready to Make Nice" - Dixie Chicks
11. "Red Dirt Road" - Brooks and Dunn
12. "My, Oh My" - The Wreckers
13. "How Do You Like Me Now?" - Toby Keith

Roadtrip Music - "Girls Gettin Gone" Mix

Every roadtrip has a soundtrack. In this case, my friends and I each decided to make a mix cd for the road trip. Jessica put together a collection of fun music to sing along to, Kelly couldn't bring hers so brought along the Wicked musical soundtrack for inspirational purposes, while I went the more thematic route. I created a roadtrip mix called "Girls Gettin' Gone" featuring all female performers (mostly acoustic, country and classic) singing about the road.

"Girls Gettin' Gone" Mix
By Kris the Educated Vagabond

1. "All American Girl" - Melissa Etheridge
2. "Everyday is a Winding Road" - Sheryl Crow
3. "Particular Place to Be" - Melissa Ferrick
4. "L.A. Song" - Beth Hart
5. "Freeway" - Aimee Mann
6. "Welcome to my Life" - Melissa Ferrick
7. "Get Out the Map" - Indigo Girls
8. "The Road's My Middle Name" - Bonnie Raitt
9. "Me and Bobby McGee" - Janis Joplin
10. "Get Out of this Town" - Carrie Underwood
11. "Heads Carolina, Tails California" - Jo Dee Messina
12. "The Long Way Around" - Dixie Chicks
13. "Till We Run Out of Road" - Jewel
14. "Cigarettes" - The Wreckers
15. "Vegas" - Sara Bareilles
16. "Giggling Again for No Reason" - Alanis Morissette

So what do you think? Did I forget any really good songs?