Country Time
Roadtrippin'
By: Matt Bjorke
Last updated June 18th , 2010

With school almost out in all districts, many families will be going on road trips.  In the past, a road trip mixtape was a carefully prepared mix of songs that appealed to the majority of the family but with the addition of tv/DVD in virtually every family's car, road trip mixtapes have almost gone the way of the dodo.  For those that do make a mixtape, they typically will just select a favorite song on their iPod and use the genius function that Apple added to them or perhaps be even 'lazy' and just shuffle the iPod.  This is a sad thing as a fan of good themed 'mixes' I think they still provide great areas of opportunity for people who love to hear their favorite songs while driving down the road.

Currently in the midst of a 15-hour road trip from Nashville to Upstate New York, I have a couple mixtape options on my iPod.  I first have the 'work mixes' like "June 2010 radio singles" which allows me to listen to the newer singles to help guide my thoughts on when I decide to write about the song in a future article.  Then there are playlists that are favorites or 'mood favorites.'   

These mixes (or mixtapes) feature a wide variety of my favorite tunes and can run the gamut from Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now" to a classic Vince Gill song like "One More Last Chance."  There are 'mood' mixes - like Jack Nicholson had in As Good As It Gets - for certain situations.  If I'm feeling like singing along to some ballads, there is a ballad mix, If I feel like 'rockin' out, there is a playlist mix of uptempo tunes. 
 
The whole point of these mixtapes, playlists, or whatever you want to call them is to help to get you through your road trips.  They allow you to ignore the radio stations as they fade in and out and allow you to focus on the tunes that you truly love without having to be bothered by what other people (stations) are programming for you to hear. 
 
If you've never really used the playlist maker option on your iTunes or other mp3 player system, I suggest you give 'em a shot as this truly one of the best features about the iPod/mp3 player.  It allows you to travel with that compact jukebox with an infinite amount of customizable playlists and such and it even allows you to keep some 'playlists' like "Kids favorites," so that you AND your kids can keep your sanity on the long road trip and keep them from saying, "Are we there yet?"  

Summer is a time to get out and enjoy the environment and other states and cities near to or far from you.  "Mixtape" CDs or "playlists" on iPods certainly make the experience getting there all the more enjoyable.

[Tags] Country

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