CMT Blog: Archive

It may say “musician” on my passport, but it might be more accurate to describe myself as a professional van driver/passenger. Up here in beautiful Colorado, I am now relaxing after having driven the 19 hours from Nashville. It’s amazing to look out the window and see the jagged mountains so close. I often worry about my muscles going into atrophy due to under-use — exactly what happened to George Costanza! Sitting in the van for long periods of time can create aches and pains that I can do without — and there’s really nothing you can do except wait until you get out of the van and have a good stretch.

The key is to keep the mind active whilst sitting there staring blankly out of our Chevrolet’s tinted windows. As we drove through the wide expanse of Kansas, nothing but flat greenness all around, I was lucky to be armed with my iPod. Even though I have over 9,000 songs, I get a little bored with my library sometimes, and so recently I have discovered a whole world of podcasts, many of them completely free! For those unaware, these are essentially little radio shows you can download to your computer and then straight on your iPod. They are fantastic company on the road and often have a new episode every week.

If you’d like an introduction to this world, I would recommend the following podcasts:

Americana Roots Review by Ray Randall: Great new music from the world of Americana. Lots of new stuff you may never heard of before.

Hickory Wind: Mix of bluegrass and Americana from a knowledgeable source.

5 Minutes with Wichita Rutherford: Just take a listen…

A Prairie Home Companion’s News From Lake Wobegon: Perhaps the finest radio-show in the world. Garrison Keillor will whisk you away to his world in no time at all.

This American Life: Awesome stuff here, and now a TV show. Tales of human interest will make the banal interesting, time after time.

The last two aren’t music related, but I think you’ll enjoy them on any long drive you take. Let me know if you have any good podcasts you’d like to share.