Road Trip Playlist

ROAD TRIP

playlist

Roll down the windows and turn up the volume: these Carolina tunes will keep you cruising

By Dav iD Menconi

Road tr ip season is upon us, which calls for some music to keep the moment um going. W hether you’re t wist ing along the Blue R idge Park way or cr uising the Outer Bank s Scenic By way, when you hit the road for points beyond, br ing along t unes made by ar tists f rom the Old Nor th State. Here is the ultimate Nor th Carolina road tr ip playlist.

Chuck Berry “Promised L and” (1964)

We beg in with this classic f rom the g reat classic-rock elder Chuck Ber r y. Promised L and tells the stor y of a coast-to coast jour ney with a roll call of cities along the way, including both R aleigh and Charlotte.

6 String Drag “Gasoline Maybelline” (1997)

One of the best bands f rom R aleigh ’s mid-1990s alter native- countr y boom, 6 Str ing Drag was a powerhouse with old-school countr y har monies and a soulf ul hor n section. Nothing pile- dr ives like Gasoline Maybelline.

Blues Magoos “Tobacco Road” (1966)

Durham native John D. L ouder milk wrote a lot of g reat songs, none g reater than this of t- covered garage-rock classic. New York ’s Blues Magoos cut the definitive version of Tobacco Road, which you’ll find on the 1972 proto -punk compilation Nuggets.

Squirrel Nut Zippers “Put a Lid on It” (1996)

Hell, the big hit for the latter- day Chapel Hill hot-ja zz band, could also go here as a good song for pick ing up the pace (or even speeding). But P ut a Lid on It, feat ur ing singer K athar ine W halen at her sassiest, is better for cr uising.

Black Sheep “T he Choice Is Yours” (1991)

From Sanford, Nor th Carolina, the hip -hop duo of William “Mr. L ong” McL ean and A ndres “Dres” Tit us would like you to k now: You can get with this / Or you can get with that.

Don Dixon “Praying Mantis” (1987)

A f ter you’ve been dr iving a while and the caf feine star ts to wear of f, here’s a g reat sing-along pick-me-up. Praying Mantis dates back to the early 1980s and Di xon’s long-r unning band Ar rogance. A f ter Ar rogance broke up, he had a solo hit with it.

Etta Baker “One-Dime Blues” (1991)

Baker was one of the g reat legends of Piedmont blues g uitar. T hat especially goes for her sig nat ure instr umental OneDime Blues, which rolls on dow n the highway. If you can play it yourself and keep up, you’re “one- diming it.”

The “5” Royales “T hink” (1957)

Covered by James Brow n and Mick Jagger, T hink was one of the most endur ing songs that the legendar y Winston-Salem R&B band T he “5” Royales lef t behind. It’s also a per fect cr uising song — but keep your hands on the wheel, no airg uitar allowed.

Sylvan Esso “Song” (2017)

Durham’s Sylvan Esso, made up of A melia Meath and Nick Sanbor n, makes folk sy electronic music with a war m, beating hear t. T his one is a g reat song for the wide- open highway.

The Connells “Stone Cold Yesterday” (1990)

A lthough they’re best k now n for the moody 1993 ballad ’74-’75, R aleigh ’s Connells can pick up the tempo, too. T his song’s call-to -ar ms g uitar r if f really should have been all over the radio.

Fantasia “Summertime” (2004)

T he High Point native and seasonthree A mer ican Idol winner has never been better than on her sultr y per formance of the George Gershwin classic. Per fect for long cr uises.

Southern Culture on the Skids “Voodoo Cadillac” (1995)

Once you’re close enough to your destination to exit the highway, here’s one to ease of f the throttle, by Chapel Hill ’s long-r unning garage-rock band. I got eight slappin’ pistons r ight here under my hood / L et’s r ide. PS