Unruly America: 50 Songs for 50 States
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Every red-blooded American knows that rambling dissatisfaction built this nation, and its the dream of that eternally greener grass that drives us to achieve. Insatiable hearts, chaos ad infinitum, untidy action and lives lived in extremes. We’re a nation of intermingled truths and compelling fictions, each an aspiring Hollywood living a life of aesthetic export in hopes that someone, somewhere wants to watch.
The following BBQ-ready mega-mix features a Beard-selected song embodying a sliver of adventure in each State. This rag-tag army of sorry patriots, slackers, outcasts and outlaws may not wave old glory down by the courthouse, but have always got something unlikely afoot. And I’ll take action over dull any day.
But, then, I am American…
01: INTERLUDE: The Magnetic Fields – “Washington, DC”
02: MONTANA: Merle Haggard – “Big City”
03: NEBRASKA: Tarkio – “Sister Nebraska”
04: NEVADA: Mark Knopfler – “Sands of Nevada”
05: NEW HAMPSHIRE: Sonic Youth – “New Hampshire”
06: NEW JERSEY: Red House Painters – “New Jersey”
07: NEW MEXICO: Lemonheads – “New Mexico”
08: NEW YORK: Lou Reed – “Walk on the Wild Side”
09: NORTH CAROLINA: Future Islands – “Cotton Flower”
10. NORTH DAKOTA; The Wooden Sky – “”North Dakota”
11. OHIO: Chixdiggit! – “Ohio”
12. OKLAHOMA: The Kinks – “Oklahoma U.S.A.”
13. OREGON: Woody Guthrie – “Oregon Trail”
14. PENNSYLVANIA: The Dead Milkmen – “Punk Rock Girl”
15. RHODE ISLAND: The Softies – “Holiday in Rhode Island”
16. SOUTH CAROLINA: Archers of Loaf – “South Carolina”
17. SOUTH DAKOTA: Andre Williams – “Only Black Man in South Dakota”
18. TENNESSEE: Grateful Dead – “Casey Jones”
19. TEXAS: The Mountain Goats – “Source Decay”
20. UTAH: Band of Horses – “The Great Salt Lake”
21. VERMONT: Captain Beefheart – “Moonlight on Vermont
22. VIRGINIA: Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Who’ll Stop the Rain”
23. WASHINGTON: Nirvana – “School”
24. WEST VIRGINIA: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – “The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth”
25. WISCONSIN: Casiotone for the Painfully Alone – “Optimist Vs. the Silent Alarm”
26. WYOMING: Neil Young – “The Emperor of Wyoming”
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01: OVERTURE: The Beard – “Grand Old Flag”
02. ALABAMA: Alabama Shakes – “Rise to the Sun”
03. ALASKA: The Velvet Underground – “Stephanie Says”
04: ARIZONA: The Beatles – “Get Back”
05: ARKANSAS: The Gossip – “Arkansas Heat”
06. CALIFORNIA: Rogue Wave – “California”
07. COLORADO: Bob Dylan – “Man of Constant Sorrow”
08. CONNECTICUT: The Impossibles – “Connecticut”
09. DELAWARE: Drop Nineteen’s – “Delaware”
10: FLORIDA: Modest Mouse – “Florida”
11: GEORGIA: Nana Grizol – “Circles Round the Moon”
12. HAWAII: The Strokes – “Hawaii”
13. IDAHO: B-52s – “My Own Private Idaho”
14. ILLINOIS: Skip James – “Illinois Blues”‘
15: INDIANA: Tom Waits – “Gun Street Girl”
16: IOWA: William Elliott Whitmore – “Diggin’ My Grave”
17: KANSAS: James Brown – “Kansas City”
18: KENTUCKY: Neil Diamond – “Kentucky Woman”
19: LOUISIANA: Lil Wayne – La La La
20. MAINE: The Mountain Goats – “Let’s Go to Maine”
21. MARYLAND: Steve Malkmus – “Baltimore”
22: MASSACHUSETTS: The Modern Lovers – “Roadrunner”
23: MICHIGAN: The Stooges – “Gimmie Danger”
24: MINNESOTA: The Replacements – “I Will Dare”
25: MISSISSIPPI: Ministry – “Mississippi Queen”
26: MISSOURI: Hames Sisters – “Walkin’ To Missouri”