Mixtape I: Surviving Ike.....

i mentioned back here that i had a good mix of Storm Songs saved for the next time one rolled through. Well, Ike has arrived.

All last night, from the safety of Austin - just west of Ike's path, we were glued to the various news channels comparing coverage, satellite image technology, and marveling at Geraldo's brave stupidity. i grew up just SW of Houston, so the 4th largest city in the nation still feels like home. Galveston, where the storm made direct landfall, was only about a 40 minute drive from where i was raised, so this hurricane hit a little closer to home (both literally and metaphorically). To people from other places in the country, the storm coverage in the various suburbs and cities between Galveston and Houston may seem repetitive and indiscernible, but knowing the area and people that live/own homes in it reveals the somber reality in it all.

It is funny, however, that a couple hundred miles can spell the difference in total disaster and anxious celebration. Thankfully, my mom and many friends back home only received some strong winds and a little rain. They spent most of the night boozin' in anticipation of the biggest storm to hit Houston/Galveston in at least 100 years. i remember reading somewhere an analysis of the human psyche during a natural disaster. It explained that although tragedy is all around, there is a unique, mutual sense of community and a 'we're all in this together' kind of feeling that makes the situation strangely exciting. Katrina and 9/11 are a couple recent examples that we all can relate to in this aspect.

-----

This is my first attempt at a so-called Mixtape. The only real difference in this and a post with a bunch of songs is that these are ordered in what i feel like is the best layout for an album - and there's a link to a zipfile for quicker access. It was difficult to arrange the songs in a cohesive way because the genres/tempos are pretty varied, but i did my best.

Originally i made burned CD entitled Surviving Rita (for Hurricane Rita that followed Katrina a few years back). i removed a couple songs and added a few others to create Surviving Ike:

Side A:
1. Hurricane - Bob Dylan
2. Stormy Weather - The Kooks
3. Mighty Storm - The Duhks
4. Floodwater - Reckless Kelly
5. Rayne, Louisiana - Bruce Robison
6. Down in the Flood - Bob Dylan
7. Floods - The Great Divide
8. Buckets of Rain - The Wood Brothers
9. Shelter from the Storm - Bob Dylan
10. Have Mercy On Me - The Black Keys
Side B:
1. Hurricane - Golden Smog
2. Skies Are Turning Red - The Mike McClure Band
3. We're All In This Together - Old Crow Medicine Show
4. Waterbound - Carrie Rodriguez
5. The Levee's Gonna Break - Bob Dylan
6. Wind and Rain - Crooked Still
7. Bliding Sheet of Rain - Old 97's
8. High Water - Bob Dylan
9. Ridin' Out the Storm - Rodney Crowell
10. None But The Rain - Townes Van Zandt

Download Surviving Ike (zip)