The last couple of years I along with my boyfriend/Lady Southpaw bass-man Andrew have become somewhat connoisseurs for summer rock festivals.  This year we attended both Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza. We also attended a few other more regional events like the first ever Orion fest and this weekend we’ll be at the Riot Fest, headlined by Gogol Bordello, one of my absolute favorite live acts of all time! We were rocking out to them until almost 5AM last year at Bonnaroo. If you’ve never seen or listened to Gogol I strongly encourage you to get on that ASAP. You won’t be sorry.

Lollapalooza - BEFORE

Attending a summer festival is a lot like a marathon. It’s an endurance event!! Granted, the fueling strategy is a lot different… it usually involves alcohol and doping is practically encouraged. Although it is very common to see people walking around with camel packs, and yes they usually have water in them. Hydration is high on your mind since you spend most of the day in the hot sun on your feet, trekking from stage to stage and bopping around to one great band after another. By the end of it you’re covered in sweat and running on endorphin fumes.

Lollapalooza - AFTER

The Arctic Monkeys at Orion Fest

Lollapalooza Mainstage

2012 Summer Festival Playlist Summary:

I made the order of the playlist reflect the line-up at this summer’s festivals. I started with Charles Bradley both because the slightly slower bpm made for a good warm up, but also because he kicked off one of our days at Bonnaroo this year. It was mid-day, the sun was bright and Bradley was absolutely blowing it up on one of the mainstages. That guy is a real performer. In general in the early part of the day there are lots of indie bands playing the smaller stages. We caught a great set where the Punch Brothers did of all covers on a whim. This is also the time of day when you make discoveries, like the White Rabbits was a band I learned about because of Lollapalooza.

One of the biggest highlights for me this year was seeing Metric for the first time at Lolla. “Gold Guns Girls” has been a regular running song for me for awhile now and they seriously killed it live. It was definitely one of the best songs of their set. “Speed the Collapse” is from their new album and is also a good, though more chill, running song. I was so excited to see Santigold at Bonnaroo. She played songs off of both albums and when she started doing a solo version of the Jay-Z song, “Brooklyn Go Hard,” that features her, I freaked out because I wasn’t expecting her to do it and, you know, Brooklyn is where my heart is.

Then there are the headliners. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Metallica live. I wouldn’t consider myself Metallica fan, but they had a great line-up at their festival. Cage the Elephant and Arctic Monkeys played back to back and I love those guys. Then I have to give an honorable mention to Gary Clark Jr., who we saw at 3 different festivals this summers because he was great! Sadly, I could only get my hands on an EP of his and the closest song to a running tempo was a hair too slow at around 160… It’s called “Bright Lights,” and is totally run-able, but it messes up my whole making lists of songs around 180 bpm thing. I didn’t have much Metallica to test either, but the one song I did try, “Sad But True” was, not surprisingly, an excellent running song. I’m not that into the metal aesthetic, but I will say this for it: it’s very consistent rhythmically, the guitars are hard and driving, and the pace is fast, all things that make for great running music. Now, if we could just get them to write better lyrics and dress better…

The other big headliners I saw were: The Black Keys, Jack White, Radiohead and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Wow. They were all phenomenal. There’s a reason why these guys are all big, they are all fantastic musicians and real animal performers.

We saw The Black Keys sell out Madison Square Garden this year and they are consistently great. Those guys are crazy talented. Their set at Lolla was fantastic. It’s tough to name a favorite, but that would be one of them for sure.

It was cool to see Jack White doing a solo show while still throwing in some hits from his many successful bands. In the second half he brought out an all female backing band. I’m sure it was motivated by the look, but I can’t help it, I thought it was so awesome to see a guy at the center backed by a bunch of women because you never see that in music.

Then there’s Radiohead. I have loved Radiohead for a long time so seeing them live is always special for me because their songs reflect so many different periods of my life. Although, Drew and I like to joke, if you want to see how many smug hipster douche-bags you can fit into an arena (or in this case on a festival grounds) go to a Radiohead concert. Admittedly, I’m probably one part smug hipster douche-bag but maybe it’s because we were all listening to Radiohead in our formative years. They set a really high bar for musicianship and innovation.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers blew me away. I gave them the final spot among the headliners because 1) We saw them headlining both Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza, 2) they are technically the elder statesmen of the bunch, 3) they still know how to rock and kick more ass than guys half their age, and 4) Flea has to be one of the coolest guys on the planet! He went on a rant at Bonnaroo that brought tears to my eyes because he’s so authentically cool. He’s a gnarly punk who is also doing great work to bring music to kids that is utterly inspiring. Plus he’s in elite athlete shape!

Finally, there are the after hours bands. These usually consist of DJs and an eclectic mix of jam bands. The main criteria is that they have to be able to keep playing into the early hours of the morning until everyone crashes for 3 or 4 hours before they get up and start the whole process again for each remaining day of the festival.

I tested this playlist a few times on hot summer runs and I have to say it was really effective for me. I think both because it was a refreshing mix of different new or new-ish music, but also because it got me in the mindset of a summer music festival. You really have to be in it for the long haul and keep your energy going.

I first heard The Men when I was testing new release albums for my 2012 Indie Rock running playlist. Even the most compatible sounding bands tend to only have one or two songs per album that are well suited to a running tempo. Not The Men, there were 5 songs right in the running sweet spot.

Stream The Men running songs for free through Grooveshark:
http://grooveshark.com/#!/playlist/The+Men+Running+Songs+Open+Your+Heart/70596100

Song Title – Run Time – BPM

1. Turn it Around – 3:55 – 182
2. Please Don’t Go Away – 3:40 – 180
3. Open Your Heart – 3:00 – 178
4. Cube – 2:25 – 190
5. Ex-Dreams – 5:30 – 182

The album Open Your Heart was love at first song. “Turn it Around” kicks off the album with growling guitars followed by an assault of lightening fast drums and even more guitars! Overall the music is a non-stop punk fast guitar and drum driven inspiration. It’s like the sound I dream of when practicing with my band. The song “Open Your Heart” is another stand out in this collection. “Ex-Dreams” is extra long and even strips it down to just the drum beat in the middle, which I found to be a good point to sharpen focus and check-in during the run.

When I saw this band was from Brooklyn I immediately looked up their show schedule and was excited to see they had just announced a show in Manhattan’s Webster Hall before they take off on a grand European tour.

The live performance did not disappoint! They were so tight and faster in performance than on the album, which was awesome.  They really rocked us to the core. We managed to get pretty close to front. Unfortunately, I’m a terrible photographer. I was so into the show I only snapped a couple of shots and all I got were the backs of heads.

Anyway, I highly recommend The Men and their album Open Your Heart as a great Brooklyn rock band to add to running playlists, to see live and for general listening pleasure.

Check them out their website for updates and discography:

http://wearethemen.blogspot.com/

This clip is the live version of “If You Had a Life to Kill.” It sounds a lot different than the version that I recorded myself as part of the Songs for Running EP in 2009, so I wanted to share it. As a bonus I left the next song in the setlist: a cover of PJ Harvey’s “Good Fortune.” Enjoy!

I’m using Grooveshark for the first time because of their handy dandy playlist widget, so you can give the songs a quick listen right on the blog. The widget features the songs in the order that I was running to them. At the bottom of the page you can see all the songs I tested listed by artist.

The Highlights:

Song: We Are Young – by Fun.
Run Type: Warm-up

This song is like candy to me and I can’t get enough of it. In fact I would recommend this baroque pop band’s entire sophomore album, Some Nights. It’s full of memorable songs that tread that fine line between plush pop and indie rock. “We Are Young,” is good as the first song in a playlist because the intro isn’t quite up to the right tempo so it’s good for when you are still getting yourself sorted out at the beginning of a run.

D.O.A. – by Sleigh Bells
Run Type: Treadmill

I first came across Sleigh Bells last year during Bonnaroo. They were one of the first acts and it was so packed with bodies we could barely get close enough to hear anything. It was electric. So I was really excited to see they released a new album this year, Reign of Terror. Sadly, it was a struggle to find a good running song on the album despite that at a listen it sounds like it would be perfect. “D.O.A.” is a song that was made for the treadmill, it practically sounds like it was recorded on a treadmill as you run to it. The bpm is a little slow at about 170 bpm but otherwise it’s so good I had to include it anyway.

Hit Me Down Sonny – by The Ting Tings
Run Type: Speed, Tempo, anytime you want to feel good!

This song is full of the right kind of spunky attitude that makes it perfect for running.The Ting Tings new album, Sounds From Nowheresville, is full of great songs, but this was the only one I found that was truly run-worthy. It more than makes up for the rest with it’s peppy “speedy gonzales” inspired lyrics.

Fall of ’82 – by The Shins
Run Type: Long Run

This song from recent release Port of Morrow is not as high energy as the last couple but for the Shins you can almost consider it peppy or at least optimistic in their uniquely melancholy way. It was enjoyable on long runs when you’re just cruising.

Don’t Get Married Without Me – by The Punch Brothers
Run Type: Long run, fun run

The album Who’s Feeling Young Now? was such a delightful discovery for me. There are so many great songs on this album including an amazing cover of Radiohead’s, “Kid A.” I usually like to run to electric guitars and beats, but their brand of “progressive blue grass” was fast moving enough that it worked pretty well. The tempo is a little loose compared to some of the other tracks on this playlist so it’s better for long runs or fun runs when you’re not too concerned about pacing. That said, it’s definitely enjoyable and the tempo never drops enough to leave you hanging.

Dislexicon & Zed and Two Naughts – by the Mars Volta
Run Type: Long Run

If you’re unfamiliar with the Mars Volta they may take some getting used to. Their new album Noctourniquet is typical of their insane, zany, cacophany of sound that somehow starts to makes sense the more you listen to it. My advice would be don’t analyze it to deeply just start running and you’ll probably find something to hold onto. They will definitely add some variety to your long runs.

Diet Mountain Dew – by Lana Del Rey
Song Type: Tempo, speed

This songstress has been stirring controversy since she hit the scene. Unfortunately it has to more to do with her image than her actual music. I don’t love the album Born To Die the way I do some of the others on this list. I would probably like it better if it had more guitars. The songs by themselves have a pretty slick feel to them which I like. This was the only song at 90 bpm and I really enjoyed running to it. Still, when you listen to the songs back to back they start to blend together. She has a really cool sound but not a ton of range.

Say Anything – by Say Anything
Run Type: Hills, Speed

I’ve been loving these guys since 2006′s “…Is A Real Boy.” Their new self titled album is dripping with the cartoonish heartfelt angst that I love about them. This song in particular has enough speed to get you over hill for sure.

The Men

This band was a totally new find for me. As I was going through their new album Open Your Heart, I was struck by how many of the songs seemed made for running. I sense an entire playlist/post inspired by them coming soon…

Please let me know if you’ve heard anything new that’s good for running!

We didn’t have a full band for this show. It was just me, my lovely bassist Andrew and our PA system blasting the drum tracks. We got a new camera & tripod that we were excited to try out, but there was so much going on we didn’t manage to get very much. We almost didn’t even get to play because the generator didn’t work! Luckily, the saints working the parking lot we were set-up at let us plug into their power source.

I cannot understate how much fun it is to play music for races. You can see it all over our faces. It was especially good since the runners were all coming off the best mile of the race: running through the middle of Times Square. It’s a constantly replenishing crowd of fresh enthusiasm.

We put the camera on the tripod and just let it run. Unfortunately some of our technical delays meant we got a lot of wasted video (in addition to the generator problem my guitar cable got fried and my amp started picking up a random radio signal.) As a result I didn’t get any good footage of originals.

The snippets of covers in this video are:
1. “Good Fortune,” by PJ Harvey
2. “Run,” by Ben Kweller
3. “Sheena is a Punk Rocker,” by The Ramones
4. “Zombie,” by The Cranberries

I have been hard at work writing new songs. I have about a dozen demo songs at various stages of completion towards the latest piece I’ve been envisioning.

So, I figured I should give “Running is Punk” some context because it is part of something bigger.

Behind the Punk Music

In a word: minimalism. I love the punk impulse. The–I have something I feel and want to express loudly–impulse. I like the fact it can be rough around the edges.

The ten commandments of punk as described by Lenny Kaye of the Patti Smith Group:

I. Thou shalt return to the basics

II. Thou shalt do so with ferocious intensity

III. Thou shalt be young

IV. Thou shalt be sick

V. Thou shalt be snotty

VI. Thou shalt play hard and break all taboos

VII. Thou shalt keep no other god– especially fucking dinosaurs like Eric Clapton and so called progressives like E.L.P.– before thee

VIII. Thou shalt be revolutionary

IX. Thou shalt be cartoonish

X. Thou shalt remember thy rock past and keep it holy

Or to quote Tommy Ramone, “Eliminate the unnecessary and focus on the substance.”

This is really what the song is about; there is a lot you can get out of a few chords.

Of course, the idea of minimalism is also all the rage in running circles. The same holds true for running as with music: the best part of the sport is the most basic.

Running Music as a Panacea

The whole reason why I do this stuff is because in my life when I’ve been sad or frustrated or angry the things that I can turn to and give me the most in return are music and running. Both are ways to expend your grief without the harsh side effects. As it turns out, they even go well together! “Running Music” has so much potential as a new medium for expression it drives me nuts wanting to get it out there.

It doesn’t take lots of money, power, stuff, travel, relationships, drugs, alcohol, to transcend everyday angst and feel good; it can be done with some sweat, muscle and a song in your heart.

My vision is to play for people in some kind of fitness setting where they could be on treadmills or running a track or even just moving around in place.

I’ve played races like NYC Half this Sunday before. It is so much fun but we can only connect with each runner for a few seconds. I want to have shows that take the idea to completion and you get the full experience.

That 70′s Concept Show

“Running is Punk” is part of a piece celebrating 1970’s New York because it was such a pivotal time both for punk and for running. It is both functional and fun: working on cadence, racing strategy and enjoying a shit-kicking rock show. It’s all about finding the pleasure in running.

Dowload on Reverbnation

Download through Facebook page app

Taken with my crappy camera phone

Here's what Dave Grohl looks like rocking out.

My seats weren’t great and neither is my camera phone. So I’m borrowing a few shots taken by Ron, the @PunkRockRunner on twitter who does an awesome & hilarious blog called the Punk Rock Tri Guy. Those were taken someplace in California a couple months ago.

For the Love of Foo Fighters Running Playlist

Song title – Album title
1. All My Life – One By One
2. The Pretender – Echoes, Silence, Patience And Grace
3. Bridge Burning – Wasting Light
4. A Matter of Time – Wasting Light
5. Monkey Wrench – The Colour And The Shape
6. Come Back – One By One
7. No Way Back – In Your Honor
8. Good Grief – Foo Fighters
9. Next Year – There Is Nothing Left To Lose

The full list is available on Jog.fm here:
http://jog.fm/_pdzr
Ignore the pace per mile on jog.fm. Runners striving for efficient leg turnover can comfortably maintain the high tempos at any pace. Read more about it in my article on 180 bpm Cadence. The problem with trying to put together a playlist based on one band is that many of their best songs do not conform to this cadence. So, I made exception to my usual standard of nothing lower than 175 bpm (or 88 bpm) but was able to keep it mostly above 170 bpm and still get some great songs in.

The workout the playlist inspired was a tempo run. Meaning, rather than doing speed intervals and rests the idea is to try to run at a comfortably hard pace for the whole duration of the playlist. Since the first song had a slower tempo I used it as my warm-up and the last song has a slower feel so that was my cool down. Ideally you want to progressively increase your speed as you go, but all runners know that is very difficult. I imagined Dave and the Foo Fighters rocking for 3 hours and not slacking on the energy level from start to finish and it really got me going.

6 Minute Reps Behind Brian Eno

A lot of my speed intervals lately have been relatively short, so today I wanted to do something that sustained the speed a bit longer. Therefore I put roughly 6 min of songs for the “speed” intervals with a song in between as rest.

You can find the complete playlist on jog.fm
http://jog.fm/users/lady_southpaw/workout-playlists/6-min-repeats

1. “Lost Souls” by the Doves
I love this Brit Rock band. They are post Oasis, Radiohead contemporaries and their songs tend to be equally depressing and anthemic. This is intended to be the warm-up so take it easy in all of it melancholic glory. The bpm clocks in at 92 so keep the form and stride very tight and short. I started off at a 6.0 on the treadmill and cranked it up to a 6.7 (9 min mile pace) when I started feeling warmed up.

2. “Brian Eno” by MGMT
This was a new addition to my running roster and a new favorite! It’s very even and comfortable for keeping a nice even pace. This is still part of the warm-up and I kept this at a consistent 9 min mile pace.

3. “The Distance” by Cake
Now the speed begins! This is a running music classic. It’s a perfect tempo at 90 (which easily doubles under your feet to 180.) Jog.fm has it as 91, but that 1bpm really doesn’t make a noticeable difference. The theme behind the song is also great. I did this one at a 8:13 min/mile pace (7.3) today. I was going for more of a “tempo” run. I would recommend cranking it up to whatever feels “comfortably hard.”

4. “No Way Back” by the Foo Fighters
I’m getting amped up about the Foo Fighters coming to Madison Square Garden soon. They make some awesome music for working out. I pumped this up to an 8 min/mile pace (7.5)

5. “Scar Tissue” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers
This is the first “rest” song. I took it down to 6.0 and then back up to 6.7 as I recovered. I have this one on my iTunes, unfortunately Rhapsody doesn’t have Chili Peppers (one of the few major label hold-outs) so if you’re streaming you may need to substitute something else here.

6. “Black Math” by the White Stripes
The White Stripes kick off the second speed interval. Jog.fm has this song at 176 bpm but it feels pretty close to 180 to me. There are a few slightly irregular but overall it’s a great rocking song for some speed.

7. “American Idiot” by Green Day
This is one of my favorite songs for cranking up the speed. I ran the 8:13 min pace for “Black Math” then when I got to American idiot I cranked it up to an 8 min pace, 7.5 on the treadmill and then up again to 7.7, a 7:50 min pace, before the end of the song.

8. “Hurt Like Mine” by Black Keys
The Black Keys have been blowing up the last couple years. I saw them at Bonnaroo last spring and they were fantastic. This is my first attempt at fitting them into a playlist. This song is nice for a cool rest.

9. “Pinhead” by the Ramones
I’ve been obsessed with the Ramones lately, this is the first song in my Ramones block. Since the songs are short, I could fit 3 songs into a 6-ish min rep. I decided to up the anti and start on 7.5, the 8 min pace.

10. “Cretin Hop” by the Ramones
Both “Pinhead” and “Cretin Hop” have counting sections within the songs. These are fun points to really sync up and get your steps right on beat. I pumped this up to a 7.8, a 7:42 pace.

11. “Judy is a Punk” by the Ramones
By the end of the “Cretin Hop” I seriously considered taking a break because I was pushing a bit too hard. However, when Judy came on I decided to push through it, I even managed to increase it to my original plan on ending on 8.0, a 7:30 min/mile pace. As soon as this 1 minute 33 second song came to an end I was cooked! I had to bring it down to a walk and get a heart rate before continuing to the cool down. *Note this song is not 108 bpm as it appears in the jog.fm playlist. I tapped it out to a perfect 90/180 bpm.

12. “Cloudy” by Simon and Garfunkle
This is an old favorite song. When I was analyzing my iTunes library I was surprised to find it at a 92 bpm tempo. It is perfect to chill out as a cool down song.

According to my treadmill I did 4.5 mile in 39:30. However, who knows how accurate treadmills really are. I included my paces more as a guide to changes in effort level. Take all actual numbers with a grain of salt, this workout can be done at any pace by adjusting the pace faster or slower. The tempo of the songs is good for synchronizing steps which stay the same regardless of pace. Ignore the paces on Jog.fm. According to their data you should be at around a 7 min pace to run 90 bpm, but this is just not true. You can run 180 bpm at a slow pace, it just means your stride will be very short.

The New York Road Runners’ Entertainment Website for the marathon went live with a guide to all 130 bands, the most ever, and where they will be located.

Check it out at: http://entertainment.ingnycmarathon.org/

Our band will be located between miles 11 and 12 on Bedford Ave and North 10th street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. If you want to stop by and cheer the runners the band will be playing between approximately 10 am and 2 pm.

If you’re running the race be sure to wave and show us some love!

The Lady Southpaw Band will be on Bedford Ave and North 10th St

As an ongoing theme of the Running Rocks blog I will be posting my running workout playlists along with ideas of how to incorporate them into training. This means using songs to cue speed intervals, hill repeats and tempo workouts.

These Running Songs:

1. Are at or around a 180 bpm cadence or tempo. Some of them maybe a little over or a little under but they are all in the neighborhood.
2. Have a rhythm and driving force that makes for great running music.
3. Have been tested and approved by Lady Southpaw
4. Tend to have a rock aesthetic… that’s just what I like! Hip hop and electronica are also really good for running and I have incorporated a few different genres but this list is best for people looking for rock and roll running playlists.

How This Running Playlist was Created

My boyfriend and I each have thousands and thousands of songs on our computers. I ran a cadence app over all of them to find out which ones were either around 90 bpm or around 180 bpm. Then I tested all of those to make sure that the app was correct and to make sure the songs felt right for running. That left only 99 songs! Then thanks to various DRM and distribution restrictions not all of them could be posted. Good running music is not easy to come by. Thanks to new platforms allowing you to stream music I will be testing 1,000s more songs in the coming months and adding them as well.

The 180 bpm Running Song Archive

Rhapsody Running Songs

I confess, I am a pretty committed Rhapsody user and have been for nearly 5 years. As a result, a lot of the music I know I don’t actually own. So I already have lots of ideas of things to test. Rhapsody is my favorite of all the platforms because it’s the one I use the most so I’m the most comfortable finding my way around it. Still I was only able to get 80+ songs in my initial posting.

Rhapsody allows you to test and buy songs without being a member. It’s very ad heavy when you’re not a member but that goes away if you create an account. They offer a 30 day free trial which is well worth it, just make sure to cancel if you don’t want to become a member because they will charge your credit card. The price levels are $9.99 and $14.99 per month depending on how many mobile devices you want to activate. You get access to millions of songs without having to download anything to your computer meaning you can log in anywhere (that’s my favorite part!) It’s also really easy to use.

Link to 180 bpm Running Songs on Rhapsody

Spotify Running Songs

Spotify is the new kid on the block and I’m still kicking its tires. You can do a free version without any mobile devices. It is super integrated with Facebook, which is both convenient and a little annoying because almost everything you do gets posted to your profile. Although It is fun to stalk your friends’ publicly posted playlists. The thing I don’t like about it is that you have to download the software to your computer in order to use it, which makes it harder to stream from your work computer for example. Although because of that you can incorporate the music on your hard drive so I was able to post most of the songs from my iTunes playlist. I’m not sure if other people stream the ones only available on my hard drive or not, I would guess not. It doesn’t seem “cloudy” enough. Also, non-members would have to create an account and download the software to test any of them. That’s good for business and annoying for people.

Link to 180 bpm Running Songs on Spotify

iTunes Running Songs

Then there is the classic iTunes. Sadly, I was only able to post 45 of the songs on my playlist thanks to DRM and their availability in the iTunes Store! The other big downer is that they now require you to publish playlists through Ping, their horrific social network. I’m pretty sure Steve Jobs was not very involved in the user experience of this network because it does not hold up to Apple’s standards of elegant design, ease of use or function. I find it frustrating, not the least because it doesn’t make that many songs available for playlists.

Link to 180 bpm Running Songs on iTunes

Here is the list so far:

Update 9/7/12: Summer Festival Running Song Review 2012

Update 4/27/12: 2012 New Indie Rock Running Songs

Update 11/15/11: For the Love of Foo