What U.S. scenes do you picture when you listen to the Pat Metheny Group? I think their music can be highly evocative of U.S. scenery. Consider the titles and cover-art of some of their releases such as "We Live Here", "As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls", "New Chatuaqua" and "Offramp".

Hi, DT,
I agree - if you didn't know Pat Metheny was from Missouri you wouldn't have a hard time figuring it out once you heard "Last Train Home" off his 1987 album, "Still Life (talking)."
(Other readers of this thread, check out a Real Audio clip at http://www.patmethenygroup.com/ - no plug intended.)
This raises the whole subject of "road music" which I don't think gets enough attention. What do you like to listen to when you're travelling and are some sorts of music or artists more fitting in one location or setting than another?

Don't know which topic I like better, Metheny or road music.

Some favorite memories: driving through Berkshires in Oct. at high-peak color, listening to Prokofiev's Classical Sym.; driving through Va. hills in summer w/moon and unbelievable numbers of fireflies, hearing Debussy and Bill Evans; driving down coast route in Calif. and listening to Joni Mitchell, Chicago.

Do know I can't listen to anything but the absolutely smoooooooothest elevator music on approaches to big cities, like DC Beltway, NJPike near NYC.

Metheny goes almost anywhere.

Great thread!

Listening to Mary-Chapin Carpenter ("Come On, Come On") while driving through the Virginia countryside.

Lyle Lovett ("Joshua Judges Ruth") in the Texas Hill Country.

Good ol' John Cougar Mellencamp on the drive from Ann Arbor, Michigan to Bloomington, Indiana.

A single Jimmy LaFave tape ("Austin Skyline"), played over and over, once got me through the LONG drive from Austin to El Paso.

Books on tape or CD can be great too -- I'll never forget listening to Garrison Keillor read "Lake Wobegon Days" while driving through Minnesota and absolutely howling.

O.K., since everyone else is mentioning other artists, I'll add my favorites.

I believe that you haven't really driven through the Rocky Mountains if you haven't listened to John Denver while doing so. He is quintessential (sp?) Rocky Mountains.

Also listened to the Journals of the Lewis & Clark voyage while driving through the mountains - almost felt as though we were there with them almost 200 yrs. ago blazing trails through rugged countryside.

Deanna Carter & Shania Twain are good driving out in the countrysides of Kansas & Missouri.

Thanks everyone, I enjoyed your responses.

I recently got Pat Metheny Group's "Letter From Home" CD and I just can't get enough of it.

I'd love to hear people's comments about the places they visualize when they listen to the songs on this CD.

Here are some comments of mine on two of them:

"Spring Ain't Here"- evokes the cozy feeling of being warm inside when it is cold and snowy outside and yet yearning for the rejuvenation of Spring.

This is such a soothing and gentle and also somewhat sad song. It has such a special feeling about it which defies description.

"5-5-7"- I find this to be one of the most transcendant and dreamlike of the PMG songs. It seems that I can picture myself just about anywhere when listening to it. Wouldn't this make great road music?

Both of these songs are very hypnotic.

45/8- I think "adorable" describes this one best.

"adorable" as in "cute". It's also fun and uplifting.

I like listening to Helen Reddy while driving across Ontario, for what it's worth.

Pat Metheney has a wonderful imagination fortunately.
I live in his hometown in the KC suburbs and you HAVE to have a lot of imagination to create "acoustic scenery" if all you've got to go by is our local landscapes. Not Nebraska ugly, but certainly not picturesque!