Justin Gage, the man behind Aquarium Drunkard and Autumn Tone Records, has made a mixtape for us! I am very pleased to present Midnight Radio: “Twelve tracks inspired by driving through the New Mexico desert after midnight on a surreal, starless night. Clocking in at just over thirty minutes the following tracks, mostly vinyl rips, should complement any weird, late-night dance party, séance, etc… Very hoodoo.” Needless to say (this is Justin we are talking about after all), it’s an incredible mix that features tunes by John D. Loundermilk, Screaming Lord Sutch, Elder Charles D. Beck and many more. In addition to Aquarium Drunkard and Autumn Tone, Gage also hosts a weekly, two hour radio show on Fridays on SIRIUS/XM satellite radio’s XMU (channel 26), and XM radio (channel 43). Noon-2pm EST. I highly recommend tuning in to his show and making Aquarium Drunkard a daily read. Check out the mixtape and details on his SXSW parties after the jump.

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I was really swamped around Valentine’s Day and though I tried my best to put together When You Awake’s annual Music For the Morning After mixtape, I just didn’t come up with anything good enough to post. So I thought I’d get away with not doing one this year,  but the uproar in my inbox has proven otherwise. So without further ado (hey, a week late is better than never, right?), I would like to present When You Awake’s Music For the Morning After: Volume Three. The theme is inspired by my favorite part of Valentine’s Day. It’s not the flowers, boxes of chocolates or candlelight dinners that gets me. It’s waking up in your lover’s arms the morning after and just feeling happy and content to be there with them (without any of the pressure of V-DAY looming overhead).  If you missed the previous mixes, be sure to check out Music For The Morning After Volumes One and Two.
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Just in time for Labor Day weekend, I’ve put together a sleepy, late summer mix of tunes inspired by the ocean and the soft sweet lull of the waves. The mix features songs by Fleetwood Mac, Iron & Wine, Tim Buckley and more. Check it out after the jump.
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The fine folks over at LA Record asked me to put together a mixtape about our fair city of Los Angeles. The mix features tunes by Gene Clark, Flying Burrito Brothers, John Phillips and more. Check it out over at LA Record.com. Any favorite songs about LA that I missed?

Stian from the amazing website Heartworn Highways has put together a mixtape for us featuring the best country and indie folk music from Norway. This is the third in a series of mixtapes featuring different bloggers from around the world introducing us to the great folk and roots (can we still call it “americana”?) artists in their countries. If you missed them, be sure to check out the first two installments in the series: Cosmic French Music and Cosmic Australian Music. Stian’s Norweigan mixtape is after the jump.
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We’re big fans of songs that tell stories over here at When You Awake and so we decided to put together a mix of some of our favorite narrative numbers. To us, a story song is a tune that paints a vivid, almost cinematic picture of its subject, whether that be a person, an event, a place or a feeling. So on this mix, we hear tales from the likes of Townes Van Zandt, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and many more. I also asked some friends on Twitter and Facebook to share their favorite story tunes with us and we’ve included those on Story Songs: Part Two. Check out both mixes after the jump.
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Oh California, overcast as you may be on this June day, I dedicate this mix to you. I came up with about three mixes worth of tunes so keep your eyes open for additional volumes. Any favorite California songs you’d like to see on the future mixes? Let us know in the comments after the jump.
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Warren from the great Australian website High Noon Saloon has put together a mixtape for us featuring the best country and folk music from Australia. An Australian Johnny Cash? A Delta bluesman-type singer straight out of a remote Aboriginal community? This mix has got it all. This is the second in a series of mixtapes featuring different bloggers from around the world introducing us to the great folk and roots (can we still call it “americana”?) groups in their countries. If you missed our first installment, Cosmic French Music, click here. The Australian mixtape is after the jump.
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We asked our friends Howard and Beth over at the great UK-based blog, Lonesome Music, to share some of their favorite songs with us.  What resulted is this brilliant little mixtape featuring tunes by Dolly Parton, Gillian Welch, Leatherbag, The Soft Parade and more. Check it out after the jump!
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Thanu from the French website There’s Always Someone Cooler Than You have put together a mixtape for us of the best cosmic country and folk music from France. French surf music? Eagles influenced bands from Normandie? A French Neil Young? Mais oui!! This is the first of what we plan will be a series of mixtapes from different bloggers around the world introducing us to the great folk and roots (can we still call it “americana”?) groups in their countries. What locale should we feature next?
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