Red Bull Motorsports
Music
AWOLNATION’s ultimate driving playlist
Fresh from playing at the Austrian GP, frontman Aaron Bruno talks about his perfect road tracks.
AWOLNATION perform during the Austrian F1 GP
© Philip Platzer/Red Bull Content Pool
AWOLNATION frontman Aaron Bruno loves the sonic synchronicity of motoring and music.
“I think it’s the momentum of going somewhere,” says the Red Bull Records star. “Sometimes when I’m listening to a song while driving on the freeway back home and I have to slow down, I stop the song because there's nothing worse than a song that’s running ahead of you.”
Bruno and his band recently took a break from recording the follow-up to their smash-hit album Megalithic Symphony to play a very special gig at the first Austrian Formula One Grand Prix for ten years (“It’s amazing to be asked to play,” he says. “Austria feels like a second home to us”); and it’s fair to say that he’s got a soft spot for all thing automotive.
“Being from America, Formula One isn’t as big over there, but my father used to race in a series below Formula One before I was born, so I have a few black and white photos of him racing and that got me interested,” says Bruno. “It may sound a bit ignorant to racing fans, but I watched the movie Rush recently and really enjoyed it. It’s our guitar player [Drew Stewart] who’s obsessed with Formula One racing.”
Aaron Bruno's ultimate driving playlist
© Philip Platzer/Red Bull Content Pool
“Growing up in this town called Westlake Village there was a lot of canyons to get to the beach to go surfing, so I’d always time myself to see how fast I could go. I’d love to have a go at driving a racing car if I was given the chance… and wreck the car. That’s probably what would happen.”
Before Bruno gets the chance to write-off a state-of-the-art Formula One vehicle, we diverted his attention by asking what would be on his ultimate driving playlist. Here are the tracks that get his motor running.
“At the moment, I love listening to the new Lana Del Rey record, we’re all obsessed with that. She’s got a song called West Coast and being from the West Coast myself, it’s always the first song I put on when I get in my car from the airport and drive home after being away for over a month.
“Any Beach Boys song is always great – anything from Smile or Pet Sounds is a great thing for me. Also, the 2Pac and Dr. Dre song California Love. I guess I’m thinking of what I listen to when I’m driving back home.
“If I’m going to surf and I know the waves are big, maybe I’ll listen to something heavier. There’s a band called Ceremony who I love dearly, and they have a song called Sick that I enjoying listening to a lot when the waves are good.
“If it’s a nice summery day and I’m on a longboard riding smaller waves I’ll listen to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – the first song on their first record, 40 Day Dream, I love that song.
“Finally, if I’m going to a party I’ve got to put some Michael Jackson on. Smooth Criminal really gets me fired up, Billie Jean and more recently I’ve been listening to Bad.”
Aaron Bruno's ultimate driving playlist
© Philip Platzer/Red Bull Content Pool
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