A Soundtrack for Your 101 Freeway Commute

“Pouring music down the canyon … Coloring the sunshine hours.”

Stuck in traffic on the 101 in Los Angeles? Even if you’re not, Los Angeles Magazine curated a cool soundtrack that takes you from Laurel Canyon to the Eastside. Check out some highlights here:

“Ladies of the Canyon” by Joni Mitchell

What better way to accelerate into the Hollywood stretch of the 101 than with the lady of the canyon herself? From her bohemian Laurel Canyon abode to her Hollywood hangouts with Crosby, Stills, & Nash, the hills of the 101 are as Joni-ful (yep, this deserves to be a thing) as they are sun-soaked.

“Quiet” by MILCK

Blast this heart-thumping feminist anthem by rising L.A. native MILCK as the 101 passes beneath Chinatown. Connie Lim created the stage name MILCK (her last name backwards followed by her first and middle initials) as a nod to her Chinese ancestry, but her music has inspired international acclaim—a video of her group performance at the 2017 Women’s March in DC went viral that January.

“El-Lay (L.A.)” by Los Illegals

No drive through Eastside is complete without a throwback to L.A.’s most influential Chicano punk outfit, Los Illegals. While they never achieved national acclaim, Los Illegals were instrumental in building the L.A. punk rock scene, most notably at the now-defunct Mecca of ‘80s Chicano punk, the Vex.

Get the full list here.

More Stories

Experiences

One Man’s Journey From Los Angeles to Tijuana in a Kayak

When Andrew Szabo, a 46-year-old Manhattan Beach entrepreneur, told his wife that his midlife crisis involved the purchase of an ocean kayak and the desire to paddle from MB to Tijuana, her reaction was simple: “Have a good trip, and make sure your life insurance premiums are paid.” What followed were three months of intense preparations, a life-changing journey and becoming part of the global battle to raise awareness for tuna overfishing.

Music + Podcasts