Dallas,TX

D Magazine says Lonestar 92.5 is the best road trip station (hence the title of the post). This pick I agree with - in a way. But the magazine wrongly listed the website as www.lonestarfm.com. That is the website of a radio station in Bryan/College Station. The Dallas station they refer to is the refurbished 92.5 classic rock station found at www.lonestar925.com.

They say that Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash are “three of the station’s “core artists.”” That is only partly true. The magazine also says that mainstream country stations “quit playing country long ago.” That is true. “But Lonestar is more than just its Western roots.”

Okay, it is hard to say that a station that just changed from classic rock to classic rock and country has “western roots.” If they are referring to the roots of the new station, a brand new format has no roots. But the mainstream country stations have quit playing (or relegated to other than prime times) the country staples we all love as well as the new artists that write and sing from the heart - not the pocketbook.

Next the issue of the core artists. Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash can be heard, that is true. But I would swear that Jon Dillon and Willie Nelson have a significant share of the new Dallas station. Yes, Willie Nelson is a core artist. Boy, do they play Willie! And Waylon Jennings - about him and Willie. And they play ZZ Top and Stevie Ray Vaughan in between Willie songs. Willie even did the promo spots in which he intimated that he is somewhat in charge.

Jon Dillon has been around for years (I don’t want to date him - he is around my own age). I remember him introducing ZZ Top at concerts in the 1970’s. He has never been shy about being good buddies with the band. I have no doubt he feels the same way about the late Stevie Ray. But even with these two artists, they don’t have to play the same songs day after day. They really have recorded other songs.

Yet the reason I disagree with the basic pick is that KHYI 95.3 has been putting together the mix of songs that Lonestar has now. They don’t play as much classic rock, but that was not their format to begin with. My personal thought is that KHYI began to attract a increasingly larger share of the Dallas market and Willie wanted a radio station. There are some classic rock songs that KHYI does not play, but they make up for it with Texas artists and unique country songs.

I like both stations. KHYI has some disc jockeys that I cannot stand hearing. Alan Peck drives me nuts. So I switch to Lonestar. Sometimes it works to my listening benefit. Unless they are playing Willie, or “The Sky is Crying” by Stevie Ray one more time. Then I’m screwed. I have been a ZZ Top fan as well as a fan of Willie and Stevie Ray. But I’ve heard them over, and over, and over again. There’s a lot more good music out there that doesn’t get played, but should.

So for best road trip station - I would call it a tie. But when it comes down to it, I do not listen to one station all the time. I like what I like and I do not own a radio station. Will I agree with the next Best Of that I feature here? Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Have a good day and Peace be with you.