Keith Gribbins here. Before I wrote about iron, hydraulics, and diesel regens, I wrote about music for a decade. I interviewed bands and artists like

Interpol

,

Jack Johnson

,

Kid Rock

, and the

Pixies

for alternative tabloids under the Village Voice and New Times umbrella. I lived in clubs, and I subsisted on riffs. Those were the days. Today, I chase excavators and skid steers, but the music still matters — no matter life’s settings. Personally, I find music changes how you operate a machine. It locks you in. It keeps your head steady when the trench runs long and the grade stakes look crooked. I built this mix for long days in the cab. Country, classic rock, indie, electronic, hip hop. You can

jump over to our YouTube page

and fire up the full playlist in your cab right now. Bluetooth it and move some dirt.

WARNING

: Do not use headphones in your cab. Keep volume safe enough to hear radios, horns, spotters, and jobsite noises. Check with your manager to ensure playing music is allowed.

Blues for joystick finesse

1.

Snatch It Back and Hold It

— Junior Wells’ Chicago Blues Band, Buddy Guy, Amos Blakemore

This is pure joystick music. The groove swings like a smooth hydraulic cycle. It reminds me of feathering controls on a tight dig around utilities. Total control.

Indie spark for early mornings

2.

Dead American Writers

— Tired Pony

That line — "I’ve been waiting for the spark myself" — hits at 7 a.m. in a cold cab. It builds steady, like bringing a diesel up to operating temp. Good for trenching straight and thinking clearly.

'60s backbeat for truck loading

3.

Head Over Heels

— JD McPherson

This one kicks like a 1960s radio hit. The backbeat snaps, the handclaps hit hard, and you’ll be singing along by the second chorus. It’s perfect for loading trucks or running cycles when you need tempo.

4.

Rock & Roll Woman

— Buffalo Springfield

Stephen Stills and Neil Young stack harmonies over fuzzed-out guitars. It sounds like a 1967 jobsite in overdrive. Reminder: Buffalo Springfield is

named after compaction equipment

.

Electronic bounce for long afternoons

5.

Feral

— Elder Island

After eight hours in the seat, you feel a little feral. This Bristol trio delivers pulsing electronic beats that keep your head bobbing. Ideal for fine grading when you need focus but also energy.

Groove for cycle times

6.

The Single

— Automato

Fresh beats. Tight rhymes. That chorus about soul music sticks. It’s groove-driven, which makes it perfect for repetitive tasks like stockpiling, backfilling, or running a wheel loader all day. If ain't soul music, it ain't my music.

Dark indie for moving dirt

7.

Future Folklore

— The Crystal Stills

It sounds like Black Lips met Joy Division in a gravel pit. Gritty, moody, and propulsive. This is dig-deep music for pushing through tough clay or frozen ground.

Southern grit for long hauls

8.

Three Dimes Down

— Drive-By Truckers

That scorched guitar adds rocket fuel to a country-rock burner that refuses to coast. Love that opening line: "It was a straight shot, all it took was luck to not get caught." It’s perfect for long pushes across a jobsite when you need attitude and edge.

Earth-moving blues

9.

Earth Blues

— Jimi Hendrix

Funky guitar and heavy groove. Operators know about earth blues. This one belongs in a crawler excavator cutting a deep trench with authority. Nothing better than Jimi.

Remix rocket fuel

10.

Crystalline

(Omar Souleyman Remix) — Björk

This remix absolutely rips. The beat pushes you forward like a turbo lurching under load. If you need to outperform everyone on the jobsite, start here. Or, end here.