• "Passenger Side" - A.M., Wilco/Jeff Tweedy

As co-founder of Uncle Tupelo and leader of Wilco, Jeff Tweedy is considered one of the founding fathers of alt-country, the style that converted legions of country music naysayers into card-carrying members of the Merle Haggard fan club. Nice work, Ambassador Tweedy. And while Wilco's dedication to the Americana movement has definitely waned in recent years, Jeff Tweedy retains his country cred with his performance at this year's HSB festival. Here's a song from the early days, a real crowd pleaser that often turns into a rousing sing-a-long.

• "Poor Old Heartsick Me" - Poor Little Critter on the Road, The Knitters

You normally don't associate Los Angeles with country music, but in the mid '80s, punk legends John Doe and Exene Cervenka of the band X sought to change that. With the help of Blasters' guitarist Dave Alvin, Doe and Cervenka strapped spurs to their Doc Martens and recorded a country album that included this tune, a Carter Family classic.

• "Dickie Chalkie and Nobby" - Natural, Mekons

Come to think of it, you probably don't think of Leeds, England when you think of country music either. But, hey, that's what this mix tape is all about! The Mekons were spawned from the British punk scene of the late '70s. In 1985, however, the Mekons dropped some unexpected twang on their fans with the country-influenced album "Fear and Whiskey." Some 20 plus years later, the Mekons have returned with an equally fantastic, country-laden album, "Natural." "Dickie Chalkie and Nobby" takes a snappy latin beat, stretches it out with fiddle and mandolin strings, and then adds some incredibly catchy harmonies on top. I challenge you to get this song out of your head in less than three days.

• "From the Rivers to the Ocean" - Woke on a Whaleheart, Bill Callahan

Call him melancholy, call him introspective, call him cute (with those boyish good looks, how could you not?), but just be sure to call Bill Callahan mesmerizing. I once saw Callahan (then using his Smog moniker) play a show at 1am. Despite the late hour on a school night and being completely exhausted, I found that I was still fixated on every chord and hung on to every word. This new song, with its reverb-soaked sound, slightly monotone vocals, and one-step-behind delivery gives me the same half-asleep, half-awake feeling I had that night.

• "A Man in Love" - At My Age, Nick Lowe

We should have seen it coming when, in 1984, the man responsible for producing landmark records for The Damned and Elvis Costello released an album called "Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit." Nearly 25 years later, Lowe is still embracing his country side. "A Man in Love," from his 2007 album, is a old school, rockabilly number hearkening back to the days of Sun Records. I'd even go so far as to suggest that the ghost of Sam Phillips was in the studio the day Lowe recorded this one.

• "Came a Long Way" - All This Time, Heartless Bastards

Make way for the younguns. Erika Wennerstrom started the Heartless Bastards at the age of 22, and now, not even 30, she sounds like a veteran. Wennerstrom's warm and gritty guitar is a staple of the Bastards' sound, and this song is no exception. On "Came a Long Way," Wennerstrom wraps us up in a thick blanket of guitar, and, with the aid of her soulful croon, tells us it's all going to be okay. These bastards are all heart.

• "May This Be Love" - Wrecking Ball, Emmylou Harris

Let's bring this mix tape full circle, shall we? It's not just that rockers have been influenced by country music -- the love and admiration goes both ways. Take Emmylou Harris, the reigning queen of country music and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass veteran (she's played every year!). In 1995, Harris released "May This Be Love," a song originally written by the ultimate rocker himself, Jimi Hendrix. Like the original, Emmylou's version employs a repetitive, tribal drumbeat. But, her interpretation takes that hypnotic rhythm and drenches it in layers of backwards guitar to create a haunting effect that takes the song into entirely new territory. Hardly bluegrass indeed.