Author Archives: Lottie Glazer

A Semester to Remember

countryCountry music has always been a huge part of my life ever since I was a little girl when my grandpa would take me to the rodeo and stock yards. Over this semester not just through my time in class but my experiences outside of class as well just furthered my love and understanding of country music. I am so happy I took this class and got to learn what country music really is from class and my experience two-stepping, watching a country movie, and watching a televised award show.

Time to Two-Step

I had never actually been to a country dance hall before this semester but I have always wanted to. Convincing my two best friends from Los Angeles and Chicago who barely own cowboy boots and definitely don’t know how to two-step was the hardest part of the evening. Upon finally convincing them we headed out to Dance Across Texas (Formerly Midnight Rodeo). The music was great and everyone was having a lot of fun including my two friends after they finally learned a move or two. I really enjoyed it and love any chance I get to wear my favorite pair of cowboy boots so I will definitely be going again.

611ijlSfoNL._SL500_AA280_A Country Movie Night

So as it would turn out I did a lot of babysitting in high school and one of the little boy’s I babysat favorite movie just happened to be cars. I ended up buying the movie on my laptop because he liked it so much. On one of the nights that everyone in the house went out, my roommate Jenna and I decided to watch a movie. We were looking through the movie on my computer and ended up deciding this was the perfect opportunity for us to watch a Disney movie and no one bother us about it. We popped some popcorn and got in bed. We sang along with every song but especially our two favorites. Jenna knew every word to “Route 66” meanwhile I jammed out to “Life is a Highway”. We had a lot of fun that night. Knowing what I learned from class, the music gave me an all knew appreciation for the movie.

katy-perry-dolly-partonACM Awards

I love watching music award shows but especially country music award shows. This year was even more exiting for me to watch because my mom actually got to go the show. She had a lot of fun but said in the future she thinks she is gonna stay home and watch it on TV because you can see more. Either way the ACM’s this year were super fun to watch with Luke Bryan and Dierks Bently hosting. My favorite performance of the night was watching Dolly Parton and Katy Perry do a duet. It was quite a site to see those two pair up. The performances were definitely the highlight of the show.

Overall this class has taught me so much. I enjoyed not just the material but the people as well. Taking this class has given me a better understanding of not just the themes, the instruments, and melodies that make up country music but country music as whole. I am not a huge fan of writing but I can truly say I have enjoyed every moment of this class and am so fortunate I got to take it.

 

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Filed under Blog Post 5, Reflection

Does Country Get Just a Little Too Drunk?

church-793x525As someone whose family is in the alcohol business, I have no problem with the free advertisement that country music gives to drinking, but has it become a problem? With songs ranging from Dierks Bentley’s “Drunk on a Plane” to Kip Moore’s “Beer Money” and Roger Creager’s “The Everclear Song,” it is clear that alcohol remains a common theme in modern country music. However, songs that used to be about sitting around having a casual beer with friends have now arguably turned into songs that “promote” drinking to get drunk and binge drinking.

Many believe this common and previously unquestioned theme in country music has recently become a cause of concern. In the past several years, there have been an increase in alcohol related arrests and deaths at popular country artists performances. With the rise of what many have termed “bro-country,” songs about partying, drinking and girls, Rolling Stone has noticed a significant trend in the charts that some believe may be leading to unruliness. Of Billboard’s Top 100 Hot Country Songs of 2014, 69 of the songs had references to drinking with at least 12 of those having some sort of alcohol reference in the title.

Another cause for concern is that with the increase in young country fans, thanks to artist like Taylor Swift, country fans attending concerts are getting younger. Country used to cater to a middle-age crowd, but it is now beginning to target a much younger crowd that wants upbeat, fast-paced, rock-charged songs they can blast through speakers at a pre-game or tailgate. Many feel the surge of young concert goers combined with the growth of pre-concert tailgating have lead to an increase of underage drinking cases at concerts.

With alcohol related incidents increasing and the age of the average country concert goer decreasing, some worry that the music might be the source of the issue. So, what is the real problem? The actual music or the fans?

I don’t think the music is the issue. While many of the lyrics in current country songs, such as in Little Big Town’s song “Day Drinking,” do portray drinking as an easy way to feel good and have some fun, it is ultimately the fans who are taking the lyrics to heart and abusing alcohol. Drinking is not new to country music, and the songs are simply supposed to be a source of enjoyment—not dictate your life choices.

I love going to a tailgate or pre-game and listening to country music, which inevitably means listening to quite a few songs about alcohol. While I do love listening to these songs at a tailgate, changing the genre of music would not change how much I drink. That decision is internally motivated. When I listen to country songs while on a road trip home, I am not tempted to start drinking in the car.

Ultimately what has happened is that country artist are beginning to cater to a younger demographic. That younger demographic already has a habit of binge drinking in general regardless of their musical preference. Consequently whether it be at a rave, a rap concert, or even a country concert, young audience members are watching their friends and peers drink and inevitably follow their example. It is not the music it is the fans.

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Filed under Blog Post 4, Bro Country, New Country

Ready to Make Nice? The Dixie Chicks Back on Tour

635832819257889654-dixie-chicksThe infamous Dallas-based Dixie Chicks, after 13 years in hiding, are finally scheduled to be back on tour this upcoming summer, just in time for the the 2016 presidential election. In case your memory has faded over the past decade, in 2003 many radio stations and fans criticized and boycotted the all-female band after lead singer, Natalie Maines, spoke out against the Iraq War and president at the time, George W. Bush, during the band’s London, England tour. The news quickly spread back to the states, with Natalie saying, “Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.” A substantial portion of fans and country music patriots alike were infuriated. Many of those offended by the comments reacted immediately, requesting that the Dixie Chicks songs stop receiving air-time.

After receiving a barrage of complaints, many station managers complied and pulled the Dixie Chicks songs off the air. A station in Kansas City, Missouri even went as far as holding a “chicken toss” party encouraging people to dump the group’s tapes, CDs and concert tickets into trash cans. The reaction to Maines’s words was fast acting and extreme. The trio began receiving death threats as well. The conservative country music crowd was outraged by comments they found unpatriotic.

In response to the harsh backlash, the band received from Maines’ comment in London, in 2006, they released the song “Not Ready to Make Nice.” The song reflected how they felt about the controversy, the banning of their songs from country music radio stations, and freedom of speech.

“I made my bed, and I sleep like a baby
With no regrets, and I don’t mind saying
It’s a sad, sad story
When a mother will teach her daughter
That she ought to hate a perfect stranger
And how in the world
Can the words that I said
Send somebody so over the edge
That they’d write me a letter
Saying that I better
Shut up and sing
Or my life will be over?”

The song became a huge hit, reaching number four on the billboard hot 100. MadTv even made a parody of the song. Later that year, they also made a documentary called Shut Up and Sing, which followed the girls as they dealt with the controversy. Even though the controversy is still largely associated with the band, since the results of the war, many feel that Maines comments were redeemed. Now 13 years after her initial comments, the band is finally going back on tour, and some might say just in time for the 2016 election. Lead singer Maines has not refrained from entering political controversy, offering her two cents on the Texas candidate Ted Cruz. This time, however, many of her comments are being met with applause. So will the upcoming election help or hurt their US tour, will people be more understanding, will they be met with huge crowds again? I am sure excited to find out.

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Filed under Blog Post 3, Dixie Chicks, Politics

Texas Country Above All Else

91-ogWhile many would argue that Nashville, Tennessee is the heart and home of country music, my heart and my home reside in Texas, home of Texas Country Music, the source of greats like George Strait, Eli Young Band, The Dixie Chicks, Jack Ingram, Willie Nelson, Miranda Lambert, Kenny Rodgers, and, one of my personal favorites, Pat Green.

In recent years, critics have labeled Pat Green a country music sellout, interested in becoming a “mainstream hit-maker.” Well the gray clouds are clearing, and Pat is finally returning to his Texas roots. In his first original album in six years, Green admits what many of his loyal fans have known for a while: going to mainstream Nashville was a mistake. In the song Home he writes, “I was blind to the game, I sang the wrong songs and disappeared for way too long, but I’ve finally found my way home.” Even the harshest of critics are coming around to the idea that Pat Green is authentically returning home to Texas.

pat-green-home-album-coverSo what does this mean? Why does this even matter? It matters because we all know  (well at least the right people know) that Texas Country is far better than “Mainstream” Nashville Country. Texas Country is about the artist and not just how many hits he or she can produce or how quickly he or she can do so. Travis Erwin of Wide Open Country writes:

Texas Country is driven by live performances and a fan base that is intimately familiar with their favorite artists. Many of the Texas acts tour 200 or more dates a year with at least half of these dates within the Lone Star State. This gives fans an opportunity to go out and listen to their favorites several times a year. The average mainstream fan is lucky to catch their favorite performer once a year live.

When many artists are beginning to fall into the realm of pop-country, it is Texas artists who are staying true to the Honky-Tonk and Care-free “Outlaw” music that country music originated with.

A year ago I was fortunate enough to attend a small wedding in which Pat Green performed. Seeing him live was amazing. You could really tell he wanted to be there. Although he did preform some of his not so famous songs, the crowd clearly perked up as soon as he began playing his Texas classics. It was amazing hearing him sing one of my favorite songs of his Baby Doll to the bride Annie. She is a die-hard fan of Pat herself. My favorite part of the whole evening was also the sweetest. After Pat was finished performing he called over the bride and groom and handed them the signed guitar he had played with that night. It was truly a night to remember. Overall as a loyal country fan, I am glad to have Pat Green back on our side and hope that maybe he has inspired some others to stray away from the country-pop scene and return back to the tradition and spirit that Texas country embodies.

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Filed under Blog Post 3, Texas

Football and Country Music

RJG_0071-1In high school, I was an athletic trainer for the football team. My high school focused heavily on sports, and, therefore, we had a large and hard-working football team. There were ten trainers and seventy-five players, and I could name each of them. To say that we spent a lot of time together would be an understatement. From two-a-days starting at 5:30 am in the summer to classes together to after school practices, we were together all the time.

While I have always loved for country music, standing on a football field in the 102 degree Texas summer heat gives you a whole new appreciation for it—especially when listening to Luke Bryan’s “Rain is a Good Thing.” For the team and the trainers, country music was a way to endure the day before daylight.

While we loved to play our country tunes there were definitely times that something else was playing. I can definitely testify that as a trainer I never once heard anything besides rap playing in the weight room. Coach Clements was never really a fan of country music. Our head trainer was extremely religious and therefore did not enjoy the explicit language of rap, and the students did not like the religious music he would play if one of us did not put in our ipod, so country music was our compromise.

While the music playing in the background of practice and in the training room seems like such a small entity, it had a huge influence on everyone. If a good song was playing, everyone would sing along. When an amazing country concert came to town, we would all get tickets and go together. For me country music had a big part of my involvement in the community. My friends and I love for country music and involvement in the athletic training group is what started and ultimately led to us becoming friends.

Without country music as a part of my high school’s football community, there is decent chance I would not have started a conversation with Kenzie, Anna, and Shea about Kenny Chesney on the first day of practice. If some of the football players hadn’t gone to the Jason Aldean concert, then I may not have gone to their graduation or hung out with them on the weekends that we did not have practice. Weather it be on the field or in the training room, football and country music are a match made in heaven.

“When I feel that chill, smell that fresh cut grass
I’m back in my helmet, cleats, and shoulder pads
Standin’ in the huddle listenin’ to the call
Fans goin’ crazy for the boys of fall”

-Kenny Chesney

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Filed under Blog Post 1