From hometowns to honky tonks, country music is deeply rooted in the places that it comes from and the places where it is played. The purpose of this activity, which you will complete over the course of the semester, is to engage country music in a variety of places and in a variety of ways. It involves two steps:
First, complete three of the ten activities listed below between the first day of class and the date that your fifth Blog Post is due. Leave a “digital trail” while you complete these activities by taking pictures, tweeting, posting pictures and updates to social networking sites like Facebook and Instagram, etc.
Second, reflect on what these experiences have taught you about country music in Blog Post 5. Read the specific guidelines.
- Take a picture with “Willie Nelson.” Since 2012, this statue has stood in front of the Austin City Limits / Moody Theater, at the intersection of La Vaca and Second Street. Before going, check out the Texas Monthly‘s short write-up about the statue. What do you think about the city’s decision to rename Second Street “Willie Nelson Boulevard”?
- See a live country music show. After all, Austin is the Live Music Capitol of the World! You can catch smaller shows less expensively at such venues as The Continental Club, the Broken Spoke, the Cactus Café, Ginny’s Little Longhorn Saloon, the Nutty Brown Café, etc. There are also free or inexpensive shows around the time of major music festivals like ACL and South By Southwest. Check out the venues’ websites or The Austin Chronicle‘s Music Calendar for upcoming shows.
- Go two-stepping at a dance hall. Check out this list of places to go dancing in the Austin area. If you’re interested in traveling outside the city, within a short distance you will find several classic dance halls, including the ones in Gruene, La Grange, and Luckenbach. If you aren’t sure about dancing, many of these clubs offer two-step lessons on certain nights.
- Catch brunch at a historic site. On Sundays, some of Austin’s favorite dance halls and concert venues open their doors for brunch. Three popular spots are Threadgill’s, Ginny’s Little Longhorn Saloon (where you can play “chicken shit bingo”), and the Nutty Brown Café.
- Tour the Texas Music Museum. The museum is located at 1009 East 11th Street and is open M-F 9am-4pm. Admission is free.
- Read the Texas Music Magazine. Issues are released quarterly and can usually be accessed at the magazine’s website. You can also find copies at stores like HEB, Half Price Books, etc.
- Explore some classic country records. There are a number of places that sell used and new vinyl in Austin, including End of an Ear, Breakaway Records, Antone’s Record Shop, Waterloo Records, Half Price Books, Goodwill, and most flea markets. If you find an album you want to listen to, there is a USB turntable in FAC 14 that you can use to turn the tracks into mp3. I will be happy to help you with the conversions.
- Watch a movie about country music. Check out this list of movies that integrate country music. Alternatively, you can watch a few episodes of a TV show featuring country music such as Nashville or The Voice.
- Watch a televised awards show. The big ones are the Country Music Awards (CMTs), which are held in the fall, and the Academy of Country Music Awards (AMCs), which are held in the spring, but there are others.
- Choose your own adventure! There are lots of ways to explore country music in Texas. Shoot me an email if you have ideas in addition to the ones that I have already listed here. We will try to work it out.