Yearly Archives: 2014

by | November 4, 2014 · 8:00 am

Why Are You Performing at the CMA Awards?

CMA Awards“Country Music’s Biggest Night” is working with mainstream pop this year. On November 5th, Ariana Grande will perform a duet with Little Big Town during the CMA Awards. I consider myself “in the know” when it comes to the music industry, but it doesn’t take a forensics team to conclude that Grande doesn’t really fit in with the country music crowd. Her Wikipedia page considers her a representative of EDM and electropop, and her selection as a performer for the CMA Awards confuses me.

Don’t get me wrong; I love all kinds of music. My Itunes library consists of anything from N.W.A to Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana to Eric Church, Ziggy Marley to…you get the idea. I am all for musicians on opposite ends of the spectrum collaborating together to make a song or maybe even an album, but to have this performance on this night seems weird. The CMA Awards is considered “Country Music’s Biggest Night.” Why are you having someone who hasn’t earned their place in the country music industry performing on its “biggest night?”

If I was a country artist that wanted to perform at the CMA Awards, and an artist who is in a completely different category ousted me I would be pissed! I am trying to picture George Strait and Willie Nelson looking perplexed as this performance would unfold and I cant help but laugh. This situation is almost similar to Taylor Swift coming out as a “pop artist” after her start as a self identified “country artist.” Now I am struggling to figure out what is and isn’t country.

We all know that rock, bluegrass, and jazz have an influence in country. Pop has had an influence as well, but it has always been one of those genres that never made sense to me. Country was around for a long time before people started making techno sounds on a computer, and to have Grande waltz right in and perform seems like an odd mix. My only explanation: TV ratings and money.

If an Ariana Grande fan hears about her performing at the CMA Awards, he or she might watch an awards show that they previously wouldn’t have. Multiply that by the millions of people who have bought her records and it could make a big difference in the ratings. After the announcement of this surprising performance, TV Networks might get in a more intense bidding war for the rights to cover the future CMA Awards. In the end, CMA wins.

I am not trying to slam Grande’s music in any way, I mean, her record sales speak for themselves. I don’t think it makes a ton of sense to have the most important night in country music be shared with an artist that represents a completely different genre. In my opinion, they might as well get Waka Flocka in the mix.

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Filed under Awards, News

by | November 3, 2014 · 8:00 am

The Coachella of Country

405096_3599075787548_2122838743_nWhen I first came to Texas many people asked me if I have ever been to Coachella, a music festival similar to ACL held in Palm Desert, which is about 2 hours from my house. I never have been to Coachella but every year in high school I went to Stagecoach, which was basically the same thing except all country music. When I say basically the same thing I mean its put on by the same company, held at the same venue, and its always one weekend after Coachella. I’m really surprised more people don’t know about Stagecoach here, I guess Coachella just gets more advertising.

The venue its held at is actually professional polo fields so there are horse stables all around which only add to the country atmosphere. There are five stages set up throughout the venue, the big one is called the “Mane Stage” (get it like a horses mane) and then there are four smaller ones. There’s also barns set up with food and dance floors inside where people can go to two step, or if you’re me you just went there to get some shade and escape the heat.

IMG_2729The last year I went to Stagecoach was my senior year and it was by far the best year. I got to see Darius Rucker, Lady Antebellum, Toby Keith, Zac Brown Band, and Dierks Bentley. My favorites were Darius and Dierks by far though; they were having so much fun on stage it was contagious for anyone else watching. Darius kept encouraging the crowd to line dance with him, which in hindsight was not the best idea because I was standing in a mosh pit of people trying to dance so everyone was getting pushed around. Despite the blistering heat throughout the day, my friends and I went right as the gates opened at noon, and stayed until they closed after the last performer that night.

It was so amazing seeing the range of people that were all being entertained by the performers. I went with five of my high school girlfriends and we all saw my 30-year-old cousin with her husband and baby, and also my 60-year-old neighbor sitting in a lawn chair with his wife. Ironically enough, I also ended up meeting my roommate for the first time when we were at one of the smaller stages watching Old Crow Medicine Show perform and resting in the shade. This all just goes to show how country music brings people of all ages together to have a great time and enjoy the feel-good music.

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Filed under Live Music

by | November 2, 2014 · 8:00 am

Fayette County Country Music Opry

Screen Shot 2014-10-28 at 12.05.57 AMEvery third Monday of the month at 7:30pm, the Fayette County Country Music Club holds their very own Country Music Opry at the La Grange Knights of Columbus Hall. A house band of local musicians play each month along with the occasional out of town musicians who stop by to play for publicity and experience in front of a crowd of about 300 to 400 people.

Even though the set up is nothing fancy, the musicians that play are usually not very established, and the average age of the people who come to watch is probably around 65, the Fayette County Country Music Club Opry was a big part of my childhood days. Because my dad and grandpa are a part of the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic charity fraternity, they would often have to work during the opry. I can remember as early as age three or four watching the musicians sing old country songs, from Hank Williams to Johnny Cash to Dolly Parton. I can probably sing almost any traditional country song that is thrown at me word for word, and I have the opry to thank for my impressive skills.

When I was younger, I remember my older brother, Chase, and I giving my mom the hardest time about going and after dragging us there, we were always more interested in playing “wall ball” and eating hamburgers in the back room than sitting with all the “old people” and listening to “ancient country music.” We stopped going to the opry with my parents when Chase got into middle school and they trusted us to stay home alone for a few hours by ourselves. The last time I attended was probably my sophomore year in high school to watch my friend, Briana Adams, play.

I recently thought about the Fayette County Country Music Club Opry when considering what to blog about. I got really excited about the opry because it is actually perfect for this class. When I called my mom to see if it was something that still went on, she was surprised about my new interest in it.  Looking back now I wish my juvenile self had realized how cool it actually is that little La Grange puts on the Fayette County Country Music Club Opry (at the point in my life where this tends to be happening more and more). I plan on going to check it out again soon, which I know will make my grandma happy, and I am not ashamed to say I am truly excited to hear some good traditional country music!

I wanted to share some footage from the opry, so I found some videos on YouTube. The videos are a few years old, but I feel they give a good sense of what the Fayette County Country Opry is like! Also, you should check out my friend Briana Adams! She’s so talented and definitely has a very traditional country feel!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY2vGxR7QCo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMs-lCzjbvY#t=571

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Filed under Dancing, Live Music, Texas

by | November 1, 2014 · 8:00 am

All American Girl

From her audition on American Idol to her first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry, I have been a huge fan every step of the way. Carrie Underwood is by far one of my favorite artists ever. I love everything about her, her voice, her style, her story, the way she carries herself, and most of all her humbleness. I can listen to her albums over and over and never get bored. When I listen to her music it allows me to block out all the stress, worries, and problems. I guess you can say it’s kind of like my happy place. There’s a Carrie Underwood song for every occasion. I listen to her music when I’m doing laundry, studying, grocery shopping, and even for some of the tougher times in my life, like when my parents got a divorce. I have compiled a list of some of my favorite Carrie Underwood songs along with the cover art of the album.

carrie-underwood-some-hearts 1. “Some Hearts” (2005)
2. “Starts With Goodbye” (2005)
3. “Lessons Learned” (2005)
220px-Playon 4. “Change” (2009)
5. “Mama’s Song” (2009)
6. “Temporary Home” (2009)
Carnival_Ride_-_Album 7. “So Small” (2007)
8. “All American Girl” (2007)
9. “I Told You So” (2007)
10. “Something in the Water” (2014)

The songs above are only some of my favorites because the list could go on forever. I would love to one day meet Carrie Underwood and just tell her how much I love her and how fabulous I think she is. Her voice is just crazy amazing. When I’m at home I turn the music up really loud and pretend I’m at her concert. It is definitely on my bucket list to attend at least one Carrie Underwood concert. It would be so amazing to see her live. She did perform at the Thanksgiving game halftime show in Dallas one year but unfortunately I was unable to go. Oh, but believe me I was the first person in front of the TV when the half time show began.

My sister seems to think I have an obsession with Carrie Underwood, but truth is I just love her and how she doesn’t take anything she had achieved for granted. I see a little of myself in her. I just think it’s awesome how she grew up on a farm, put her dream of singing aside to go to school, and then ultimately in the end made her dream come true. I guess you could say Carrie Underwood is one of my idols. Who is your favorite artist? Do you have a country music idol?

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Filed under Movies and TV, New Country

by | · 6:00 am

Meaningful Songs

Everyone has that one song or maybe a few songs that mean a lot to him or her because it reminds them of someone, a special event or it just makes them feel good. I have many of those song but some of the most meaningful songs for me are country songs. Although I have a lot of songs that I could talk about, I would like to share just three of those songs with you and why they mean a lot to me.

Just A Kiss-Lady Antebellum (2011)

Lady AThis is one of the songs that I have liked ever since I first heard it and it is one of my favorite songs by Lady Antebellum. I remember that I heard it on the radio one day while driving and when I got home I went online and looked up the video and I loved it even more. Since I play the piano, I really liked how the song started off with the piano and I liked the lyrics. That is why I initially liked it.

I kept listening to it often ever since I heard it but it wasn’t until a year later that it became more meaningful to me. I met my boyfriend that year and he doesn’t like country music but I decided to share this song with him. I was actually quite scared to hear what he had to say but I was surprised with what he told me. He actually liked the song and told me why he liked it. Now every time I hear that song, it brings back to memory about when I first started a relationship with my boyfriend and that is why this song is one of my favorites.

See You Again– Carrie Underwood (2012)

See You AgainA fun fact about this song is that it was written in hopes that it would make it to the soundtrack for the Chronicles of Narnia but unfortunately it didn’t make it. It is still an amazing song, in my opinion. Carrie Underwood released this song back in her most recent album Blown Away. I had heard it a couple times after it was released but it wasn’t until August 2013 that I actually paid attention to it.

My aunt had just passed away and I was affected by the loss. I missed the first week and a half of the fall semester to go to Mexico for the funeral and even when I came back I was having a hard time coping with it. While trying to catch up in school, I was listening to music and this song came on. The instant the song was over I was crying but after crying for a bit I felt more peaceful. The song is talking about losing a loved one and having hope and coping with such a terrible loss. Now every time I hear that song I think about my aunt but I don’t get sad like I used to at first. Now I think about the good times I had with her, which weren’t that many, but they were special for me and my family.

Luke Bryan pianoDo I– Luke Bryan (2009)

I think by now everyone knows that I like Luke Bryan, a lot, so there is obviously a song by him that I really like. In this case, “Do I” is one of my all-time favorite songs. This song is actually the first country song I heard, back when it came out in 2009. I was in high school and I remember that I did not listen to country music at all but for some reason this song changed that.

One of my friends actually made me listen to that song and from that moment on, I have liked country music. I looked up the song when I got home, just like every other song, and I watched the video and I liked it ten times more. I saw Luke playing the piano, one reason I liked it more, and I just liked the way that it sounded. After that, I kept listening to more songs by him and I started to listen to other artists as well and that is how I started to listen to country music. That song lead me to be more open to country music and the fact that the piano was one of the main instruments makes that song better for me. I can sing that song with many of my co-workers or friends nowadays and it is such a cool feeling to sing it with other people and it was even better to have sung it at his concert last month. I don’t think I will ever get tired of listening and singing this song.

Those are just three of my favorite songs but I could definitely talk about a lot more. If you have any songs that are meaningful to you or that you really like or maybe you like one of these three songs, I would love to hear about it.

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Filed under Reflection, Song Analysis