I have loved getting to know the city of Austin and all it has to offer. For my country music experience project I am reflecting on:
Dancing at Midnight Rodeo
San Antonio Rodeo with Brad Paisley
Watching the CMA Awards with my mom
Watching the movie Cars with my friends.
I hope you enjoy!
https://storify.com/shannonsmithtx/shannon-s-country-music-experience
This has been a wonderful semester because I have had the opportunity to learn more about country music. Country music has always been my favorite type of music. My mom would constantly have a country music CD playing in our house. I was not originally familiar with older country music sub-genres, or how country music has changed over the years, but after taking this class I feel more knowledgeable and cultured on the subject.
My first country music experience happened last November with my mother. Each and every year we take the time to sit down and watch the Country Music Awards. We both love country music and enjoy watching Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley host. We don’t typically have time to watch the ACM awards together only because it comes on during the middle of all of my school projects. This year Brad Paisley leaked out the sex of Carrie Underwood’s baby. My mother absolutely loves Blake Shelton and I am a big Miranda Lambert fan, so it was great seeing them take home Male and Female Vocalist of the Year. This is a tradition we will continue to honor in the future and I always look forward to my mother’s candid reactions.
The second country music experience occurred in San Antonio with my ex-boyfriend. For our anniversary we decided to take a trip the San Antonio Rodeo to see one of our favorite artists, Brad Paisley. We always love watching all of the rodeo events, but we mainly go for the concert. Unlike most concerts, the rodeo demand that the artists stay on schedule and limits the interaction with the audience. Our seats were almost are far back as you can get in section 224, but we still had a blast.
The next thing I did was have a fun movie night with my friends. We all love the movie Cars, so it was perfect that we choose a movie that was on the country music list. I love Rascal Flatt’s song “Life is a Highway” so the fact that this movie features that song makes it a great movie in my book. This movie also includes Brad Paisley’s “Behinf the Clouds,” Sheryl Crows “Real Gone,” and James Taylor’s “Our Town.” Say that this movie has an amazing soundtrack is an understatement. The playful storyline was just icing on the cake.
The last thing I did was go to Midnight Rodeo with my some of my friends. We drank and danced all night long. I really enjoy dancing with different people and learning different styles of two-stepping. We went on a night where there was a performer, so we got to see John Wolfe. This artist reminded me of George Straight because the song style and the tone in his voice was almost exactly the same.
This class had taught me a lot about country music and the city of Austin. Now, I find myself listening to the older country music songs by Loretta Lynn and even Bob Wills. This project was a lot of fun and really opened my eyes to everything Austin has to offer.
I really liked reading about your experience because we did pretty different things and so it was cool to see how your choices went! I’ve never been to the San Antonio rodeo because I’m from Houston and always go to that one but it seems like it was fun. I’m jealous you got to see live music as part of your experience!
Your experiences in country music seemed like a great time. Believe it or not, I have never seen the movie Cars, but now that I know about the country music it holds, I may have to add it to my list of movie I need to see. I have also always wanted to attend the Midnight Rodeo. I’ve heard great things and it sounds like you really had an awesome time. Like Julianne, I too am jealous that you got to see live music. It’s something that i never get to do enough, but am happy you had such fun doing!
I am so jealous that you saw Jon Wolfe! I feel like nobody knows who he is, but I love him. “I Don’t Dance” is definitely one of my favorite songs. Aside from that, seeing Brad Paisley is pretty great too. I have seen him several times at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and he always puts on a great show. I was really disappointed when I didn’t get to catch him in Houston this year.
Your experiences sound great! How fun to share a country music event like the CMA’s with your mom. That’s a great tradition since y’all both love country music! I may copy that tradition and start it with my parents as well. Cars! I totally forgot about that movie. You are so right as soon as I think of that red shiny cartoon car the Rascall Flatts also pop into my head! A concert can be fun whether you are on the floor or in the nose bleeds. If you’ve got a good attitude, which you always do, you can make it fun!! That sounds like a great anniversary date, especially since Brad Paisley is such an awesome performer!
Your experiences sound so cool! The San Antonio Rodeo looks like it would be so much fun, I’m hoping to go at least once over the next few years. I really like that you had a diverse group of experiences. They are very different from everyone else’s, so this was a fun post to read. Great job!
Shannon, thanks for this post! I appreciate all the personal pictures you have shared. Something that stands out to me about your post is the number of ways that you use country music to keep in touch with people who are important in your life. Now that you have had all of these experiences, I wonder if you will appreciate the CMAs next fall with your mom in a different way than you have in the past.