Monthly Archives: April 2015

by Joshua Fleming | April 17, 2015 · 8:00 am

Small Hometown Country Play List

In country there are several topics that could be consider main themes which, small hometowns would be one of those. The reason i think this is, is because if you ever lived in a small home town you would know that it tends to be very tight woven network of people who tend to be very simplistic people who find enjoyment out of just sitting around drinking beer and just have a fun time. The Reason I’m writing this article is because I recently started to appreciate the fact that a came from a small town were the stereotypes are exactly what they say. For the longest though I tried to avoid associating myself with my hometown because I really didn’t want to be judge on the stereotypes but instead, I wanted to become recognized for me not what people think i am due to those stereotypes.

1. Eric Church -Give Me Back By Hometown

The reason I put this at the top of my play list is for the simple fact that I can relate to this song just based on my life experience. Also I tend to enjoy more modern country music with more of a rock feel to the rhythm and this song plays along those lines and appeals to that nature. The song basically talking about someone that kind of had there hometown ruined by someone and how they want it back beccause that person doesn’t care about it like he does.

2. Jason Aldean Tattoos on this Town

This Song is #2 on play for some of the same reason as the song above it has that rock beat and its really easy to relate to my life. one thing i really love about this song it talks about how town leaves marks on and you leave marks on it as well which something that I feel that my hometown kind of did for me growing up, but also is has man i can look back at my hometown and know what memories are special to my friends and I.

3. Justin Moore Small Town USA

This song to me has a more of a traditional feel to the instrumentation which helps me to relate back to my childhood where I was listening to George Strait, Randy Travis, and Alan Jackson.Why its its number three on my list though it kind of reminds me of the things that I did with my friends and all those memories i enjoyed with them. The story in this song is this small town were everything very similar and pretty traditional and its a simply, easy going, fun town that is home .

4. John Michael Montgomery – Letters from Home

Though I can’t relate to this song as much I know that my grandmother who is very close to me can. when she was younger she sent her father who serve in the military for over twenty years letters while he was station in Hawaii. Which she use to tell me story about my great grand father and what kind of man he was and talk about his trips over sees which is where I gain this sense of wanting to travel around the world. In this song it talks about this solider who is receiving “letters from Home” and how he reads them to his buddies and keeps his letters inside his uniform to keep them safe.

5. Mayberry- Rascal Flatts

The reason Mayberry is on here is kind of reminds me of the hometown feel, where everyone is nice and everyone knows everyone. I think it helps me to remember that there are still people out there who believes in respect and kindness. though this song is more pop country through its instrumentation I still tend to like just due to story told. Which, talks about this guy who is remembering walking through his hometown Mayberry and how everyone is so nice and the things that make is hometown unique.

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Filed under Lists, Music Videos

by Samantha Godfrey | April 16, 2015 · 8:00 am

Hey Willie!

Over Easter weekend, my brother and I randomly got the urge to drive around the great town of San Antonio. We rode around in my new black Mazda CX-5 with Conway Twitty’s Pandora radio blasting. Somehow we ended up at La Cantera mall, which is right by Fiesta Texas Six Flags. While walking around, the two of us wandered into Urban Outfitters and decided we could not leave without a record player and vinyl record. Fortunately, we headed back home happily with a portable turntable in one hand, and Willie Nelson’s 1981 Somewhere Over The Rainbow album in the other.

This vintage album features 1940’s pop standards arranged by Nelson. The album’s acoustic jazz instrumentation was also meant to play tribute to one of his heroes, Belgian gypsy jazz guitar virtuoso Django Reinhardt, who influenced Nelson’s playing. This could be a possible reason why some vocals were also performed by Freddie Powers. The album includes the tracks of:

Mona Lisa
Exactly Like You
Who’s Sorry Now?
I’m Confessin’ (That I Love You)
Won’t You Ride In My Little Red Wagon
Over The Rainbow
My Mother’s Eye
I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter
It Wouldn’t Be The Same (Without You)
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

If you have not been lucky enough to listen to at least one of these songs I highly recommend you do, my personal favorite would be “Mona Lisa.” This album does not seem to resemble any of Willie’s outlaw music he is so popular for today. It is a slower and more relaxed type of instruments and vocals. This is an album you play in the background while having guests over, it is a simple sound. Which was the same type of feeling I got when I visited his statue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvjqMt2nwno

For our Country Experience Reflection project I knew I had to go see this infamous statue, and after owning a vinyl record of his I thought it was the perfect time. On the drive over to Willie I was expecting this statue to be huge and extravagant. I expected a lot of color and maybe some of his music playing. However, when I got there I walked right past it. I did not even notice his statue. It was very simple and made me think of his album I just bought. The statue was of Willie sitting down holding his guitar, of course he was sporting his famous braids and bandana. There were not any splashes of color or music around him. He was just a statue at the corner of busy roads.

This begged me to question if I really understood Willie Nelson at all. I always thought of him as this outlaw that was loud and “in-your-face.” Now I see him as this laid back and “go-with-the-flow” type of guy. Maybe this is what makes him an outlaw in some ways. Country music seems to be all about the bling and Nashville commercialization, however Willie does not convey that. Is this why Willie is so popular? If you have visited the statue, did you feel the same simple atmosphere?

For another blogger’s experience visiting Willie Nelson’s statue, make sure to check out Abby Shamis’s post.

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Filed under Austin, Outlaw, Texas

by Emma Morgan | April 15, 2015 · 8:00 am

Eric Church’s The Outsiders Tour

About a month ago, a few of my closest friends and I braved the chilly rainy Austin weather and headed to the Frank Erwin Center to attend the Eric Church Outsiders Tour. After hearing from Dusty that I could get tickets for ten dollars as a UT student, there was no way I was going to pass up this concert. Having seen many country music concerts in the past, I knew I was in for a treat.

Before the concert, I had occasionally heard the name Eric Church but barely knew much about him or his music. I was familiar with a few of his hit songs like “Springsteen” and “Talladega” that are constantly played on country radio, but never really thought of him as a top performing country artist. That being said, going into this concert, I had no idea what to expect from him or his songs.

Dawning our best “country” clothes, cowboy boots and all, my friends and I waited anxiously for Eric Church to start playing. We got there early enough to (unfortunately) catch the opening band, Drive-By Truckers. These guys were definitely an interesting choice for a country concert opener. They were a heavy rock band that seemed to yell more than sing, making it extremely difficult to understand what they were even saying. It’s safe to say that most everyone in the arena was relieved when they finished their set.

However, the wait was worth it when Eric Church finally walked casually onto the stage wearing his signature aviator sunglasses, plain t-shirt, and baseball cap. He immediately got the crowd pumped up by shouting things like “Hook ‘em Horns” and anything else related to the great city of Austin. I was amazed at how relaxed and normal he looked and sounded. He had such energy and charisma it was hard not to completely immerse yourself in the experience. I was completely taken off guard when he announced that he was going to be playing whatever he wanted to, with no set list. He pumped up the crowd by telling us that there was no set time limit to how long he would play and that “he would stay there all night”. He wanted everyone to simply enjoy themselves and the music he was about to play. This was so cool to me because it seemed like nothing was going to stop him from having fun and performing the way he wanted to. Nowadays, most huge concerts like his are carefully scripted and arranged a certain way, but Eric Church made it clear that this was not going to be a cookie cutter performance.

The crowd’s excitement rose as he jammed to popular songs such as “Drink In My Hand”, “Smoke a Little Smoke”, “Give Me Back My Hometown”, and “Homeboy”, making each performance special and important. His audience interaction was more than I could’ve hoped for. From signing a woman’s rhinestoned boots that were thrown to him onstage to talking to the audience like we were his best friends, he took the time to make every single person there feel included in the experience. Stories about his little boy and home life moved the show along in between more top hits like “Springsteen”, “Creepin’” and “Cold One”. My friends and I stood up out of our seats the entire show, dancing and singing along even to the songs we didn’t know. During one song there was a huge inflatable monster looking thing that randomly popped up in the middle of the crowd. The whole show up to this point had gone on with little effects, making it a very raw and natural performance. To me, it was an unnecessary effect that took away from the simplicity of the concert, but nevertheless entertaining.

Eric Church’s concert was unlike any other performance of a male country artist. It wasn’t staged or scripted. There was no glitz or tons of special effects. He wasn’t trying to sell himself or his music. It was simple yet extremely engaging and memorable. This was the most natural performance from a rising star I have ever seen and for that I really admire him. He definitely took me by surprise throughout the show and forced me to completely change my view of him. Now I definitely see Eric Church for the talented singer he is and have since become a bigger fan of his than I think I ever thought I would be. By his last encore, I was so thrilled that my otherwise ordinary and boring Wednesday night had turned into a memorable concert experience shared with my good friends. To anyone who loves Eric Church or doesn’t know a thing about him, I would highly recommend seeing him in concert for an exhilarating and memorable experience.

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Filed under Austin, Bro Country, Live Music, Reflection, Reviews

by Joshua Fleming | April 13, 2015 · 8:00 am

Differences in Venues and Concert Experiences

Dierks Bentley Concert, Houston Rodeo

I recently went to a Dierks Bentley concert at the Houston livestock show and Rodeo in NRG Stadium. I also recently went to an Eric Church concert at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin. While I loved both concerts there was a major difference between the two; the venues they were performed at. The one I enjoyed the most was the Eric Church Concert for one I was a lot closer to the stage than I was at the Rodeo. I also enjoy the Artists performance and the choice in songs. The one thing i disliked most about Dierks Bentley’s Concert was the Distance between the fans and the stage which created this impersonal feeling for me.

Eric Church Concert, Frank Erwin Center

I have gone to several concerts at the Rodeo I never felt a void between me and the artist while they were performing in concert until I attended the Eric Church concert at the Frank Erwin Center then I began to realize the drastic difference in my experiences between the two concert in which size does matter. Which it truly did because I wasn’t able to feel the connection with the artist like i did at Eric Church. Something I found interesting was even Dierks Bentley even felt that being so far away was weird. So much so that he walked off the stage and climbed over the Rodeo Fence to get into the crowd to sing and socialize with his fans.

After both experience, I found different views for the Artist and the venues themselves. With Eric Church and the Frank Erwin Center, I was really impressed with how close in contact I was with Eric and I felt connected with the audience in sharing a great memory for the books. When it came to Dierks Bentley, I did not feel the same I felt distracted and didn’t enjoy it as much because I felt to distant from Dierks and the crowd, they never seemed to get into the concert by like singing along with the songs. Even though Dierks tried to achieve that connection with his fans, I believe that the venue didn’t allow him to do that successfully because the distance was to big to let him reach out and grasp the hands of his fans, like Eric’s concert allowed him to do. In conclusion I think that having small, more intimate setting which allows for a more connected crowd that interacts with the artist, makes for a better experience for not only the fans but also the artist themselves.

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Filed under Austin, Country Rock, Live Music

by Courtney Gonzalez | April 12, 2015 · 8:00 am

I Want a Love like Johnny and June

Recently I visited Waterloo Records in Austin where I purchased Johnny Cash’s At Folsom Prison vinyl. For starters if you have never listened to this record it is a must! It was recorded at Folsom Prison so you can hear the prisoner’s reactions to Cash’s songs. It is truly an amazing record. On the back of the record was a copy of a letter Cash had written about prison and his experiences in prison.

This letter peaked my interest as I realized how little I actually knew about Johnny Cash. I love this letter for many reasons but mostly because he shared his experiences in a way that made me see how much he understood these men at Folsom Prison. Having been in prison a few times, he voiced his opinion on the “rehabilitation” of prisoners and their reemergence’s into a society that was to welcome them with open arms. Through this descriptive letter you can almost hear the frustration in Cash’s deep bass voice. It is a moving letter and does its job in exposing some of the flaws of the prison system. Moving away from his bad boy image I want to focus in on my primary interest, Johnny and June.

June appears twice in Cash’s At Folsom Prison and wow do they make a great team. From what I have read they had a relationship that was incomparable. It took a couple of times but when Cash proposed in 1968 at a live performance in London, Ontario June finally said yes. She was a great supporting force in his life as she helped him overcome his drug addiction. She was completely devoted to him and he the same. Cash’s letter to her on her birthday is one for the records according to Taste of Country, Rolling Stones, Huffington Post and more.

Can you feel his emotion in this letter? His deep unwavering love for June is heart stopping and admirable. Even after her death Cash was completely devoted to her. In his last public appearance he said, “The spirit of June Carter overshadows me tonight with the love she had for me and the love I have for her. We connect somewhere between here and heaven. She came down for a short visit, I guess, from heaven to visit with me tonight to give me courage and inspiration like she always has.” You can’t tell me that you don’t want a love like Johnny and June’s.