From the day I started to discover music, country music has undoubtedly been my favorite genre. Whether I was with my friends back in Colorado or just putting in my earbuds for a long flight, country music was always my go-to genre. While searching through the long list of classes to take for my fall 2015 semester at the University of Texas, I saw “Rhetoric of Country Music” and immediately knew it was a class I needed to take. As I have discovered this semester, Austin is much more than just the capital of Texas, but an amazing country music town as well. This class has taught me how to take advantage of many of the amazing opportunities in the country music realm that Austin has to offer. Here are just a couple activities that Rhetoric of Country Music opened my eyes to!
- Seeing a Zac Brown concert at Austin 360 Amphitheatre
I have always been a big fan of concerts, and this semester I was able to learn about Austin’s incredible music scene. Artists from all over the nation travel here to perform and there is never a lack of concerts in the Texas capital. This past semester, Tyler and I both bought tickets to see The Zac Brown Band after the release of their newest album Jekyll and Hyde. I had no idea how popular Austin was for live performances for big artists such as Zac Brown, and I won’t ever forget the show they put on. Being surrounded by friends in such a great city was an awesome experience I never would have had if it weren’t for Rhetoric of Country Music!
2. Watching the CMAs
My family has always casually watched music and movie awards shows, but this last year Tyler and I continued our tradition of sitting down and intently watching the CMAs. From the great performances to watching artists earn awards they have worked towards for their entire lives, it’s a really great program to watch if you take the time to actually sit down and pay attention to what’s happening on the screen. Rhetoric of Country Music piqued my interest in the country music industry as a whole, and helped me learn that what’s going on behind the songs can be just as interesting, if not more interesting, than the actual songs themselves
3. Watching the movie “Walk the Line”
Most listeners simply forget about the artists themselves in favor of the music they perform, but watching the movie “Walk the Line” has helped me realize the trials and tribulations that some artists must endure throughout their lives. We often see artists not as people, but as icons who release some of our favorite songs, but we forget that they are much more than that. “Walk the Line” is a great movie which goes in to the details of Johnny Cash’s personal life and struggles, and it helps the audience realize that he is much more than a famed performer. Rhetoric of Country Music helped me discover that these artists are simply just talented people, and that there is always more than just one dimension to the people featured on album covers. This class was more than just listening to country music, it was about exploring the industry and artists as a whole.
There is no better town to take a class such as Rhetoric of Country Music in, and the class a truly helped me expand my horizons when it comes to country music. The class showed me many different subgenres aside from the normal, popular “Nashville country” and how deep the industry really goes. From songwriters to Hall of Fame inductees and artist’s personal lives, there is so much to learn and know about country music. If nothing else, the class really opened my mind to how big a genre of music can really be and taught me to take advantage of my surroundings. I had an amazing time learning about the country music industry and Austin as a music town, and I never would have been able to gain the knowledge that was readily available to me in Rhetoric of Country Music.
Matt, I really enjoyed your post! Except for watching the CMA’s, I have never done the other things you talked about! I feel inspired now! Walk the Line seems like a great movie, and I recently wrote about Rosanne Cash so it will be interesting to see a movie all about her dad Johnny’s life. I have only lived in Austin for a couple years, but I am mad at myself that I haven’t made it to the Austin 360 Amphitheater yet. How fun you got to see Zac Brown Band there! I have been to a couple ZBB concerts, and they are so fun. There is nothing like it when they start playing crowd favorites like “Toes” or “Chicken Fried.” I agree that Austin is a great place to be when taking Rhetoric of Country Music, too!