Yearly Archives: 2015

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “California?” Most people would think Hollywood, the beach, nice weather, hippies, surfing, big city, entertainment capitol, etc. All of those descriptions come with positive connotations surrounding that one word “California.” I have experienced these stereotypes first hand as I was born and raised in the valley of southern California, otherwise known as Calabasas. Whenever I describe where I am from, most people immediately associate me with being similar to the “Kardashians:” rich, stuck up, fortunate, famous, fake, pretentious, and typically someone who looks down upon others. Despite those negative descriptions, that is not at all what I consider to be “my community.”

Yes, I am from Calabasas, but I never grew up intending to live up to the “Kardashian” lifestyle. The community where I consider myself a part of is full of busy and motivated pedestrians, crowded streets, big rolling hills, grand houses, and people who love to be outdoors enjoying the warm southern California sun. But underneath the surface level depictions, Calabasas is a community that will open its arms to all types of people regardless of race or sexual orientation, and for that reason alone, I couldn’t be more proud of where I come from.

Calabasas really shaped my outlook on country music considering the genre is almost non-existent there. No one that I know of enjoys or often listens to country music, so I was never introduced to it formally until I moved here to Texas. This is the exact reason why I chose to take this class so that I could begin to learn about this specific type of genre and surrounded myself with people who share the same interest as me.

Unfortunately, not knowing many country songs to begin with, choosing one that reminds me of my community was more challenging than expected. I originally had chosen the song Feeling Fine California by Kristian Bush because I thought it was a perfect song to describe where I grew up in California, but I wanted to dig deeper into the meanings of some of these country songs, which led me to choose Boondocks by Little Big Town. This song really hits home for me especially since its lyrics talk about how he is proud of where he comes from. Even though the artist and I come from different small towns, I can relate to him and the way he feels about his hometown through his passion in his voice and the powerful lyrics he sings. Additionally, he sings about the things that he has learned from being in that small town such as learning about life, love, working hard, and Jesus, just as I did while being from my small town.

As an out of state student here at Texas it sometimes feels like I don’t belong simply because 95% of the students here were born and raised in Texas. But despite what others think, just as the song states, I am proud of where I come from, and that’s where my heart and soul will always remain.

Despite Aspen’s infamous reputation as the playground for the rich and famous, the Aspen that I grew up in was a tight knit community of friendly, hardworking people. Throughout my eighteen years growing up in the little mountain town, I became very close with a small group of my peers who helped shape both my childhood and my adolescence. There were no private jets or hillside mansions with ski slope access. It was simply a bunch of kids who loved the little town and the mountains that surrounded it. In my community, we were constantly outside, always doing things like skiing, hiking or spending our nights camping at one of our favorite spots. I have many fond memories sitting around the campfire with my friends, gazing up at the stars and listening to “Rocky Mountain High” by John Denver. Rocky Mountain High, written by a local legend in Aspen, embodies the experience of growing up in a small mountain town. In the song, he touches on subjects like climbing “cathedral mountains” and “the serenity of a clear blue mountain lake,” something all Aspen residents can relate to. Country music and the subjects contained in its songs are ideas and experiences that all people can relate to, and that is the beauty of the genre. The ideas behind the songs are relatable for Americans across the nation, no matter what part of the country they are from. Rocky Mountain High is a great example of this. Growing up in a mountain community is a niche subject, but John Denver makes it relatable for listeners from all different backgrounds. Country music is music created for the common man. No matter your community, you can still relate the experiences of the writer who almost surely has been in the same position or felt the same way. I grew up with John Denver’s music, and while his style does not exactly fit with the current direction of country music today, his relatability and the subjects he addresses have helped define what country music is to me. Country music is not about stereotypical moonshine and daisy dukes. It’s about where you come from, the ideals you were raised with, and the experiences you had while growing up in America. I will never forget sitting around the campfire with my close friends watching it “raining fire in the sky” as the sun set, or swimming in a “clear blue mountain lake,” and John Denver’s songs reflect those memories and brings me right back to the place and the people who helped make me who I am. I truly would be a poorer man if I “never saw an eagle fly.”