Over the course of the past few months I have had the opportunity to expand my knowledge on country music, not only through my class about country music but through my own personal experiences. Throughout the semester I have watched the movie Walk the Line, went two-stepping at Mercer Street Dance Hall in the good ol’ town of Dripping Springs, and my favorite was seeing the talented Ryan Bingham at Stubbs! All three of these things have changed my outlook on country music in a positive way and here is exactly why:
1.Walk the Line
Around a month ago, I sat down and watched the movie, Walk the Line. This is by far one of my favorite movies, it’s the perfect example of a classic love story. Not only am I a fan of Johnny Cash’s music, I absolutely love Reese Witherspoon. I recently read an article over her about how she only accepts roles that have strong leads, and June Carter is just that. Since the movie, I’ve been hooked on Johnny Cash’s hit, “Get Rhythm”.
2. Two-Stepping at Mercer Street Dance Hall
One random weekend, a friend invited a group of us to go see his step-dad play at this teeny tiny dance hall in the town of Dripping Springs. His step-dad is the guitarist in a band called The Warhorses. This small town Texas band has an EP of five songs, with my favorite one being “Leave Me Alone”. Throughout the night, they played their five songs and the rest of the songs were dedicated to playing cover songs. Songs included artists like Randy Rogers Band, George Strait, and Wade Bowen. This night filled with two-stepping was the perfect getaway, especially because two-stepping is one of my favorite hobbies!
3. Ryan Bingham at Stubbs
On Halloween night, I spent my time seeing one of my favorite artists, Ryan Bingham. This Americana songwriter was a blast to see for the second time in concert! I was fortunate enough to gather some good friends and spend time with them as well as have pretty good spots to enjoy the live music! My favorite song by him is, “The Poet” on his album, Junky Star. He puts on an awesome show because he is naturally a good performer and his authenticity makes him enjoyable to listen to.
Over the semester, I found it actually pretty easy to complete some of the things on the list. I think this is because sometimes we don’t realize how much country music is naturally incorporated into our lives. Seeing Walk The Line was something I enjoyed watching during my free time and I learned a little bit about one of country music’s finest. The last two, two-stepping and seeing a live concert, was also something I thoroughly enjoyed. With all of this, this semester has helped me realize how much I really do enjoy country music and how this class has helped me appreciate the love I have for it.
One particular song that I am able to relate to is a song by The Josh Abbott Band called “My Texas”. Josh Abbott refers to Texas as a person. Abbott states different things to do in Texas and if you have not done these things, then you haven’t “met his Texas yet”. In the second verse of this song, he references floating down the Frio River, hearing red dirt music on your radio and eating Cooper’s in Llano. He then ends by saying if you haven’t done these things then you haven’t “met his Texas yet”. I relate to this song and the community of being a Texan because I grew up going to Concan, Texas, which is located on the Frio River. I cannot count how many times I have floated down it- too many to remember! I also grew up listening to red dirt music, including artists such as Mike McClure band, The Great Divide, Cross Canadian Ragweed and many, many more. Most of my road trips consist of blaring “Texas Moon” by the talented, and one of my favorite red dirt artists, Stoney LaRue. The verse ends by mentioning eating Cooper’s in Llano. Although I have never had Cooper’s Barbeque in Llano, there is a Cooper’s Barbeque in New Braunfels, my hometown. My mother can always count on Cooper’s barbeque to save the night for dinner after a long day at work. Out of the 24 references he makes about Texas, I’ve done, seen or can connect to 20 of them. I say with confidence that I have met “his” Texas!