Category Archives: Austin

by | April 27, 2015 · 10:40 am

Getting Back to My Roots

I have always loved country music so this past semester has been awesome! I have been able to travel to the famous Luckenbach Dance Hall, watch the livestock show at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, see the Zac Brown Band in concert, and watch the 50th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards.

I have always loved country music so this past semester has been awesome! I have been able to travel to the famous Luckenbach Dance Hall, watch the livestock show at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, see the Zac Brown Band in concert, and watch the 50th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards,

https://storify.com/justincole/getting-started

It’s not every day that you can take a class solely dedicated to studying your favorite genre of music, but by taking the Rhetoric of Country Music I have been able to learn more about country music and the culture associated with it. I have grown up around country music, livestock shows, and the outdoors, but coming to school in Austin has changed how I have had to experience these traditions often associated with country music. Being assigned this project has been exciting, as it has given me an excuse to get out and go experience country music, getting back to doing some of the things I love. From livestock shows to concerts, I have been able to travel across the state and, for once, have fun while doing a school project.

The first thing I did for my Country Music Experiences project was travel to Luckenbach, Texas to visit the famous Luckenbach Dance Hall. It worked out perfectly- my fraternity was having our formal there- so I got to travel to Luckenbach with some of my best friends. The second picture in my Storify is from the actual dance floor, which is surprisingly a lot smaller than I thought it would be. I could not find any pictures of me and my date at Luckenbach, but the picture I did include was from dinner beforehand, which was followed by a night of two stepping and fun.

The next two events on my checklist happened only about a week apart from each other, and both took place within the grounds of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. I went home the Thursday before spring break to get some clothes I needed for the week to follow, and when I heard Zac Brown Band was playing I decided to head out to the show that evening. I grew up going to almost all of the country music performances at the Houston Rodeo, so it was fun to get back there to do something I have missed. The weekend following spring break, I traveled back to Houston again, this time to watch my brother participate in the livestock show. My 13 year old brother, Jaden, was showing his pig in the swine show. This was probably the millionth livestock show I have been to, but it seems every time to be uniquely exciting and full of different emotions.

Finally, about two weeks ago I watched the 50th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. Historically, I watch the ACM’s and CMA’s with my family, but this year being on the phone with my mom during the show had to act as a substitute. Both of these awards shows are always fun to watch, and this year I got to see a performance from Garth Brooks (my favorite country artist) and an appearance from Jordan Spieth, winner of the 2015 Masters and UT Alumni (also my favorite golfer). Overall, I really enjoyed this project because it made an excuse for me to go do things I have grown up loving, and haven’t necessarily been able to do since graduating high school. I hope everyone else doing this project had as much fun with it as I did!

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Filed under Austin, Class work, Reflection, Storify

by | · 10:32 am

James’s Country Music Adventure

I always knew Austin was known for its rich music history, but I never knew just how historic the music scene actually was. The Country Music Project gave me an opportunity to do a little exploring and research, and I was fascinated to discover what this great city has to offer. First, I was able to enjoy a country music show from a third generation member of the Carter Family, Carlene Carter. Next, I took a trip to the most famous honky-tonk in Texas, the historic Broken Spoke. After that, I went to visit the Willie Nelson statue at ACL Live, and then concluded my adventure with a journey to the Texas Music Museum.

I always knew Austin was known for its rich music history, but I never knew just how historic the music scene actually was. The Country Music Project gave me an opportunity to do a little exploring and research, and I was fascinated to discover what this great city has to offer. First, I was able to enjoy a country music show from a third generation member of the Carter Family, Carlene Carter. Next, I took a trip to the most famous honky-tonk in Texas, the historic Broken Spoke. After that, I went to visit the Willie Nelson statue at ACL Live, and then concluded my adventure with a journey to the Texas Music Museum.

https://storify.com/jamespruitt94/james-s-country-music-adventure

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Filed under Austin, Class work, Reflection, Storify

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by | · 10:13 am

“Not What I Expected” Country Experiences

After two-stepping at Midnight Rodeo, spending all my money at Antone’s Record Shop, greeting 8-foot tall Willie Nelson, and watching the glamorous motion picture “Country Strong”, I have come to realize country music is a different experience for everyone. Country has a variety of meanings.

https://storify.com/samanthagodfrey/samantha-godfrey-s-not-what-she-expected-country-e

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Filed under Austin, Class work, Classic Country, Country Pop, Dancing, Movies and TV, New Traditionalism, Storify

by | · 10:12 am

Julianne Staine’s Country Music Experiences

My four chosen experiences

1. Watch Nashville

2. Watch ACM Awards

3. Go two-stepping

4. Explore some classic country records

This semester I have had quite the experience with country music. I have done things I wouldn’t normally do as well as things that I have been doing for forever. When this class started I was a casual consumer of country music. I knew the hits and the classics, but not much about the culture. It wasn’t my go-to radio station of choice and I rarely wore my cowboy boots besides on game days. Now that it is May, I don’t necessarily think my music taste has completely shifted but I do think I have a greater appreciation for the culture and history of country music.

My journey with country music this semester.

https://storify.com/jujstaine/country-music-experiences-reflection

I am a huge fan of Nashville, the television show, solely because Connie Britton is the star and Friday Night Lights is my favorite TV show of all time, but tuning in and paying closer attention to the country music elements was actually really fun. I loved paying closer attention to the set when they played at the Grand Ole Opry and just noticing how sounding “pop” is not a good thing. The elements we studied in class were actually coming to life on my TV.

My favorite thing I did for this project though wasn’t watching Nashville, it was going to look at records. I went to my favorite record store on South 1st, End of an Ear. I actually ended up going on Record Store Day and it was packed. While I ended up leaving with a Beach Boys album (sorry!!!) I did look in the country section and was pleased to see a bunch of names I now recognized from Loretta Lynn to Johnny Cash, I felt way more knowledgable of country music and was proud to know more about music in general. There’s something awesome about looking at actual records instead of just downloading music to my phone that makes me truly appreciate the history of the music so this was my favorite experience of the semester!

My other two experiences were two-stepping and watching the ACM Awards. Unfortunately I don’t have a photo to commemorate my two-steppping efforts because my phone died that night, but I went to Midnight Rodeo with a bunch of my friends. We aren’t the best at that type of dancing and we didn’t go with any boys so it might not have been our favorite experience but I am glad I got to check it off my bucket list (and got a chance to chance to bust out my cowboy boots.) And the ACM Awards were fun to watch this year, especially since they were in Dallas! I actually had a few friends who ended up getting tickets somehow. I always love country award shows for the celebrity watching- especially my favorites Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert so I had a great time watching it. Since it was the 50th anniversary of the show, there was a particular emphasis on the history of country music that seemed very relevant to me because of this class, too!

All in all, I have really enjoyed my country music experience this semester. As a fan of music I am glad to say that I know more about one of the most unique genres that exists!

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Filed under Austin, Class work, Reflection, Storify

by | · 10:00 am

Gaby’s Country Music Experiences

I knew that coming to school in Austin would be an experience. Coming from San Antonio, I was highly influenced by my hispanic background and the traditions of my own city. I always had the mindset that living in Austin would be an absolute culture shock. What I realized this semester is that these two cities, though very different, share one thing: country music.

Country music is has always held a high position in my life. I grew up listening to it and two-stepping was something you learned as a toddler. Seeing all the available country music opportunities in Austin made it a welcoming community. Unfortunately, my transition into college life has been rough, therefore I spent more time at home on the weekends rather than exploring all that Austin had to offer. That does not mean that I did not notice the country music influences around me. Though I did not go out and get to do as much around Austin as I had hoped, I used what free time I had to expand my country music experiences.

https://storify.com/GabrielleH/country-music-is-everywhere

I do think that being in this Rhetoric of Country Music class has made me more aware of the role country music plays in everyday life. For one of my friends’ birthdays we went to Midnight Rodeo. We donned our dresses and cowboy boots, which was a normal outfit for myself but not the particular friend who was from Florida. I instantly noticed that she was changing her normal preferences to fit in and go two-stepping. She would have never listened to it in her spare time, but when thinking of a good place to have fun, two-stepping was her first choice. Sam Riggs was performing that night and it was an absolutely amazing show. This just showed me that country music, though people stereotype it as sad, is also what people look at as fun. Boots are essential when you got to UT, and they symbolize the carefree fun time that comes with living in Texas.

Watching television now constantly has me relating everything to country music. I started watching Nashville, which is all about country music. However, before this class I had no desire to watch it except for the fact that I loved Connie Britton. I was hooked as soon as I started. It was an amazing view into a world I realized I knew nothing about. Of course it is fictional, but that does not mean everything that goes on in the show is completely invalid. Viewers get to see the backstage view that otherwise is a mystery. I understand the added drama draws in viewers, but I think of that as a good thing. Once again, people who have not otherwise been exposed to country music are avid watchers of the show. Sure they might enjoy the drama and spectacle of the show, but country music is influencing their lives whether or not they realize it.

My favorite time of the year in San Antonio was rodeo season. I have gone to the rodeo almost every year of my life. This year I went to go see Hunter Hayes. Even before the performance began I noticed all the country music influences in the events. They used clips from country songs to pump the crowd up and get them involved. When Hunter came on stage, I found myself analyzing the performance. I noticed the country influences of other artists, and also how he could be considered more country pop. I listen to country music differently after this class. The lyrics, instrumentation, and delivery are all components I find myself recognizing on songs that I have listened to for years. I see this as an advantage. I am a journalism major so this training to look deeper and find a message is a great quality to have developed.

Another thing I noticed was that I was much more excited for the Academy of Country Music Awards. They took place in Dallas which made me feel pride for my home state. I watched the performances intently. I listened to each song from the categories and compared how they were similar and different. I can’t help but feel nothing but pride when an event like this takes place somewhere so close to me. One of my friends got to go to the show and I was extremely jealous. However, I realized something. Watching the performances live would be amazing, but the song doesn’t change. The lyrics are the same whether you are in a giant arena or a small dorm room. Country music isn’t about where you hear it, but about what you hear.

This semester has flown by, but my time here in Austin is nowhere near over. I have a few more years to expand my country music experiences. Hopefully once I am more comfortable here I will stay on the weekends and explore museums or iconic country music spots. I do know that Austin’s country music audience is large. Sure people joke about it being awful and annoying. Little do they know that it influences their life too. Boots are essential when you got to UT, and they symbolize the carefree fun time that comes with living in Texas. These are country staples and they find their way on people who don’t even listen to the music. They play country songs at sporting events. Whether people realize it, country music is making it into their lives. Country music can not hurt anyone, if anything it only opens people’s eyes to different ideas about life.

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Filed under Austin, Awards, Live Music, Reflection, Texas, Uncategorized