Category Archives: Class work

by Abby Wills | April 27, 2015 · 9:15 am

Abby Wills’ Country Music Experiences

This semester in my Rhetoric of Country Music class I had the opportunity to see country music’s community through country experiences. I took a selfie with the Willie Nelson statue, watched the ACMs, saw the movie Country Strong, and visited Waterloo Records to see classic country records.

https://storify.com/awills03/abby-wills-country-music-experiences

Since I started exploring music and learning about songwriters, I’ve been drawn to country music and the stories it tells. However, I learned this semester in Rhetoric of Country Music that there is a lot I don’t know. Usually as you grow up, you only listen to the music that is being produced at that time. So when I walked into class and learned about the country music stars that helped pave the way, I was inspired.

I had never given much thought into what country music sounded like in the ’60s, ’70s or ’80s. I was familiar with what my parents listen to and what I grew up listening to. This project was the perfect opportunity for me to look back on what country music once was and what country music is today.

My “once was” consisted of visiting the Willie Nelson statue and reflecting on how important his role was in country music. He went to Nashville, tested the waters for a bit, and decided to come back to Austin. His journey displays the differences in country music between Nashville and Texas. My “once was” also consisted of going to Waterloo Records and taking a look at the classic country records of Nashville Sound stars and Bob Wills. One thing I noticed was that I didn’t find many current country records. It was nice to be able to focus totally on the singers who helped define country music and make it grow.

My “today” experiences consisted of watching the Academy of Country Music awards and the movie Country Strong. Watching the ACM’s and seeing how they bring so many pop stars to perform duets really caught my attention. Before this class, I did not particularly notice the appearance of pop stars on country award shows. Similarly I had watched Country Strong about two years ago and I enjoyed it, but no specific moments stood out. Watching the movie a second time with this new knowledge of country music put things into perspective. I wonder if the pressure of fame was as big in Bob Wills’ days as it is in the movie.

This project has been an eye opening experience. I’ve recognized that my perspective on country music was limited; I listened to the songs and appreciated the melodies. I now understand the appeal of country music; there is a country music style for everyone. The subgenres make country music versatile and rich. If I had done these country experiences a year earlier, my take away from them would not be as valuable as it is now. I’ve learned so much in this class. When I look at my Storify, I see the history of country music combined with the present of country music. I’m able to compare the two and see what is different and what may be the same. These changes help me anticipate the future of the genre. And that anticipation is only possible because I took this class.

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Filed under Austin, Class work, Reflection, Storify

Tagged as waterloofinds

by Emma Morgan | · 9:05 am

Emma’s Country Music Experiences

Over the past few months, Rhetoric of Country Music has pushed me out into the exciting world of country music. From attending concerts to watching television, it has seemed like I have been completely immersed in country all semester long. I was able to dig into the past at record stores while watching today’s country music unfold in TV and award shows. It is safe to say that now I know much more about country music than I ever thought I would. I’ve always enjoyed country and it has always been around me however, this project led me to new experiences pertaining to country. My experiences start with watching the TV series Nashville every week. It’s been my favorite television show since it aired and it continues to peak my interest the more I watch. In March, I attended the Eric Church Outsider’s Tour in Austin with some of my best friends, which was one of the highlights of my semester. On Sunday April 19^th, I sat down on the couch and tuned into the ACM Awards, which I have actually never watched before. Finally, I was able to look back at some older country artists and albums looking around Waterloo Records. Through immersing myself into country music culture I more fully understand the ideals and influences of country music from present day to the past.

https://storify.com/emmam460/country-experiences-reflection

This spring, I have had many opportunities to engage myself in the country music community and I thoroughly enjoyed my time doing it. Through watching TV series Nashville, I really feel like I understand the ins and outs of Nashville as the country music capital of the world. It also gave insight into the music making, record producing, and performing aspects, which are definitely important parts of the genre. Watching the ACM Awards let me take a closer look into current country artist’s songs and albums, helping me understand what the world of country music is like today. I was able to delve into older yet timeless records and artists while searching for records at Waterloo in Austin. I found many albums including a Johnny Cash Greatest Hits album, a Glen Campbell album, a Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris compilation album, and a 1979 Willie Nelson and Leon Russell album. Although I didn’t purchase these records, as I would have no way of playing them, it was fun to browse around the store to see what I could find. Seeing Eric Church in concert had to be the highlight of all of my country music experiences this semester. Having never heard much about him, I didn’t know what to expect going into the show, but I was pleasantly surprised at how entertaining and fun he was to watch.

Each of my experiences was so different, which was good because I got to see different aspects of country music and everything that encompasses it. From getting a look into current country and looking back at older country music, I feel like I had a well-rounded experience. The biggest thing I learned from these experiences is that country is a melting pot of an array of sounds, voices, themes, instruments, and subgenres. I had always seen country, as having the same general sound and main ideas, but this is not the case. Country is a much-varied genre and it took immersing myself into the culture to fully realize just how amazing country music is.

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Filed under Austin, Class work, Reflection, Storify

by Abby Shamis | · 9:00 am

Abby’s Experience in Country Music

This semester, as a part of the Country Music Project, I had the chance to engage in the country music community in a whole new light. I learned all about Willie Nelson, became abolsutely hooked on the show “Nashville,” watched the ACM’s, and read the Texas Music Magazine. Through these activities, I was able to connect with country music more than I ever thought I could, and learned a new appreciation for the music genre’s history and very promising future.

https://storify.com/shamis_abby/abby-s-experience-in-country-music

This spring, I really immersed myself in country music. It has been something I have always dabbled in, but never fully immersed myself in before. Taking this class was a huge step for me to begin with. I did not know much about country music and its rich history, but I quickly found out how much I would come to learn and then fall in love with it. I started out hesitant, by bringing my parents to visit Willie in statue form in downtown Austin. He piqued my curiosity about Nashville, which made me look at the hit show in a whole new way. I could relate to how business-y the city is, and how different that is from Austin. I realized the creativity and freedom that Austin holds and how in Nashville the musical freedom does not always come so easily. I saw the way country music stars such as Tim McGraw were portrayed at the Oscars versus how country music stars were at the American Country Music Awards. And lastly, I read the Texas Music Magazine which provided me with a new group, Whisky Myers, that I happen to really like.

While doing all of these things, I became proud of myself for diving in to something that I haven’t always been the comfortable and familiar with. My pride quickly turned to hunger as I strove understand why country music is the way it is today. The broad category of country music and all of the subgenres that fit within this title can be confusing sometimes, but by taking the knowledge I had learned and applying it to real experiences made the knowledge more tangible. The subgenres project taught me the most about country music, and because of that I feel like I understand the genre so much better. Because I was able to apply my knowledge, I could understand the differences and similarities between Austin and Nashville. I could see how Nashville turned Willie to come to Austin. I could appreciate the way the artists were celebrated and revered for their creativity at the awards show. And I could open myself up to a new band, and be surprised at how much I like one of their songs, which quickly turned into exploring more of their music. When I look at my Storify, I see my semester in country music. But what stands out the most is how artist-oriented my semester has been. I came in knowing a couple of Dixie Chicks songs and a little bit of Kenny Chesney (thanks to my parents’ tastes), but am leaving the semester with a wealth of new artists to listen to.

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Filed under Austin, Class work, Reflection, Storify

Tagged as acmawards50, bmlgatacms, country, kimmel, music

by Courtney Gonzalez | · 8:55 am