Category Archives: Country Subgenres

by | April 28, 2015 · 8:00 am

When Will Country Let Go of Taylor Swift?

Country music is part of Taylor Swift’s past. In fact, she transcended the country music genre to become one of pop music’s top stars. However, country music awards continue to eagerly embrace the cultural icon, as demonstrated by her recent participation in the Academy of Country Music Awards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIDa-A8ZPH0

At the ACMs, Swift received a Milestone Award that recognized her career achievements. To put things into perspective, Garth Brooks, George Strait, Reba McEntire, Brooks & Dunn, Miranda Lambert, and Kenny Chesney also received The Milestone Award. However, those artists sit firmly in the country music genre. Of course, the Academy of Country Music is well justified in maintaining a connection to Swift.

Taylor Swift honors her country music past. In Swift’s acceptance speech of The Milestone Award she thanked Nashville for teaching her how to write songs. Swift performed her first hit “Tim McGraw” on the ACM stage in 2007 when her career was beginning to take off. The next year Swift won the Top New Female Vocalist. After that moment her career accomplishments multiplied.

taylor-swift-acm-awards-2015-01Taylor Swift is a household name. The press follows her fashion, her relationships and her business decisions. Her album sales prove her success. Her new album “1989” spent 24 straight weeks in the top five of the Billboard 200. It was also the first album to sell one million traditional US copies in 2015.

Taylor Swift helps other artists. With the world’s fourth largest Twitter following, when she mentions an artist, her fans respond by buying the album in droves. She also gives singers with their first album a spot on her tours, helping to propel them to success.

Taylor Swift provides a huge ratings boost. Non-country fans likely watch shows just to see her. Now that she’s pop, is it too much of a stretch to see her at a country music award show? When her previous album “Red” came out and the sounds of pop music shined through, country radio still played those songs. However, 1989 is not played on country stations at all.

taylor-swift-acm-awards-20154As Swift accepted the award she said, “Somebody once told me that you truly see who a person is when you tell them something they don’t want to hear…And so to the country music community, when I told you that I had made a pop album and that I wanted to go explore other genres, you showed me who you are with the grace you accepted that with. I will never forget it.”

With these words, it seemed as if Swift said her final farewell to country music. She gave the country audience a bit of closure, but can country music award shows afford to let her go?

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Filed under Awards, Country Pop, Movies and TV, Women

by | April 27, 2015 · 1:12 pm

Randle’s Country Music Adventure

This semester I’ve had the opportunity to participate in the Rhetoric of Country Music class where we were challenged to take the learning beyond the classroom and actually participate in the country music world. I didn’t have to travel far to experience a live performance in west campus by Turnpike Troubadours, go two-stepping at the world’s largest Honky-Tonk, watch the movie Country Strong, and finally watch the 50th anniversary of the Academy of Country Music Awards. By participating in all of these things, my eyes were opened to how dominant country music is in Austin in particular and all over the country.

https://storify.com/CecilRandle/randle-s-country-music-adventure

I grew up in a very small town in northeast Texas, so country music has always been familiar to me, even though I didn’t know much about it. I enjoyed the way it sounded on the radio, but I never knew the names of artists or how interesting the country music industry really is. I wanted to take the Rhetoric of Country Music class so I could learn more about the genre of music I’m always surrounded by, but I had no idea how much I would actually get out of this class. When I moved to Austin I had no idea that I was moving to one of the most historic cities for music, especially country music. It’s not just about the history, though, because Austin still has live country performances going on around almost every corner. There was even a live performance around the corner from my dorm in west campus, where Turnpike Troubadours was playing at a fraternity house. I loved the simplistic style of the band and how playing for just a bunch of college kids didn’t bother them. I also got the chance to go two-stepping at Billy Bob’s, the world’s largest Honky-Tonk located at the Fort Worth Stockyards. In addition to experiencing the performance side of country music, I also saw the huge role country music has played in movies like Country Strong. I also watched the Academy of Country Music Awards on television, which proved that there are numerous fans of country and the artists are among the most talented in music history.

However, the things that I mentioned are not where my country music adventure ends. I am constantly noticing the influence this project has had on my view of music in general. I always figured that music was divided into genres that acted as hard lines between different sounds. But now I realize that country music can blend into other genres as well and the hard lines do not exist. When I watch a country performance on television or even live, I notice all aspects of the performance instead of just the song. I look at the outfits, the instruments, the props, the delivery, and the audience. So much goes into making a song or performer successful that I did not realize before. I have also learned that the history of music is just as important as history you’d read about in a textbook in school. Music reflects the political, social, and economical aspects of the time it was created. Many country music artists have created songs about gay rights, feminism, poor vs. rich, etc. Country music speaks about real life situations and challenges people to think about the issues around them. I am lucky to be in Austin where the country music history is rich and still thriving. When I walk by a live performance in a bar, I wonder if that performer will one day be famous because many artists had humble beginnings that began right here in Austin. This project has taught me how to think critically about how music reflects real people and real issues in a creative way. Instead of accepting a song at face value, I notice all aspects and wonder what the artist is trying to accomplish as a performer. This project has also made me proud that I have grown up around the rich and diverse genre of country music, where the boundaries never cease to be pushed.

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Filed under Austin, Awards, Honky Tonk, Storify, Texas

by | · 12:42 pm

Growing with the Genre: Jordanne’s Experiences

As the spring semester progressed, I dove into a few different country experiences that gave me a bigger picture of what it means to be a fan of country music. I attended my first concert by seeing Eric Church at the Frank Erwin Center, visited the Willie Nelson, went two-stepping at Midnight Rodeo, and watched O Brother,Where Art Thou? By doing more than just listening to country music, my appreciation for the genre has increased.

https://storify.com/jmm7745/blame-it-all-on-my-roots-jordanne-s-experiences

When I arrived at the Frank Erwin Center, one thought took over my mind. This Eric Church concert better be worth the cold trek I took to watch him. Long story short, I was impressed. Eric Church’s Outsiders Tour may have been my first concert experience, but it will not be my last. I learned that hearing the artist perform a song live portrays the emotion and story of a song a lot better than just listening online. Now whenever I hear an Eric Church song on Spotify, I think back to that cold March day and how I took a big step in appreciating an artist and his ability to connect with his audience as a whole and individually.

As for visiting the Willie Nelson statue, I actually did not know anything about Willie Nelson other than what he looked like before I took Rhetoric of Country Music. I felt very out of the loop, because of this. He’s such an enormous part of the development of country music. When I heard about his involvement in the Austin live music scene, I now understood why he is memorialized in Austin as opposed to Nashville.  Now that I know some of his history, I feel more educated about the genre and would definitely be more willing to listen to older songs from artists like Willie and Hank.

Dancing at Midnight Rodeo, although not a new concept to me, was my second favorite activity next to my concert experience. I feel like music is not complete unless there’s some form of dancing connected to it. Although I did not attend a night with live music, I still enjoyed dancing to the hits of yesterday and today. I feel like places like Midnight Rodeo would deeply benefit from either having a section of the night or one night a month specifically playing some of the oldies. Midnight Rodeo does stay true to its name in the fact that it plays country music past midnight. However I feel if they keep playing more and more hip-hop and pop hits to cater to the younger audience, it will lose its title as a “honky-tonk”. I feel that this was the activity that I felt the most immersed in the country music scene, out of the four I’ve chosen, despite the other music genres thrown in the mix.

Finally I liked the movie, because it showed that country music still has its place in the cinema. Granted, O Brother Where Art Thou? takes place in the 1930s South.  I feel that country music often gets overlooked when it comes to movie soundtracks, because people think that country music has to stay in the country. I’m not saying, “Let’s put a George Strait song in this super hero flick as the theme song”. However if a character is driving a car, it’s not realistic that every character that drives a car listens just to hip-hop and pop. Why can’t the character be listening to a nice George Jones or Dolly Parton song? Overall, I have to say I really appreciate that these experiences were part of the class. It really put the history of country music and its current songs into perspective. I definitely want to try more things on the list, in particular Chicken S*** Bingo sounds like it could be a blast. In a culture where hip-hop and pop rule the masses, country still rings in at number one to me because of the themes, lifestyle, and experiences that come with it.

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Filed under Austin, Dancing, Live Music, Movies and TV, Music Videos, Outlaw, Storify

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

3 Comments

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

by | · 9:30 am

Keaton’s Experiences in Country Music

 

This class has really taught me a whole lot about country music that I didn’t know before. Through experiences such as two-stepping at Midnight Rodeo, seeing the Willie Nelson statue in downtown Austin, reading about Billy Bob’s in the Texas Music Magazine and watching the ACM Awards, I have earned a great deal of respect for the entire country music scene and view country music in a whole new light.

https://storify.com/k_schlueter/experiences-of-country-music

 

Throughout this semester I have learned so much about country music and the whole country music scene in general We have covered everything from the roots of country music, to the greats like George Strait, to good ol’ Texas country, brand new country and beyond. I felt like I knew a lot about country music coming into this class, especially being from Cowtown, or Fort Worth, Texas. I could have never imagined just how much about county music I have learned from this class. Doing the experiences for this class have also really helped me to appreciate just how much country music has had an impact not just on me, but on the entire music community.

One of the best experiences I have had with country music, not just this semester, but in general, was two-stepping at a few dance halls in Austin and Fort Worth. I think one of the most important things about country music is that you are able to two-step to it. Not only was learning how to two step fun for me, I also enjoyed just watching people dance around the floor. Anytime a “classic” song came on, there was a whole mix of young and old people who seemed to appear out of nowhere, singing the words and dancing along, it was a really nice experience to see.

Speaking of dance halls, the article I read over Billy Bob’s was actually a really great article. It’s always a bit nostalgic to read anything pertaining to Fort Worth. As I mentioned earlier, I was born and raised just outside of Fort Worth, so I’ve spent a lot of time in the Stockyards and been to the Rodeo and Billy Bob’s a good number of times. I felt like I was an expert of everything to do with Fort Worth coming into the class. However, on one of the very first weeks of class, we read a chapter from “Honky Tonk Debutante” that was all about Fort Worth, and I learned a whole bunch of stuff about the history of Fort Worth that I never knew about, so that was something really cool to me, and it made me really appreciate this class.

Another thing I did this semester was actually sit down and watch the ACM awards. I used to watch that every year with my grandparents, but hadn’t watched in a few years when the whole “Bro-country” music scene started to take over. Even still, I sat down and watched it this year, and was actually pleasantly surprised by the show. Now, that doesn’t mean I agree with everyone that won some of the awards, but I think that happens with any awards show I watch, but still, I felt like the ACM show had a really good mix of old and new country. They even kicked off the show with one of my favorites, the King of Country, George Strait. I watched this year with a more open mind to some of the newer artist that performed, and actually found myself enjoying their performances as well as those of my favorites like Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson.

Overall, this class has taught me so much about the history and the meaning behind a lot of things relating to country music. We learned about everything from themes that frequently appear, to the lyrics used, to the structure of the songs. Now, every time I listen to country music I find myself actually trying to find the meaning of the song, instead of just listening for the fun of it. I have a whole new sense of appreciation for country music thanks to this class, and I find myself enjoying every little experience I have with it. From country standards like two-stepping, to something as simple as seeing the statue of Willie Nelson in the middle of busy downtown Austin, this class has opened my eyes to a whole new world of country music and I know that this newfound sense of appreciation will stick with me for a long time.

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Filed under Austin, Awards, Class work, Classic Country, Country Pop, Dancing, Reflection, Storify