Category Archives: Live Music

by | April 27, 2015 · 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 | · 10:00 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

by | · 9:23 am

Katie’s Country Music Reflection

For my project the four things that I focused on was going to Billy Bob’s and attending a concert, going to Nutty Brown and attending a concert, taking a picture at the Willie Nelson statue, and then watching some of the American Country Music Awards. It was great getting to explore some of the most iconic country music places in Texas, while being able to keep up with country music on a more national level. Through this project I was able to explore new places, listen to great music, learn about country music history, and watch artists make history.

Billy Bob’s and the whole Fort Worth experience

https://storify.com/Katieoneil/cowtown

https://storify.com/Katieoneil/exploring-a-new-city-while-exploring-new-things

https://storify.com/Katieoneil/sara-evans

https://storify.com/Katieoneil/doing-austin-y-things

https://storify.com/Katieoneil/willie-nelson-live-on-jimmy-kimmel

https://storify.com/Katieoneil/nutty-brown-and-josh-abbott

https://storify.com/Katieoneil/check-out-this-live-preformance-from-nutty-brown

https://storify.com/Katieoneil/prediction-of-acm-s

https://storify.com/Katieoneil/winners

https://storify.com/Katieoneil/recap-just-in-case-you-missed-out

https://storify.com/Katieoneil/worst-and-best

Nutty Brown is a local Austin treasure. On top of it being a famous venue, I also got to see one of Texas Country’s most famous bands. At Nutty Brown, I got to see the Josh Abbott Band perform. This was probably one of the most fun concerts I have been too. The venue creates this wonderful atmosphere that just makes you want to dance. It is an out door venue where people can stand close to the stage or sit back and relax at some picnic tables. In addition to the venue, the band was fantastic. They played all of my favorite songs and they put on an amazing live show. Another iconic Texas place that I went to was Billy Bob’s. This was quite the experience for me. Not being from Texas I had not clue that dance halls like Billy Bob’s existed. The place was huge and had everything, even containing a bull-riding arena. The performer that night was Sara Evans. She was fantastic and the place was packed for her. I wrote about my experience going to Billy Bob’s for one of my blog posts. In addition, one of my favorite things about going to both these concerts was being able to see a band that embodies Texas Country while the other one has made her success in Nashville. I was able to experience two country concerts through this project that have two totally different backgrounds. Moving on, I went and took a picture with the Willie Nelson Statue. I never realized how famous this statue was until this class. I went this past weekend to take a picture and had to wait in a line, granted it wasn’t a long line, but still there were other people wanting to get their picture with Willie. It is very neat to see how the Austin community honors Willie, with not only the statue but also naming a street after him and building the new Willie Nelson exhibit in football stadium. Since I stayed mostly local doing this project I decided to watch the ACMs. I had already written a blog post about the major performances that would be happening so I wanted to watch the show to see how those turned out. My favorite part of award shows is watching the performances anyways so it was a win win for me. According the article written by Billboard the two worst performances of the night were the cross genre duets. This is surprising and funny because this was the main focus of my blog article due to the amount of hype that was being created for these performances. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this project because I don’t believe I would have actually experienced these things, which would have been a shame.

3 Comments

Filed under Austin, Awards, Class work, Country Symbols, Dancing, Live Music, Movies and TV, Music Videos, Reflection, Reviews, Storify, Texas, USA

by | · 9:10 am

Reid’s Lessons Learned through Country Music

While country music has always been a part of my life, the Rhetoric of Country Music class pushed me to learn and experience more country music than I would have by myself. I took a road trip to San Antonio to experience the Livestock Show and Rodeo, I sang along with the Turnpike Troubadours, I ate breakfast with my parents at historic Threadgill’s, and I watched Walk the Line. All of these experiences opened my eyes and educated me in the field of country music.

https://storify.com/reidthmpsn/reid-s-lessons-learned-through-country-music

Prior to enrolling in Rhetoric of Country Music, I would have considered myself an active member of the country music community. I went to concerts, discovered new artists, listened to country radio, and visited historic country music venues. However, since being a part of this class, I have engaged the country music world with a whole new perspective, which has allowed me to learn plenty of lessons along the way.

The reason my involvement in the country music community changed was not because of the things I did or the music I listened to, but rather the way in which I went about these activities. Although my first experience with the San Antonio Rodeo was this spring, it is definitely something I would have attended in the past regardless of my enrollment in a class. What made this trip different though, was how I treated the experience and truly learned from what I observed.

While in the past I probably would have casually walked past the small pop-up tent boasting the John Christopher Way Band, this class encouraged me to stop and listen. I heard the steel guitar, an instrument we had recently discussed in class, and immediately began to draw connections and build an analysis of what I was hearing.

In a similar fashion, when The Turnpike Troubadours came to perform at my fraternity’s party, it would have been natural for me to tune out the opening act. But because I was more engaged with the music itself, I was able to not only notice Shane Smith and the Saints, but also to compare and contrast their style with the main act.

When my parents took me to Threadgill’s for breakfast earlier this semester, country music was everywhere. The old me probably would have recognized the history, but the new, more engaged me was able to really appreciate the incredible moments that the building had played host to throughout it’s history. To be in the same building as some of the music world’s greatest acts, surrounded by decades of memorabilia, was a cool experience.

Finally, this past weekend I re-watched one of my favorite movies: Walk the Line. I have always known who Johnny Cash is, but this class gave me insight that allowed me to change how I watched the movie. While the movie depicts his time spent in jail and his relationship with June, listening to a portion of his album recorded in a prison in class as well as learning from fellow students helped me to understand the life of Johnny Cash even more.

Regardless of your enrollment in a class, I would encourage everyone to get out and learn more about what you are passionate about. I have always been a country music fan, but this project and class pushed me to discover new facts and experiences that surround me every day. Next time you have an open afternoon, instead of opening your computer and letting Netflix consume the rest of your day, research your favorite genre of music, hobby, or anything else and go check it out. You never know what you might learn.

3 Comments

Filed under Austin, Live Music, Movies and TV, Music Videos, Reflection, Storify, Texas

by | April 21, 2015 · 8:00 am

The 50th Anniversary of the ACM Awards

Another year has passed and another ACM awards show has come and gone. This star studded event moved from its traditional home in Nashville to the great state of Texas this year, and managed to set a new world record for most attendants at a live awards show. While there were many great performances throughout the night, I felt there were a few performances that stood out among the rest.

The show started off with the presentation of its first milestone award to the King of Country, George Strait.

George also happened to get by far the loudest crowd reaction of any of the artists throughout the whole night. He performed his classic “All My Exes Live in Texas” followed by his new single “Let it Go”. I feel like there is pretty much no better way to start off a country awards show than by having one of the best in the business kick it off. I also liked that he performed one of his classic songs that everyone knows, followed by something brand new. With all the songs today revolving around partying and drinking and having fancy lights and electric guitars playing, it was nice to pay homage to the classic sound of country music. During the performance, there were some fancy lights in the background, but mainly it was just George Strait and his band. No running through the crowd, no electric guitars, just plain and simple country music.

Later on in the show, Garth Brooks received another of the Academy’s milestone awards. He performed a song off of his latest album called “All American Kid” which is dedicated to all the men and women of the Armed Forces.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Lu9l22yBc4

I liked this performance because it paid homage to the troops and celebrated patriotism. There are lots of songs that celebrate patriotism, and I think that’s one of the more important themes in country music that not a lot of artists really sing about nowadays, so I found it kind of nice to hear the crowd cheering and see all of the artists saluting our troops.

Finally, Alan Jackson performed “Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning?”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9P1mX54H5w

I personally thought this was the best performance of the night. Even though the song was performed at the show for the 20th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombings but written for September 11th, I feel like the meaning still got across. It covers a sad subject, but it also reminds us to cherish the simple things, and again I think that’s something very important to country music. I think a lot of artists today try to get the meaning of simplicity and loving the simple things in life across in most of their songs, and I felt like this performance by Alan Jackson really hammered that meaning home.

While I may not agree with all the award winners, I still felt like this was one of the better ACM shows that I have watched. There was a good mixture of both new and old country artists, and the fact that they had two special performances for the troops and the OKC bombings made me really enjoy this 50th anniversary of the ACM Awards.

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Filed under Awards, Classic Country, Country Pop, Live Music, Movies and TV