Category Archives: Storify

by | April 27, 2015 · 1:10 pm

Taylor’s Country Music Experiences

I have had so much fun this semester getting a better look at the genre of country music! I went to Erich Church’s, The Outsiders World Tour; watched Shut Up and Sing, the Dixie Chick’s documentary for the first time; visited Willie on 2nd Street; and had lunch at Austin’s famous Threadgill’s!

I have had so much fun this semester getting a better look at the genre of country music! I went to Erich Church’s, The Outsiders World Tour; watched Shut Up and Sing, the Dixie Chick’s documentary for the first time; visited Willie on 2nd Street; and had lunch at Austin’s famous Threadgill’s!

https://storify.com/tcamp/taylor-s-country-music-experiences

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Filed under Austin, Class work, Movies and TV, Reflection, Storify

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 | · 12:03 pm

Erin’s Experiences in Country Music

This semester through my Rhetoric of Country Music course, I dedicated some of my time into exploring the history and culture of country music. I attended an Eric Church concert in Austin, watched Walk the Line, took a picture with Willie Nelson’s statue, and read a copy of Texas Music Magazine.

This semester through my Rhetoric of Country Music course, I dedicated some of my time into exploring the history and culture of country music. I attended an Eric Church concert in Austin, watched Walk the Line, took a picture with Willie Nelson’s statue, and read a copy of Texas Music Magazine.

https://storify.com/emac0024/erin-s-experiences-in-country-music

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Filed under Austin, Class work, Reflection, Storify

by | · 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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