Well, well, well its about that time of the semester, everything is being summed up ready for completion. I’d firstly just like to congradualte everyone for putting in a big effort for our blog, its been quite fascinating reading everyones post and responses.

This Blog for me, like many of us is the first I have ever participated in; I have learned a great deal form this blogging activity, I never understood why people would even want to blog, now I do; it can be quiet satisfying, especially when you know your reaching the outside world. We have had some high profile comments outside our blog group, which I am still finding difficult to comprehend, I think that at the very least this indicates our blog has been a success; for example one of my blog post on the Kernaghans was commented on by Steve JW Roberts who is Lee Kernaghans Personal Assistant.

It amazes me how easily our blog reaches out to the world, the internet truly is a wonderful medium; while I have learned a great deal about country music, I have also learned some new internet presentation skills such as adding pictures and videos to posts, which I think adds an attraction factor to blog posts. This project is by far the most satisfying assignment I have ever been apart of! I has changed my perception on the Country Music Industry, and I hope what we have done will help to alter other peoples perception as well.

My Perception of Country Music Has Changed!

Previously I have been rather critical of the country genre, in one of my previous blogs ‘A different way to think about country’ I suggested that “I don’t really enjoy the sound; in fact, I would pass up listening to country music for most other forms of music”, this blog has helped to expose me to the country music scene, I have found that now I don’t mind country music so much, I am not going to run out and buy a Cd or anything, but I am far less likely to change the radio station or put in a Cd when a country music song comes on. With continued exposure to the country music genre, who knows I might even become a country music lover, but at this point I’m content that I have come to find I really quite enjoy folk country styles of music (Lisa Mitchell Inspired), I may even add some to my collection.

This blog has facilitated much learning capacity for the country music beginner,  we have brought to light so many different country related topics. My knowledge of the country industry is now much greater than the Australian country music awards and the Tamworth music festival, both which previously I avoided watching or reading about. I have even began to notice the country songs in my favourite genre, bands like Yellowcard and Panic at the Disco, have country sounding tracks incorporated on some of their albums and these to the dismay of most people that ride in my car are now some of my favourite songs.

The posts I have most enjoyed doing were the ones based on feminism in country music, music reviews and the modern cultural constructions of country music. I have been able to take a lot of information away from this blog, although our posts were not always academic, just the analysis of country music from sources such as myspace, youtube, news articles and websites has helped shape my perception of the country music genre. The combination of sources has allowed for wider audience participation, this construction of our blog has therefore supported the Country Music Industry in a postive way. I hope that now everyone has developed a far more authentic view of country music; I know that I have been able to develop many new ideas of what country should be, such as a form of expression, comedic and serious incorporated with life’s various issues, family, love, political, feminist etc… There is one thing I know for sure I’d rather be a Hillbilly or bluegrass country lover than a Lapdancer! How about you?

The great thing about this activity has been the fact that the blog will continually be exposed to the outside world but….

Just Like the final song an artist plays at a gig the blog is coming to a close… will there be an encore, only time will tell…

So for now I bid you all a fond farwell…

“Goodbye Y’all”

I sure have enjoyed being apart of this blog!

Post by: Ryan Witt

Our group started this blog as a way to address one of the gaps in the mainstream music press’s coverage. That gap is the country music genre.

We are constantly bombarded with the top 40, the pop/rock, the popular music, but we believe this type of music is not the most interesting aspect of contemporary music out there. So by creating this blog we hoped to address the issue that country music is not publicised in the ‘popular’ music community. It’s a huge industry, so why isn’t it generally covered in the top 40, Video Hits, or on popular music stations such as NXFM? Why is it only well known within its own industry and community?

Country music is full of passion, humour and a good story. It is made by good old fashioned hard working, and generally middle classed people. It’s not this computer generated repetitive style of music that is normally on the countdowns. Its made by real people, who can actually sing. How do we know that? Well because country music is played in pubs and in parks, by someone with and old acoustic guitar and a dream. It isn’t a socialite or an actress who wakes up one day and decides to make a recorded because they are bored. Its real. The emotions are real and the stories are real. So why do we keep falling for the world of the manufactured music? Well quite simply, we are told to. Its hot, its new and its plastered everywhere. We don’t have a choice in the matter. But for reasons just like this, I argue that country music can pull us out of our consumer driven rut and back into the world of the real. Country music is a world where you can sing about beer and driving a truck and its OK to do so. Its fun. There is nothing to prove. Just as long as you have a catchy song that people can enjoy you have achieved your ultimate goal.

Sure, there are those lucky few country music artists who do make it into the top 40 countdowns, but they are rare and far between, and that’s not good enough. A genre that has so much passion and such a huge following should be provided to everyone. Yes it has its very own television stations etc. but not all of us have pay TV, and I would say that country music is for the average Joe, and what average Joe can even afford pay TV?

One thing I have learnt about country music though, is it seems to be stuck in a catch 22. In order to be publicised and actually earn money the song needs to be poppy enough to fit into the top 40 and mainstream countdowns however, within the country genre, when a song is poppy and moves away from the distinct deep country twangy sound, the artists are ridiculed and considered sell outs, or worse, glorified ‘lap dancers’ (as discussed in Ryan’s article “Lap Dancer or Hillbilly Deluxe? The Cultural Constructions of Modern Country”). So there lies the problem. Either the country music artists stay true to their country roots and end up poor and relatively unknown, or they become famous and well off ‘sell outs’. There is a thin line that the country music genre is straddling. No wonder its difficult for the country genre to break into the mainstream.

Although our arguments is that country music is under publicised and that more people should be given the opportunity to hear it, I do realise that music is in the tastes of the individual. As discussed in one of our class readings, “Fast or slow, country or pop, jazz or blues – Louis Armstrong (or Duke Ellington) expressed the universal truth. There are only two kinds of music: good and bad. Roger Rollin has added his own corollary to that judgment. In matters of aesthetic decision, only the ear of the beholder is relevant.” (Cooper, B. Lee,1997, “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me: Reflections on the Evolution of Popular Music and Rock Scholarship”, Popular Music and Society, Spring http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2822/is_/ai_20633221 ). So although we believe country deserves a wider audience, we cannot force it upon others, but instead we educate those about what else is out there.

Throughout writing this blog I have learned a lot. I have learned not only how under appreciated country music is in the mainstream, but I also learnt how huge it is on its own, which makes my first observation even more baffling. If it is such a huge genre, why aren’t we given more opportunity to it? Personally, I think this blogging form is a great way to reach people and spread the country word. We have had comments from random other bloggers and people seam to be either engaging in our ideas or at least reading them, so I think we have somewhat achieved our goal. Now if we could only get the word out to the wider community.

Country music is a great genre, and the more I have researched it the more I have been pulled in and the more I love it. Not just for the music but for the atmosphere and the general mood the genre brings. It has a real country quality. You feel like the people singing are not some super huge megastar but your next door neighbour. Someone you can go and visit on a Sunday afternoon for a beer around a camp fire. Its laid back, relaxed and care free, like there are more important things to life than high powered stress. To me, country music shows an ideal world, a community where you are not lost in the hustle bustle of life but where you have time to stop and appreciate the finer things.

I really hope that through this blog, we have shed some light on this relatively hidden genre. It’s a genre that everyone should experience and I hope that we have helped to do that, or at least give some more information on the genre so you may understand just what you are missing by not giving it a go. It’s a genre that can really change your perspective on things, and isn’t that what everyone needs now an again?

So spread the word, and join the country music world. Until you do, you wont know what you have been missing!

Jacki Tipton, signing off.

Thanks for reading!

So looking at recent and past blogs and my own researching and searching for country with in the media, I came across well known (well at least what i think) Kid Rock, who to an extent I think can be seen a bit of a country rapper.  I came across him through my search through CMT.com, I had always heard of the Kid, but purely through tabloids, dating Pamela Anderson and his images and purely a red neck in music. It wasn’t until I decided to look at more of his background. I thought it was interesting looking at purely to see his musical contributions to the country music scene. Very alternative type country style that goes very much against the norms of country, especially seeing as hes from Detroit and has mainly a gangster rap rock image to start with.

his image was always what stood out the most. He played up on the white trash image with in a white raprock emerging industry being heavily influenced by such artists like the beastie boys, yet Rock’s lyrics were seen to be more obscene and in turn there was a $20 000 radio fine for one of his songs titled “Yodeling in the vally” which had close references to oral sex. Yet this image and Rock producing most of the work him self is what pushed him through the boundaries of the industry. HIs album “Devil with out a cause” released in August 1998, ten years after he initially attempted to break into the music industry, is what shot him to success, his song “Cowboy” and “Bawitdaba” of the album shot him to a superstar with a Top Five, seven-times-platinum album and a gig at Woodstock ‘99. His success was due to his alternative genre which was infused with raw rock of country with rap.

Now although I initially didnt really consider Kid Rock, although I thought he was a red neck hilbilly and I never really liked his music, its interesting to see he all over cmt.com through links to radio, video clips and bios and pics. He was/ kinda still is I guess a success with a country style rap rock. Although he’s still up there with red necks like limp biscit with the rap rock style, the fact that kid rock, although from detroit and has a primarily rap background, draws heavily from country not only for his hilbilly image but for his music i thought was quite cool.

However, I also find it funny how most of his image, and alot of what I knew about him before I researched further was his marriage/divorce relationship with Bay Watch star Pam Anderson!

Sophie Adams

In one of my earlier blog posts entitled ‘Take Your Pick! Are you a hillbilly, a lap dancer or bluegrass picker?‘ I reviewed an article by George Lewis. It is proposed in the article that one of the themes that has appropriated in the past 50 years for many female country singers is their expression of feminism in their music, to address the need for the change of standards and ethics for women within society.

Elizabeth Cook continues this Country Music feminist tradition, it is through her recent 2007 single ‘sometimes it takes balls to be a woman’ from her album ‘balls’ that she keeps the tradition alive…

(This is an excellent song, It is both well written/performed and most importantly her voice is exceptional!)

Elizabeth Cook believes ‘having balls is just the beginning’

You can find out more about Elizabeth Cook on her official webpage and MySpace for a free listen to more awesome tracks!

Post by: Ryan Wit

In a journal article called ‘Love Your Country’ by Kurtz (2002) he discusses the social differences between the ‘mainstream’ music on MTV and the country music on Country Music Television (CMT). He suggests that most of real life is missing from MTV. He argues that the videos on MTV are energetic, craetive, sexy, aggressive, free from adult supervision, very immature and above all very very unhappy. He uses Pink as example who, for the majorityof her songs, sings about how crap her life is.  MTV rarely comes anywhere near songs that are about ‘the sunny side of life’… At first this seems a very strong accusation but when I started to think about the top 40 songs in mainstream music I realised that alot of the songs are unhappy, we just don’t realise what the point of the song is on first basis.

   Kurtz (2002) continues by saying that country music is about real life. Both the happy side and the sad times.

Turn on CMT and you’ll see a song about how tough it is for a single father to pull in a living and raise his kids; a hilarious song about a guy who’d rather fish than spend time with his girlfriend; a song that says the hardest thing about a breakup is losing the friendship of your lover; a song about giving up the bottle for the deeper and simpler pleasures of just being with your family; a song that tells the story of the tragic death of a lighthouse keeper and his beloved; or a song about a guy who’s determined not to rush the woman he loves until her heart is truly over her last romance.

On the other hand Kurtz (2002) questions what MTV songs are about. He asks what is ”Pass the Courvoisier” about? Comparing your gold chain to Mr. T’s? Getting into a fistfight with a big mama? Beating up a bunch of Asian guys and taking away their women? but to treat most MTV videos as though they actually had subject matter is to miss the point.

 Kurtz gets his point across by using 9/11 as an example.. Although MTV put a special episode on called ‘for the troops’ they seemed to forget about it not long after. Where on CMT 9/11 is still omnipresent and real. The songs revolve around patriotism and there are post 9/11 themes.

MTV’s general obliviousness to the war mirrors its broader indifference to the outside world. This is why country music has stolen a march on MTV since 9/11. It has long been known that country music excels at love of family and country.

 Rachelle Fenning

 Kurtz, S. (2002). ‘Love Your Country’, Bnet.

Country music has evolved over time from folk music a genre that stretches back hundreds and hundreds of years, from countries all over the world, some typical examples include Irish and Scottish traditional folk music. In light of this evolution I recalled an up and coming Australian artists that is a little bit country with a whole lot of folk!

You may remember Lisa Mitchell from one of the many reality television programs sweeping our networks. Lisa was a contestant in Australian Idol in the year 2006. Lisa was different from most contestants for a number of reasons; firstly she was the youngest contestant at only sixteen years of age, she could write and play her own music and showed that she can perform exceptionally well in her preferred genres of folk and country music.

 Play the video below to watch her on Ausrtalian Idol 2006

Lisa is now seventeen years old and resides in her hometown Albury; she is most certainly one of the up and comers to lookout for. On May 21 Lisa launched her new EP called ‘Welcome to the Afternoon’, since Australian Idol she has moved more into the folk genre than the country genre, but she is an exceptional Australian artist that should be exposed to the Country music and mainstream charts.

In my opinion Lisa possess a country type voice and comprises lyrics and music typical of the country and folk genres. Lisa Mitchell maybe the answer country/folk music has been waiting for, she’s young she’s talented, the youths of Australia will relate to her, it is possible that someone of her character could open up the flood gates and push country/folk music into the mainstream. Lisa’s best asset is her unique sound, which is emphasised through her subtlety nasal vocals. I think it is her subtle combination of country/folk and pop that will see her break into the mainstream, whether this will help other country and folk artists; time will tell. Lisa Mitchell is definitely someone to get behind and lookout for in the future.

Play the video below to see her song ‘Incomplete Lulluby’

Post by: Ryan Witt

I found this odd little ‘staged’ debate between two friends. The topic is ‘which is better, Hip Hop or Country Music’; I believe country is constructed to win the debate. The Hip Hop representative does not do the genre any favours; he chooses some rather bad musical examples to support his case. The country music representative chooses some wise classical examples of good old fashioned country music. However there is one thing for certain the dancing in this clip is shameful!

In Rugby League its City Vs Country…

In this guys car its Hip Hop Vs Country

Take a look….

Post by: Ryan Witt

I found this interesting little country music guitar lesson, if anyone is interested in learning a bit of country. The Lesson is by Robert Dean a very exceptional musician (he markets himself and his learning products quite well), I think playing country music would be quite liberating for a ‘muso’ I have been taught a few country riffs that sound great, and even though I don’t really like country music, it is still fun to play!

Take a look, get out your guitar, have a go you might even have fun!

For those that are interest in bluegrass, go to the video below for a short lesson.

Enjoy!

Post by: Ryan Witt

The last few posts I have done have all been on articles from the “Country Update” Magazine, so I thought I would just do a quick post to tell you what else you can find in the magazine.

It’s a great source of information on all things country. This particular artist had feature articles on Adam Brand, Garry Allen, Tamara Stewart, The Flood, Garth Brooks and Willie Nelson. There are also other, smaller articles on things such as the Grammy’s, the Dusty Reunion, a Farewell to Smoky Dawson, the 36^th CMAA Country Music Awards the winners of the 2008 Telstra Road to Tamworth and the 2008 Toyota Star Maker and also many, many articles on artists such as the Davidsons Bluegrass Brothers, Corb Lund and The Yeehaa Boys. There are also many pages on Reviews and upcoming Festivals.

The entire magazine is one of the best sources for country music that I have ever found. It has countless articles and information on everything country and not just the really specialised country genres but all country, so its suitable for everyone who wants to know about the country genre. At only $6.95 a magazine, it is definitely worth the money for the amount of useful information you get. Definitely worth it when you are looking to broaden your knowledge on country music.

This particular magazine is found at most newsagents, but I definitely think that country music is still under publicised in magazines and media. I went into several newsagents etc and there were generally only two country music magazines available, including this one, and they only get a small number of magazines per month. Perhaps if more magazines and sources like this were available for country music information, more people would be interested in the country music genre.

“Country Update” Magazine, Issue 48 on shelves now. (Edited by Bob Anthony Jnr, Produced By Country Update Pty Ltd, February 2008 )

By Jacki Tipton

Another article in the “Country Update” Magazine was called “Nashville Ramblings” by John Lomax III. This is pretty much a summary of the country music happenings in the US.

The article starts off by saying how much country music has suffered recently in the US. Sales have plummeted 14.9% with the total country sales only amounting to 62, 696,000 units, the lowest in 17 years. Although that number doesn’t sound too alarming, when you find out that 2,644,068 sales were due to the Eagles, a group not generally considered a country act outside Nashville, and 669,332 sales by The Alison Krauss-Robert Plant project “Raising Sand”, well then the rest of the entire industry really didn’t rack up a huge number on their own. If you removed those two CD’s the country slide would be a whopping 20% from last year.

However some artists are going quite well. Carrie Underwood’s debut album “Some Hearts” has cone 7 times Platinum and her new release “Carnival Ride” is nearing the 2 million mark. Taylor Swift, who I have spoken about before, has just hit the 2.5 million mark, and Garth Brooks has just sold out 5 shows at LA’s Staples Centre in one hour. There are also many talented singers who tried their hand at pop and failed, who are coming back to their country roots which will give it a boost, names such as Jewel.

Country music unfortunately got its usual push to the side with this years Grammy Awards, with only two singers representing the entire genre, Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley. They were the genre’s only two full performance spots in the entire 3 ½ hour telecast.

The article also talks about the results of the 8^th Annual Country Music Critics Poll, who gave best male vocalist to Brad Paisley, best live act to Keith Urban, and Sugarland and Taylor Swift topped the New Artist and Duo/Group lists.

The article discusses the who’s who and what’s what of the entire country music genre in Nashville and what’s been going on recently. One thing that caught my eye though was the mention of Big and Rich, who are delaying the recording of a third album so that John Rich can work on a second solo CD. I didn’t even know he had a solo CD out but its definitely something I think I should check out.

The article also talks about a few festivals and events coming up and he goes into great detail about some new projects of country artists. It’s a great article for anyone who just wants a little update on country music. It mentions everything that’s note worthy in the world of country music and as we don’t get to hear much about the country genre, it really helps to broaden your country knowledge! Definitely something that’s worth the read. Its only a short 3 page article, but for the amount of info packed in, there is no where else you need to go for all your country music gossip.

Full article in “Country Update” Magazine, Issue 48 on shelves now. (Edited by Bob Anthony Jnr, Produced By Country Update Pty Ltd, February 2008 )

By Jacki Tipton