I wrote this on October 8th, 2007, just read it, and thought it was worth reposting…
When my lady and I were enjoying ourselves at the Texas Country Music Festival this past weekend in Gruene, TX, I realized something. I’M A STRAIGHT-UP WEIRDO! Here I am, an indie hip hop artist jammin’ out at a country concert. I was “people-watching” and it hit me - I don’t think we were within 30 miles of a hip hop fan.
Another thing I observed - country music has no “age.” The artists at the festival were mostly in their late 30s/early 40s. I think that’s awesome! There’s a bar full of people (all ages) that are appreciating these artists, regardless of their age or style. That’s not typical of hip hop or rock - when you’re 40+, you’re done with!
In my opinion, music is music. Every genre’s content is the same, the chord progressions are similar, the majority of pop music is in 4/4 time; you could go on and on about similarities.
The major thing that is different is the slang, the regional manipulation of the English language.
There’s one song that I distinctly remember from the night, although it wasn’t the clearest night I’ve ever had, ha! The chorus of the song went somethin’ like this:
“Cold beer, hot women, and good country music”
I don’t know about you, but all three sound great to me! You can replace “country” with “hip hop” or “rock” or “metal” or “blues” and it’ll still sound great, since most of us have the same interests, especially when we’re out partying. Here’s the band we were rockin’ out to - The Derailers.
One more confession - I’m a huge fan of Trace Adkins, Alabama, Bonnie Raitt, Garth Brooks, Jamey Johnson, and several other country artists. I’ve been known to sample a few country tunes too. I guess I’m not your typical dude - an elementary music teacher / indie hip hop artist that has a deep appreciation for all music and culture?
