Dancing

Country music can be found anywhere in the North Texas area, from radio stations like 99.5 The Wolf and 96.3 KSCS to people’s houses. It is widely available on iTunes, concert houses, honkytonks, and bars. The people that make up this music culture define the wide varieties of places that have country music available. After observing this culture in three different places, I was able to find many commonalities. There was dancing involved in every single performance. Billy Bob’s at Fort Worth, the famous Texas Honkytonk, has a special wooden dance floor, large enough to accommodate anyone who wants to dance. The dance floor is somewhat hollow, allowing the cowboy boots’ heels to make a distinct sound that accompanies the rhythm of the music. The family restaurant Love and War in Texas does not have a special dance floor, but there are areas surrounding the tables and in front of the stage that allow for people to dance. During both performances that we saw at Love and War the artists invited the crowd to come and dance. Finally, the small country bar Last Chance Saloon in Plano did not have a dance floor at all, yet people seemed to be moving along and dancing on their spot while the band played. It was clear that dancing is one of the most important activities of the country music culture. The songs are designed around the two-step rhythm, inviting the listener to join the band and be part of the song.

(Billy Bob’s, Love & War in Texas, Last Chance Saloon)

Hospitality

While there is a stereotype about country music artists, there is enough room for people of all ethnicities, races, and status in life. There are both black and white singers, men and women, young and old, Americans and Australians (like Keith Urban). True country music, or at least what seems to be the most popular on the radio, comes from the South, especially Texas, Tennessee, and Georgia. The media has helped spread country music beyond the South’s borders, with country radio stations also in New York and other big cities. Even children of foreigners who grow up in the South listen to country music. Maybe the reason why it is spreading among people is the country music’s welcoming and warm culture. Southern hospitality is a theme in country music, and it is definitely seen in country music performances. When we went to Love and War in Texas, a woman came up to us and offered us cupcakes. It was her son’s birthday and she decided to share the cupcakes with everyone in the patio watching the performance. We felt very welcome and like we were part of the culture. In all the performances we attended everyone was very courteous, more than we expected from public performances. Even the singer himself came and introduced himself to everyone who went to see him play that evening.

(Zane Williams at Love &War in Texas, interview with insider)

Clothing

As many of the country concerts are often telecast on TV channels, it made a huge effect on the way the musicians dressed. As young people try to copy the actions of their idols, musicians find it important to wear such clothes that are good and attractive to the audience. This trend started when the shows became available on the TV channels. In the country music, male musicians often wear cowboy hats and pants with various designs drawn on their shirts. Female musicians usually wear skirts and jeans and sometimes cowboy hat. In the concert, the musicians were also wearing cowboy hats and jeans. Also, many audiences also wearing the cowboy hat and tried to dress up like the country musicians. It’s become a tradition for the audience to dress up like the cowboy in every concert of country music. It’s very uncommon to see people wearing coats for the country concerts.

(Love & War in Texas, interview with insider)

Instruments

Typically the instruments for a traditional country band are steel guitar, drums, a fiddle, Harmonica and a bass. In the concerts, guitar and drums were hugely played for most of the part. Guitar and drums are very common in country music. Also, Harmonica is an influential instrument associated with the country music. Harmonica was also played in the concert as well. This little instrument was played by the musician by blowing into a sequence of chambers assembled with reeds. As the singer inhaled and exhaled, the reeds vibrated. They created high-pitched sound.

Throughout the concert, the acoustic guitar was used prominently. The guitar accompanied the song in various ways. At the beginning of some songs, the musician played root position chords in the left hand and then move on from there to different chords. Sometimes he played the chords swiftly when the music was fast and sometimes he used chords slowly. It actually depended on the style and the meter of the songs.

Based off of the two performances our group attended – Zane Williams and Buster Jiggs – it is evident that the main instruments involved with this music culture are the drums, guitar and slide guitar. Zane Williams had more of an acoustic bluegrass influence as he describes. This is due in part to the fact that he also incorporated a mandolin and fiddle into his performance. On the other hand, the group Buster Jiggs had more of a rock foundation in their music. This is made clear by their lack of more traditional stringed instruments like the ones used by Zane Williams. Although the two groups are considered country, their subgenre style ultimately determines their instrument selection and use. However, it is still safe to say that most bands and singers of this music culture share the common characteristics of having drums and guitars.

(Zane Williams, Buster Jiggs)

Decoration

The décor of the restaurant revolved around an old-timey home feeling. Much of the decoration and furniture was chosen to bring people to a small town mentality. All of the tables around the main stage were actually wooden benches and tables. Rather than having typical tables and chairs, these wooden benches make it seem like you are back in rural Texas and far from the pressures of city life and work. This goes hand and hand with many of country music’s themes such as remembering a time that was simpler, back in the country and where life went at a slower pace. Another interesting observation was the use of Christmas lights as decoration and lighting. Although the establishment is a restaurant and definitely has the capital to buy proper lighting, they decided to use Christmas lights in order to continue playing with the themes of rural living.

(Love & War in Texas)

Drinking

As far as country music themes go, drinking cannot be forgotten. Not only is it a theme in the music itself, but it is also an activity embedded in the culture. Billy Bob’s has two big bars, one close to the dance floor and the other close to the pool tables and shopping area. Last Chance Saloon, of course, is a bar, so drinking is predominant there. Even at Love and War in Texas they give you a special bracelet if you are over 21 so you can easily order drinks without being carded. It is worthy to question why is drinking so important. Based on the lyrics and the situations observed, people drink if they are happy and if they are sad. Drinking is more than just a way to drive your sorrows away. It is a way to celebrate your life, relax after a long day, forget the loss of a loved one, and especially if you are just having fun with friends. Beer ads are prominent in the places we went to, and especial attention is given to domestic beer.

In addition to the benches, there were also a plethora of beverage advertisements for both hard and soft drinks. About half of these signs were bought in a rustic state to add and accentuate this theme of being in a small town. A couple of the signs were for Dr Pepper. As many Texans know, Dr Pepper is an incredibly popular drink amongst Southerners and particularly Texans. Building on the popularity and nostalgia that usually comes along with Dr Pepper, the restaurant also used old bottles of Dublin Dr Pepper as salt and peppershakers. Dublin Dr Pepper is famous among Texans for still being the original recipe for Dr Pepper. As such, the restaurant not only serves the drinks to patrons but also reinforces the memories by using the old bottles and advertisements wherever possible. Although there were a few soft drink advertisements, the majority was for alcoholic drinks. One of most prevalent activities that goes along with country music is drinking and it is therefore only natural for the restaurant to play with this and have alcoholic advertisements as decoration. Almost all of these signs had some sort of reference to Texas or being a Texan. Despite simply only being advertisements, it is very interesting how they have become part of North Texas Country music’s material culture.

(Billy Bob’s, Love & War in Texas)

Food

Our group studied the music culture of North Texas Country music by going to a couple of live band nights at Love & War in Texas. This venue not only had a stage for live music, but also doubled as a bar and restaurant. Being in a restaurant, we were naturally exposed to the food that is involved with this particular music culture. The food that we saw being ordered and served was Tex-Mex. It is not completely Mexican cuisine, but rather a mixture between both Texan and Mexican culture; hence, the portmanteau Tex-Mex. This cuisine is particular to this music culture because of its location. In other parts of the country, people would not associate Tex-Mex with their country music. In Louisiana you would have more Cajun influenced cuisine and in Tennessee you would have more barbecue and ribs. Some of the food at the restaurant included, but was not limited to, fajitas, tamales and tortilla chips. In addition, almost all of these dishes had a distinct name like “Tejas Platter” or “Alamo Chicken.”

(Love & War in Texas menu)