Music Ethnographic Essay: Country Music Ethnographic Review

For the music ethnography project I will be analyzing the most recent concert I attended, which was Brad Paisley’s Country Nation College tour at Florida State. The concert took place on Langford Green, located outside Doak Cambell stadium, next to the infamous “Unconquered” statue. Typically this space if used for students to have an open grass area for free recreation, it is also most famous for the popular ESPN College Game Day and tailgating. It was interesting to see the audience there, since this was my first real “country” concert. I had a preexisting stereotype of big trucks, cowboy boots, and red solo cups and trust me there was plenty of that, but there was also a great diversity of other different groups of people. The artist performing

the majority of the time was Brad Paisley, with a short appearance from Carrie Underwood over the projection screen since she couldn’t be there. It was a unique way to see her perform with him over skype. Eric Paslay was also a guest performer who opened for the main performance. I can remember looking around and taking it all in, telling myself “so this is what all the hype is about”. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself, memorized by the events taking place and the amount of screaming girls surrounding the stage. The concert took place on October 8th, two days before the Noles took on the University of Miami. The concert served as a great pregame and kick off to the weekend for such a huge rivalry game day weekend.
The genre and style for this music would be labeled as popular country music, this can be considered the mix between traditional country music and pop music.

The instrumentation included the main instrument of a guitar. Brad played both an electric and acoustic version, depending on which song he was performing. In the background there was a drum set, multiple bass guitars and a keyboard set. The texture of this music was would be considered very dense with an active rhythm. There is a lot going on in his upbeat and fast pace songs. One song that stuck out to me was “Remind Me” featuring Carrie Underwood. This one in particular stood out to me because it was unique and memorable to see another famous country singer perform. Their duo sounded different from the rest of his set. Her feminine voice combined with his raspy deep vocals made for capturing marriage storyline. The performance made me feel like I was watching a true relationship seeking to rekindle their flame. The rhythm and melody followed the standard country music style repetitive, catchy, string based and

twangy.
The general environment really contributed to the overall country style of this concert.

I felt a since of patriotic country pride while I was there, even though I have never really immersed myself in that genre. I was originally drawn to this event because it was a free concert for me to attend with my friends. Not to mention I got to dress up in a cute dress and some cowboy boots that were still in the box. As the night went on I could see for others, they were there because they loved this music. You could see they were active listeners who knew all the words to the songs as they sung along. In his songs he sings a lot about love, relationships, breakups, hitting rock bottom and living the American dream. These themes can identify with both males and females. Females are more drawn to his music because he is a younger attractive looking man and when he performs he makes it feel like he is singing to you. Men are also attracted to these themes because he sings about events that they can personally relate too. Not to mention in general the songs are very catchy and memorable. You can find yourself singing the lyrics without even realizing what you are singing about. Overall, I feel like this experience would have been different if it was held in a different place and time with different participants. The reason I enjoyed this concert so much was because it was filled with majority of college students, sharing a common interest of having a good time and coming

together with great music. Attending this event gave me a new understanding and look into a genre I have never paid much attention too. I use to carry a stereotype like most do, but I can officially say that this experience has knocked most of those negative terms aside. In the future I can see myself listening to more country music, and possibly even attending more country concerts. Just one experience like this concert, can change ones outlook and opinions if you just open yourself up to new genres.