Bluegrass Festival

And many of the stories that were once told by the people are working its way out of our homes. We only hold onto the knowledge of Appalachia and the stories that accompany each folk song. What I've come to see over the years is the lack of respect that we have for the Appalachian people and the work they put into each item they present. Whether that be a pot or a basket we need to recognize the craftsmanship that they invest to make things to eat out of or to put things into. Many of us, like myself, was not born into the Appalachian life but yet it chooses me. An event held every year on December 26th named Christmas Country Dance School(CCDS). That is where you really feel a sense of getting back to your roots. All kinds of people come together under one roof to sing, dance, tell stories, and fellowship together as one kin. There you find a sense of belonging where you can walk into a room and really feel the energy of people, and automatically feel as though you found a sense of

America truly is the salad bowl of cultures from around the whole world. However, there is often times a dominating cultural structure that makes it difficult to attain peace among the diverse cultural groups of America. Sherman Alexie’s short story, Because my Father Always Said He Was the Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ at Woodstock, displays the difficulty of the Native American people having to cope with the dominating culture that they are inevitably being shoved into. The main character Victor, a young boy who reflects much of Alexie’s personal traits, tells the story and struggle of his people through the

For this music analysis project, I would like to discuss the oral nature of the legacy of Appalachian music. I would like to complete this project to bring attention to the amazing history of Appalachian music and the distinct ways it lives on. I plan to use research to study the different manners in which Appalachian music has continued to survive throughout the years despite the general modernization of the world.

The prevailing ideologies that define masculinity within country music, and with even greater prominence in the “bro-country” subgenre, remains engrained within the concept of being an outdoorsman. Luke Bryan’s “Huntin’, Fishin’, Lovin’, Everyday,” acts as a laid back anthem to said country-man, whose song’s lyrical substance indicates that a true country boy yearns for a life within the rural setting. Luke describes “the prayer that a country boy makes” as one

You may have heard that “everything is bigger in Texas.” and if you really want to experience how everything is bigger, you go to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR). The HLSR, or “Houston Rodeo” as it is referred to by Houstonians, is the largest event of its kind in the world and has been in session since 1932. In 2013, The HLSR had more people in attendance (approx 2.6 million) at the Rodeo than the entire population of the city of Houston (approx 2.1 million), which happens to be the 4th largest city in the United States as well as the most populated city in the state of Texas. The HLSR is held at Reliant Park for three weeks during March, and since parking is always a hassle, Reliant Park also happens to have one of the largest parking lots available as well.

One of the many cultures in the 1700’s consisted of the European settlers and how they lived their everyday lives through this time period. They had multiple different religions in the colonies. The music had changed drastically during this time with their instruments, famous composers, and even the messages and dedication toward the songs. They also entertained themselves by doing a variety of crafts and games that benefited the children in the later ages and taught them different roles in society. These three topics have changed throughout the time span of 1700- 1800 and shows how they part from the European culture to create a new American culture that is represented through the Declaration of Independence and other literary works.

Robert Altman’s movie Nashville is based on the political, social, and personal problems that our country has to deal with. These problems are rooted in the battle between the need to create some false image of success and the need for truth which is the struggle that exists in every character of this film (except Jeff Goldbloom). To show this Robert Altman takes us through Nashville’s Country Music using political commentary, music and realistically portrayed dialogue to tell the story.

On this somewhat rainy weekend, nearly 500,000 people came together for the largest music festival of its time on a dairy farm in Bethel, New York, and was simply known as Woodstock. The festival included 32 acts and was “widely considered to be the definitive nexus for the larger counterculture generation”. This was a weekend in which peace and acceptance throughout the country was celebrated and communicated through love and music, just like during the Watts and Altamont music festival. The man who owned the dairy farm even mentioned that “the near half million group of young people that came to Woodstock proved to the world that they can get together for fun and music, nothing but fun and

Have you seen those weird music festival T-shirts that people wear and wonder what someone could possibly want to wear that for? While they’re sometimes meant to catch attention of people so they may want to look up the festival, it also serves as a reminder for many amazing memories for the two or three-day event. For a long time now music has changed people’s lives in many ways. It has brought people to fame and lifted many out of depressions. But, to those who haven’t experienced a festival, or even live music in general, you have been missing out an amazing social experience like no other. From the kings of festivals like Woodstock or Coachella to the lesser known ones like Rock on the Range (Hard rock/metal based) and Day for Night (variety) there are hundreds to pick from. One of my favorites is Carolina Rebellion which takes place right in this state.

In the documentary, The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia, a family is followed for one year to expose corruption, poverty, and West Virginia's environmentally and culturally devastating coal mining culture that helped shape the family, a dying breed of outlaws preserving a dying form of dance (Doering et

The Paynes all gather at Curtis and Ella’s house. The Robertsons all gather at Phil and Miss Kay’s house, not only for dinner but just randomly during the day to converse. It is very common for families, big or small, to gather at the parents’ house. Evidently, this is such a common “Southern” tradition, country singer/song writer, Tim McGraw, thought that many could relate to the idea, so he recorded a song about it that he describes as “nostalgic” and “like a warm blanket.” During the chorus of his recently released song, “Meanwhile Back At Mama’s”, he sings, “Meanwhile back at Mama's, the porch lights on, come on in if you wanna. Supper's on the stove and beer's in the fridge. Red sun sinkin' out low on the ridge. Games on the tube and daddy smoked cigarettes. Whiskey keeps his whistle wet. Funny the things you thought you'd never miss, in a world gone crazy as this.” Here, he describes how his parent’s home was a welcoming, love filled place that seems like heaven to

Appalachian music changed after the 1920’s to more of what those outside Appalachian music liked about the music. Appalachian music was no longer the name for the music of this area and Hillbilly music came about for the commercial spread of Appalachian music (Malone, 1994). With the commercial spread of Appalachian music as Hillbilly music gave a way for the music to transform and continue to make new songs (Malone,

The purpose of this experiment is to determine which type of grass, Kentucky Bluegrass, Bentgrass, Zoysiagrass, Tall Fescue, or Ryegrass, produces the most biomass, and therefore the most energy.

The Woodstock festival descended on Bethel, New York promising three days of peace and music. Event organizers anticipated 15,000 people would attend but were overwhelmed by the 300,000 people that flooded this rural area of New York state from August 15 -17, 1969. While these facts are well known and indisputable, the festival itself has proven to be a controversial endeavor. What began as a small business venture was soon brimming with the controversy of an entire decade. It becomes clear when examining the strikingly different accounts of the festival that reactions varied depending on the fundamental values and personal circumstances specific to each observer and to the

It is a sin for anyone to destroy, in a blink of an eye, what they have been working on for months or even years. Therefore, one should always face the hardships with a strong will, hold their head up high when facing an upcoming storm, because that is the only way they can survive the war that is life. Right towards the end of the song, there is an extremely empowering line that says “this road never looked so lonely, this house doesn’t burn down slowly to ashes” which stands as a reminder that right when the challenge becomes harder, one should never forget what they are fighting for and simply give up. The amount of determination reflected in this line is the reason why I listen to this song whenever I feel defeated by the obstacles. It comes to spark the flame of determination in my heart when I consider backing