Kaitlin Hunt Blog #1: The Influence of Music

Zac Brown Band

Music flows throughout a person’s conscious thought the way a flood flows over and into the cracks of a worn desert. It can fill up any crevice or space in our mind and affect the way we think. It has a lot of inner significance that can be taken many diverse ways depending on your perspective. Music can be interpreted in many ways and is special and different to each individual person. The way music affects us is almost unseen at times because we may not cognitively listen to the lyrics but even the beat and instrumentals parts can change our disposition. This is why for my music choice I picked one of my favorite artists that always seem to be able to put me in a great mood. They are known for quite a few songs such as Chicken Fried and Toes. Zac Brown Band is unknowingly dedicated to making my day more upbeat not only by the lyrics but by the soft melodies they produce.

            A common trend in most of Zac Brown Band music is serenity. Although not all of their songs portray this vibe, most are very relaxing. Two of my personal favorite songs are toes and Knee Deep. Both take place referring to a beach vacation and the calm life of little stress. This kind of simplicity takes away the stress we may face daily. Some of their other songs, on the other hand, tend to fluctuate from upbeat and fast past to slow and harmonious. One of their best upbeat songs, Chicken Fried, exemplifies all the great things of being, as Americans classify it, a “red neck”. This song talks about home cooked meals and patriotism that you can’t find anywhere else.

            This band is easy to relate to because although I don’t directly come from a small town country background I have a lot of family that does and I can easily feel at home in that context of culture.  Also noted in the country background is a more laid back persona, which can be heard by the upbringing yet calm beat of the song along with the lyrics that talk about vacation beach adventures.

Knee Deep By Zac Brown Band

One of my favorite songs by this band is colder weather. The song is sad and is different from their relaxing upbeat songs but it has a lot of inner meaning that can be taken in a lot of different ways depending on your experience and perspective. It means something special and different to everyone.

Colder Weather by Zac Brown Band

Culture through ethnographies is a better framework when considering the connection between culture and communication. In better terms the ethnography of communication refers to taking and analyzing verbal and non-verbal activities that are considered accepted guidelines, that people in a culture live their lives by (Martin, 2012, p. 91). I believe this because when two people are brought together they have little understanding of each other and one another’s background. This lack of understanding between the norms of two people can cause confusion or even possible discrepancies. As humans we fear the unknown. To better understand one another we would then be less confused and less fearful at people of a different ethic background. This opening up of understanding will allow better communication between different groups of people and that is what combining culture with communication is all about.

References:

Burnham, E. (2012, May 30). Zac Brown Band drummer Chris Fryar, on road food and new album. Retrieved January 24, 2013, from Bangor Daily News website:

http://cultureshock.bangordailynews.com/2012/05/30/rockin-out/

zac-brown-band-drummer-chris-fryar-on-road-food-and-new-album/

Martin, J. N., & Nakayama, T. K. (2012). Intercultural communication in contexts (6th ed). Boston,   MA: McGraw Hill. 

Zac Brown Band. (2011, June 29). World premiere video: "Knee Deep" feat. Jimmy Buffett [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9n5G0qFBsHM

Zac Brown Band. (2011, February 14). Zac Brown Band- colder weather (official music video) [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oouFE51HcqM