Country bars playing hip-hop?

[Lofland]

here in Austin, TX, we have a fairly large, modern honky-tonk called Dallas Night club. On DJ nights, every two hours they'll have a set of hip-hop for about 15-20 minutes. There are at least 50% more people on the floor during these hip-hop breaks, and they're bumping and grinding like crazy. Many (but not all) of the older C&W purists stay off the floor at these times. Is this just a local oddity, or do other C&W clubs around the country vary their music like this? Thanks.

[Spitfire]

One of the clubs here will do this as well; play non-country music in a small set or every so often.

There was another club here which had a main floor for country and western music and had a smaller floor for hip hop, rock and roll ect., but it closed down four years ago.

[jon]

One of the clubs here will do this as well; play non-country music in a small set or every so often.

The line dancers have been using non-country music for ages. Clarence Carter's "Strokin" isn't hip-hop, but it sure isn't country either.

[pygmalion]

Maybe it depends. Non-country music okay. Maybe. But if someone attempted to play hip-hop in the country bar I like best, they'd get run out on a rail. :lol:

[dancin/dj]

Maybe it depends. Non-country music okay. Maybe. But if someone attempted to play hip-hop in the country bar I like best, they'd get run out on a rail. :lol: lol :lol: thats true in some of the country places i've been to also(not a lot of them mind you) it might be state to state as far as who could take the music, i love c2step and some country music :) i like to turn the tables how many hip hop clubs allow country music :?:

[Sagitta]

hmmm...It seems that hip hop is permeating into all genres of music. Who would ever think country and hip hop side by side! :o Must really start learning how to do hip hop.

[ArtsySalsera]

http://www.online-thecatsmeow.com/images/Emoticons3/aljolson.gif Like I said in another thread/forum. I really love hip-hop and have been doing it all my life before it was called hip-hop. I'm also heavily into salsa dancing. A few years ago and more recently I've been seeing more and more fusion.
I've even seen competition routines where country hip-hop and salsa were fused and it's awesome.
For a month now I've been seeing a commercial on TV where the country music had a hip hop flavor and the people were two stepping to it. The announcer said something like ".....country music and hip hop side by side"..... I think it's an I-Pod commercial. The people are getting down with their two stepping and even this older gentlemen started moving his hip. The whole scene was inspiring. I just love it! I can totally see how they can meld. http://www.online-thecatsmeow.com/images/Emoticons/WooHoo.gif

About a year and a half ago I purchased a teaching video from Devora Canario's site: http://www.wansome.com/hiphop_ia.html
or from: http://www.befitvideos.com/files/hiphop.htm
It's an awesome blend of hip hop and country. http://www.online-thecatsmeow.com/images/Emoticons/WooHoo.gif
No, I'm not her publicist but I think she's awesome.

Think about it the two are so cool and funky what with the funky movement and some of the bow legged similarities and what with the 4/4 count. I can totally see how they can go together. Too bad there aren't any country western dance places here in Philly. Darn!

For the C&W purists, I don't know what to tell you. I can hardly believe it myself but I do find it rather exciting. I will definitely explore more C&W and fusing those moves with hip hop.:wink:

[dancin/dj]

artsysalsera,theres a place on the boulvard in the northeast that has country dancing-cant remeber the name (ask around) u find it,in the burbs montana west is a country place in quakertown-cooooooooool place its cousin in jersey the colorado cafe is country also(this place is the cooooooooooolest they have karoeke/ live bands /dj"s and calif mixs on thurs nights some hip hop in that mix and country.

[Vince A]

hmmm...It seems that hip hop is permeating into all genres of music.
Nah, it's been permeated for a very long time now . . . I started out in Rock and Roll, then to line dancing over ten years ago, and there was hip hop then. I believe that the line dance, the "Cowboy Hip Hop" is approaching ten years old.
Who would ever think country and hip hop side by side! :o Must really start learning how to do hip hop.
Have you heard C&W lately? It's kinda tough to tell it's C&W. Hell, some of the songs could be played in a hip hop bar and most individuals wouldn't know the difference . . .

Learning hip hop will put extra movement into your other dances . . . always a good thing to learn!

[pygmalion]

I guess it depends on how hard core hip you're talking. Like I lot of folks would probably call the Wild Wild West (line dance) hip hop. I see it more as pop. Eh. To each his own. But yeah, when that dance was out, it got played in the line dance bars around town -- fun dance. Very difficult. But fun.

But (did I say this before) my fave country bar back east did country, plain and simple. Just country. No hip hop nuthin. :lol: :lol:

[pygmalion]

Actually, it'll be interesting to see how things are, here. From all I'm hearing, the ****ry dance scene in Texas is pretty unique, from how some dances are done, to having some unique regional dances. So I'm dying to find out. 8)

[ArtsySalsera]

http://www.online-thecatsmeow.com/images/Emoticons/thanx2.gif Dancing Dj and Vince.
I didn't know there were places here in Philly I could go to
and I also know of people I work with who'd be interested in the fusion.
I also didn't know that the fusion has been around that long. http://www.online-thecatsmeow.com/images/Emoticons/wow.gif
I'm gonna pass this info on and go check these places out.
Thanks. :D

[valv2]

Lofland - I'm not far from you - I'm in San Antonio, TX & we have Cowboys C&W club but they do play hip-hop - we also have Graham Central Station which has a room for Latin dancing, C&W, Tejano, hip-hop & keroke. Hey with Nelly & Tim McGraw coming together - anything is possible.

[SDsalsaguy]

Just wanted to say welcome to the DF valv2! :D

[valv2]

Thanks!

[pygmalion]

Lofland - I'm not far from you - I'm in San Antonio, TX & we have Cowboys C&W club but they do play hip-hop - we also have Graham Central Station which has a room for Latin dancing, C&W, Tejano, hip-hop & keroke. Hey with Nelly & Tim McGraw coming together - anything is possible.

I gotta say that song is finally wearing me down. It's in heavy rotation on my fave R&B/hip-hop station, too. Tim makes Nelly sound like an amateur, IMO. :lol:

[rockingdj]

It's true here in Atlanta too. Both of the popular country western clubs play a lot of top 40 dance music. It makes sense though, if you look at it from a club owner's point of view. Partner dancers don't buy a lot of drinks, and bars are in the business of selling alcohol. Playing non-country music will attract a crowd that's more likely to drink, increase revenue, and allow the club to stay open for business.

[Sagitta]

Lofland - I'm not far from you - I'm in San Antonio, TX & we have Cowboys C&W club but they do play hip-hop - we also have Graham Central Station which has a room for Latin dancing, C&W, Tejano, hip-hop & keroke. Hey with Nelly & Tim McGraw coming together - anything is possible.

I gotta say that song is finally wearing me down. It's in heavy rotation on my fave R&B/hip-hop station, too. Tim makes Nelly sound like an amateur, IMO. :lol:

What is the name of that song? And on what CD?

[Kash-b]

u can actually get hip-hop linedances if u didnt know. go to kickit.to for example and searcha hiphop tune like a missy elliot one for example and u'll get a few hiphop linedances, i no u can get them for lose my breath by dc

[Linedancer]

It's pretty common but some of the hip-hop dances are fun.

[pygmalion]

Hi linedancer. Where're you hanging out these days? Thinking about a trip back to Orlando, and I haven't been in a long, long time. What's good, these days? :)

[dancergal]

It's true here in Atlanta too. Both of the popular country western clubs play a lot of top 40 dance music. It makes sense though, if you look at it from a club owner's point of view. Partner dancers don't buy a lot of drinks, and bars are in the business of selling alcohol. Playing non-country music will attract a crowd that's more likely to drink, increase revenue, and allow the club to stay open for business.

That's what I hear all the time. Dancers don't drink much so if they bring in pop and hip hop music in a country nightclub the drinkers will follow. It happens in all the country nightclubs I've been to (here in Arizona and in Calif.) It's ok, I like the variety, but I would be happy just to hear country in a country bar. Oh well......

[Quimbly]

I think it would probably be a common thing for "Country" bars to play the hippity-hoppity/techno music also. I mean, what it all comes down to is the fact that these bars/clubs are trying to make some money. And since that sort of music is popular, and seems to draw a lot of clubbers, why wouldn't they play it.

Most of the "country" bars I've danced at in Calgary usually have country during the week and early in the evening on weekends. Actually, it works out well. Me and my dance partner can go dancing for a few hours, get our fill, and leave before the heavy-smoking techno crowd arrives to take-over on the floor.

[Steve Pastor]

Take a listen to Toby Keith's "I want to talk about me", and Cowboy Troy's "I Play Chicken with the Train" To me, Toby's vocals are delivered in a rap cadence. No one can doubt that the originator of Hick Hop - that would be Cowboy Troy - is rapping. The Nelly / Tim McGraw collaboration is sweet. Current country is heavily influenced by rock and roll - just listen to most of the non steel guitars being used, so hip hop will have some impact, too.
Here in Portland, Oregon, the club I dance at plays almost all country. But there are the non country songs that are played later in the evening. Those songs are for all the people who haven't taken the time to learn how to do either partner or line dances. Portland is not a big hip hop town, so most of those songs are old rock and roll or disco tunes. Hey, Brad Paisley, there might be a line for a song about drinking there!

[pygmalion]

Take a listen to Toby Keith's "I want to talk about me", and Cowboy Troy's "I Play Chicken with the Train" To me, Toby's vocals are delivered in a rap cadence. No one can doubt that the originator of Hick Hop - that would be Cowboy Troy - is rapping. The Nelly / Tim McGraw collaboration is sweet. Current country is heavily influenced by rock and roll - just listen to most of the non steel guitars being used, so hip hop will have some impact, too.
Here in Portland, Oregon, the club I dance at plays almost all country. But there are the non country songs that are played later in the evening. Those songs are for all the people who haven't taken the time to learn how to do either partner or line dances. Portland is not a big hip hop town, so most of those songs are old rock and roll or disco tunes. Hey, Brad Paisley, there might be a line for a song about drinking there!

Hey Steve Pastor. Welcome. :)

Hick hop. Never heard of it, but I like it. :)

Back in high school, we had a long and philosophical discussion about the future of music in America. (I was a music major.) Back then, many moons ago, I had a theory that popular music would all converge one day. Okay, so I overstated things a bit. (What do you want? I was seventeen. :lol:) But it's pretty cool, IMO, to see people from lots of backgrounds exploring music from diverse genres. Pretty cool. :cool:

[Linedancer]

Hi, Pyg. lol I haven't been dancing much lately because I'm finishing up my master's degree but will graduate in May and will resume dancing my hiney off. I usually go to the Community Service Center but went to Jesse Black's saloon where Guyton teaches on Mondays. It's great!

[Steve Pastor]

I just looked at a new video to the song "Banjo Man" by Ryan Shupe & the RubberBand. You can see it at CMT.com. I doubt that I will ever hear it in a "country bar", but, if you are interested in the blending of musical styles, you might want to check it out. To me, the vocals, and the beat of the first 2/3 of the song are very hip hop sounding. And check the hand gestures and movements of the band. And then there is the blue grass. Cool! I wonder how would I dance to this one???

[dragon3085]

Well I live in San Antonio, which is near Austin, but even when I went up to Washington State, the country clubs played hip hop or pop music. In fact I think this is the only way they can in that 'critical mass' of patrons to be profitable. Remember that younger crowd tend to buy a lot of drinks or if they are underage pay a large cover. I've never seen any Country Club do a pure country music night and be very crowded.

Pat

[kayak]

I think they have the music mix down to a science. The goal is to keep everyone having fun in the club and buying beer without getting the women totally frustrated that there are not enough guys dancing.

Start the evening with some line dances to get some women there early.

Switch to couples dances so a collection of better dancers will come. Play just enough of these that the women sitting want to get out there dancing. Something like 1-1.5 hours.

Switch to 2-3 line dances. This keeps all the women at the club by getting them up dancing. Tons more women like the line dances than men. So the men all go get beers and it takes 2-3 songs for everyone to get served.

While the women are psyched up from being out line dancing, switch to a fast and exciting 2-step series. The women get the guys back out dancing and even encourage the guys who don't really know how to join.

Slow the music down to something very nightclub 2-stepish and give everyone a chance to rest and get beer. Slowly speed the music back up, the better dancers fill in the time with some amazing dances WCS dances.

Switch to hip-hop or other dance club music so the women stick around knowing that even if they don't have someone to partner dance with, they get to dance again.

After a few club songs, switch back to fast country 2-step to keep the energy level up. That way, people don't start going home too early.

[PasoDancer]

BillyBob's in Dallas/Ft. Worth played mostly hiphop when I was there.

... did I just admit to going to a redneck bar? Dammit. There goes the image. But they had good nachos.

[SuzieQ]

I think they have the music mix down to a science. The goal is to keep everyone having fun in the club and buying beer without getting the women totally frustrated that there are not enough guys dancing.

Start the evening with some line dances to get some women there early.

Switch to couples dances so a collection of better dancers will come. Play just enough of these that the women sitting want to get out there dancing. Something like 1-1.5 hours.

Switch to 2-3 line dances. This keeps all the women at the club by getting them up dancing. Tons more women like the line dances than men. So the men all go get beers and it takes 2-3 songs for everyone to get served.

While the women are psyched up from being out line dancing, switch to a fast and exciting 2-step series. The women get the guys back out dancing and even encourage the guys who don't really know how to join.

Slow the music down to something very nightclub 2-stepish and give everyone a chance to rest and get beer. Slowly speed the music back up, the better dancers fill in the time with some amazing dances WCS dances.

Switch to hip-hop or other dance club music so the women stick around knowing that even if they don't have someone to partner dance with, they get to dance again.

After a few club songs, switch back to fast country 2-step to keep the energy level up. That way, people don't start going home too early.
This sounds a lot like the place we go to dance...we get a little frustrated sometimes because they will play several club songs in a row, but if the floor isn't too crowded we can WCS to some of them.
I never thought of these reasons for the mix of music they play (other than the club music for the younger set)but it makes sense. I'm just thankful to not be one of the women sitting on the sidelines wishing I had someone to dance with! And I get tired of sitting on the sidelines waiting for the partner dances to start again--not really into "free-style" although I don't particularly mind the music, to a point--so we often will leave earlier than we planned if they play too much of it.

[Vince A]

This sounds a lot like the place we go to dance...we get a little frustrated sometimes because they will play several club songs in a row, but if the floor isn't too crowded we can WCS to some of them.
I never thought of these reasons for the mix of music they play (other than the club music for the younger set)but it makes sense. I'm just thankful to not be one of the women sitting on the sidelines wishing I had someone to dance with! And I get tired of sitting on the sidelines waiting for the partner dances to start again--not really into "free-style" although I don't particularly mind the music, to a point--so we often will leave earlier than we planned if they play too much of it.
ditto . . . Ditto . . . DITTO . . . couldn't have said it any better!

[kayak]

I suspect the bar has gotten what they needed from the better dancers by the time the club music set gets going. Alcohol replaces dance ability for most on the floor and I end up spending more and more of my leading doing traffic management so we don't get run over :)

[apostle]

Every C&W club has become a "sell-out" - playing hip-hop music to lure the crowds. Why not convert the country music and decor to a hip-hop format, like some clubs are doing? One can open a nearby small C&W bar nearby. Or offer C&W dance lessons before the party to bring more younger crowds to the floor when they play country?

[Steve Pastor]

A few years ago I had to fly through Houston, TX, and tried to find a place to dance CW while I was there for a day or two to sample Texas. (Sugar Land , TX shows up on the outskirts of Houston on MapQuest) I ended up spending a couple of days in San Antonio, where I danced at Far West Rodeo, because I coudn't find anything in Houston through the web.
After thinking about it I concluded that Dallas and Houston are big cities now. And there are probably way more people there that know only the urban experience. So, country western isn't as popluar as I thought it would be, even though it was Texas. (Please correct me if I've drawn an incorrect conclusion.)
Here in Portland, OR, which is a small city with lots of rural and ranch areas near by, we have a club that places country pretty much all of the time, at least until around 11:00. Hip hop isn't real big here, so we get a few old rock and roll standards.
Typically we get the following sequence: line dances, two steps, cha cha, Horse Shoe, waltz, a couple of songs for slow dancing (Night Club 2 step for those that know it). Start again with line dances. Throw in a schottische now and then.
We had one CW club that was sold, renamed and changed to a hip hop format. They had too many serious altercations and it has gone back to country western. And, we've had a "ballroom" go to a country format, and there are a few other "urban country" places now.
Then there was the Blue Moon Tavern north of Kalispell, Montana. They are so country, they don't even allow line dancing!
So, every place in Houston may have sold out, but there are places around the US that still play mostly country and western. Hope you can find some.

[apostle]

A few years ago I had to fly through Houston, TX, and tried to find a place to dance CW while I was there for a day or two to sample Texas. (Sugar Land , TX shows up on the outskirts of Houston on MapQuest) I ended up spending a couple of days in San Antonio, where I danced at Far West Rodeo, because I coudn't find anything in Houston through the web.
After thinking about it I concluded that Dallas and Houston are big cities now. And there are probably way more people there that know only the urban experience. So, country western isn't as popluar as I thought it would be, even though it was Texas. (Please correct me if I've drawn an incorrect conclusion.)
Here in Portland, OR, which is a small city with lots of rural and ranch areas near by, we have a club that places country pretty much all of the time, at least until around 11:00. Hip hop isn't real big here, so we get a few old rock and roll standards.
Typically we get the following sequence: line dances, two steps, cha cha, Horse Shoe, waltz, a couple of songs for slow dancing (Night Club 2 step for those that know it). Start again with line dances. Throw in a schottische now and then.
We had one CW club that was sold, renamed and changed to a hip hop format. They had too many serious altercations and it has gone back to country western. And, we've had a "ballroom" go to a country format, and there are a few other "urban country" places now.
Then there was the Blue Moon Tavern north of Kalispell, Montana. They are so country, they don't even allow line dancing!
So, every place in Houston may have sold out, but there are places around the US that still play mostly country and western. Hope you can find some.

I have gone to a Midnight Rodeo club in Katy, which is 16 miles north of Sugar Land. That place in San Antonio is now called Cowboys. Cowboys has attracted a more younger crowd, and ailenated older C&W purists. Texas pioneered C&W partner dancing, while line dancing is less popular here than in other states. C&W music and dancing did not had mainstream popularity since around the time "Urban Cowboy" (filmed at the famous now-defunct Gilley's Club in Pasadena, near Houston) came out. Changing demographics in the major cities caused many major C&W clubs (e.g. Billy Bob's in Fort Worth) to tinker its format. In some of more rural, homogenous areas, the C&W bars will likely stay true to the format.

[PasoDancer]

When did Gilley's close up shop?

[Vince A]

I forgot about this thread . . . .

This past weekend, I went to a local dance place/bar to watch my son and his band play. Now, they play really heavy, head-banger music, and - you won't believe this - during the band's breaks, a DJ played hip-hop music.

Now you ask, what's to believe?

Hell . . . half the crowd was 2-Stepping around the dance floor, and maybe 5 people were doing something that they thought was some other kind of dance!

Is that the "hop" saying that C&W music is really "hip," or what????????????

[apostle]

When did Gilley's close up shop?
Gilley's closed in 1989 following a management dispute between the club's co-owners singer Mickey Gilley and Sherwood Cryer. The club portion was burned down in an arson fire in 1990, but the rodeo arena stood until the Pasadena Independent School District just recently acquired virtually the entire Gilley's site and demolished the arena to make way for a new middle school. Today, only the former recording studio remians. The old Gilley's sign is displayed at a local restaurant, the Cowboy Ranch.

[dancergal]

Toby Keith just opened a country bar in Las Vegas. I think it was at Bally's on the Strip called "I Love This Bar." We stopped by for just a few minutes last month. It's a big bar and grill with a country band that plays nightly. The dance floor isn't very big and most people don't two-step but it was nice to see a country bar that wasn't playing hip hop.

[Steve Pastor]

And the latest entry in the hip hop influences country sweepstakes is...
Trailer Choir's "Off the Hillbilly Hook". See the video at CMT.com.

dancergal mentioned Toby Keith's "I Love This Bar and Grill" (Harrah's, I think). I have a great memory of being there with my mother and brother. My mom was sitting there boppin her fingers on the table top with a big smile on her face. There were showing videos and had had both old and new, Toby Keith and not. I read that Trailer Choir's "Off the Hillbillly Hook will be in "Beer for My Horses".

[Beto]

This thread reminded me of the HP iPod commercial from a few years ago. The original had just the CW line dancing and then the breakin' with the music choices switched. This one has that plus a few more. Think the first song is the best.

7dAVk-Fhcj4

[Steve Pastor]

I loved that ad!