I watched a very interesting documentary last night. It was called "Give Me The Banjo" and it gave the history of, you guessed it, the banjo. I haven't always been a fan of the banjo, but I can tell you the exact moment I did. I was at a Dave Matthews concert when I was in highschool and the opener was Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. I had no idea who they were when they came out on stage, but when they started playing, I was blown away. One song that sticks out in my memory was "Hoe-down," a bluegrass version of Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man." Amazing does not even begin to describe it. This was a turning point in my appreciation for the banjo. Before it was just another instrument, but hearing Bela Fleck play, made it come alive.

I love sharing music, that is one of the reasons I started this blog. I feel that you shouldn't keep your favorite music to yourself, but should go out of your way to introduce others to it. No matter how weird or obscure or even mainstream it is. Your taste in music is one of the things that defines you as a person. This is one of the problems I have with hipsters. They feel music is their sole domain and if you don't already have an encyclopedic knowledge of music, talking to you is a waste of time. I tend to get incredibly frustrated whenever I ask a person what their favorite band is or what they are listening to and they respond with "It is really obscure, you probably haven't heard of them." It is a very selfish, condescending view point to have. First of all, that person has no idea if I have ever heard of whatever band they are talking about, or what type of music I listen to. Secondly, if I haven't heard of them, you should be psyched to introduce someone to your favorite band and add to their musical education. I was talking about concerts I have been to with a friend at work and when I mentioned Flogging Molly. She said she hadn't heard of them, and instead of ridiculing her, and discouraging her from talking to me about music, I immediately started telling her about them and which songs she should check out. Introducing someone to my favorite bands one of my favorite things in life. So the next time someone asks you what you are listening to, tell them. And if they have never heard of the band, educate them.