Discovering innovative indie music and eclectic underground bands is something I thoroughly enjoy doing online in my very limited spare time. I think that (without too much self-analysis) I somehow find some reassurance that there is still sincerity and originality in this world; a world that is often portrayed as being pre-manufactured and focus-group tested.

Sites like 3hive and elbo.ws are faves of mine to scour for new sounds.

I remember (ahem) "back in ye olde 1981" knowing only one other person who even knew who The Cure were, let alone Depeche Mode. That's right. 1981. Sex Pistols, Dead Kennedys, Devo... MTV was 1 year old, and we stayed up late and watched it all night long. How long has it really been since you have heard someone say the words "New Wave?"

These days, I, and other idfivers enjoy WTMD, a radio station out of Towson University just outside of Baltimore. They really do a fantastic job of balancing groundbreaking new artists with older "nostalgic" music (am I really saying that?) At any point you can hear something brand new, or something you completely forgot that you loved.

A month ago, that was where I first heard the song Again and Again by The Bird and The Bee. I knew I wasn't the only one, but I still thought that at least I was an early adapter. I scraped some sites and managed to pull together a montage of .mp3s to share with some friends and coworkers.

Tonight, I was surfing through the television and stopped on the Tonight Show. The Bird and the Bee were the musical guest. I was instantly happy for them and at the same time saddened.

Then I started to think... Why would I want a talented group of people to remain a secret or undiscovered? It didn't make any sense, and it certainly has nothing to do with me. Was it because they could be considered mainstream by appearing on Leno? Or was it because I use undiscovered bands as a tool to position myself as "in the know," and can't once they are accessible.

Here is what I realized.

That way of thinking in this day and age is antiquated. In the age of information, (almost) everyone has access to (almost) everything. No one at this point can dispute the coolness of iPods. Nor can anyone dispute their ubiquitous presence. I sometimes find myself surprised when someone doesn't have one. Ultimately, the iPod is a delivery mechanism, and no matter what latest and greatest model/version you have in hand, the content is what should matter.

Good music will always be good music, regardless of what device you play it on, or who has access to it.

So go check out Inara George and The Bird and The Bee. I'm happier to be a connector, instead of a concealer.

Labels: culture