Without Tradition, Art is a Flock of Sheep.

¹eclec·tic

 adjective \e-ˈklek-tik, i-\

: including things taken from many different sources

Not too long ago, one of my brothers and my father took a road trip to D.C. and back. Having gotten bored of the radio selection, they found a case of mix CDs in the glovie. My mix CDs, ranging in years of creation from 07 to present.

Apparently they had a good time listening to them, because the first words out of their mouths upon their return home was "gee, you sure have eclectic taste in music, don'tcha?"

Well, I guess so! I wittily(?) retorted that I just have really good taste in music. Looking at my current spotify playlists would surely drive even the most experienced music-taste analyzer mad, because honestly, it even takes me a while to realize why I like most of these songs - ranging from showtunes to punk rock, folk rock to Disney tunes. I could go on for hours about each genre and what I find appealing, you don't want to hear a blow-by-blow description of that, so I'll focus on just one.

Lately I've been definitively into folk music again. I grew up listening to quite a bit of folk music, cutting my teeth on Tennessee Ernie Williams and the best of Boston Irish music (on vinyl, mind you!).  I really have to thank the hipsters for bringing my favorite genre of music back into favor with the majority. I feel my heart beat faster when "Cups" or any Of Monster's and Men song pops up amidst the fray.

Culturally, I'm predisposed to loving this sort of music. A fiddle sings to my soul and sets my feet a-stompin'. When the Irish immigrated to Boston in droves, they brought quite a bit of their music with them, and for years, the quiet night was broken by the sound of jigs and reels every time a dance hall door was opened. Clear out the chairs and table, stick a fiddler in the sink, and bam! you had a Boston Irish Party.

(The Dropkick Murphy's continue the Boston Irish music tradition, albeit with a lot more screeching.)

However, may I pose a question? How many people do you know under the age of thirty that know all the lyrics to the MTA song? You know the one - poor ol' Charlie! Why couldn't his wife just give him that damn nickel? She clearly didn't want him back anytime soon... Not too long ago, a musician at any pub in the greater Boston area was guaranteed a sing-a-long just by playing the first few bars.

Most people my age barely even know why a CharlieCard has its name.

Now before you say that "its an old song", "no young'uns know any old songs", "no one knows all the words to anything" "it was before your time", go and hum the first few bars of Don't Stop Believing to a group of fifth graders and see where that gets you. They know all the words. Every word. Do you know why? (I do!)

Glee. As much as I hate to say it, Glee has become a way of passing down music from the past and making it new and relevant to younger generations. Aside from the Dropkicks, there don't seem to be any bands intent on keeping on the traditional Boston music. (If you know of any, let me know, because I want to listen). I'm incredibly excited about this movement within music, folk music, both new and old, deserve a place within our society. We need to preserve the songs of old, and renew them for the generations of new.

So the next time Frank Turner, Sufjan, The Lumineers, Guster, Mumford and Sons, or any of their brethren appear on my mix tape next to Green Day and the Backstreet Boys, I'll happily take the compliment of eclecticism!