Mumford & Who?

Mumford & Sons

OK, I'm only slightly joking about the headline. . .I do know who Mumford & Sons are. However, I was a bit surprised last week when my Facebook stream became flooded with photos from the Mumford & Sons concert at Xcel Energy Center.

How did it get to be this way, with a band that I've hardly heard of selling out the X?

I think it's a combination of age (mine) and technology. I turned 42 this year, and I find myself listening to my favorite music on my iPod. I only occasionally listen to music on the radio. When I do, I don't usually hear songs from Mumford & Sons, but I sure hear a lot of P!nk and fun. For a lot of people, music evokes memories, and they listen to bands that were popular when they were growing up. Some people, however, are constantly listening to new music (I definitely used to be one of those people, having seen Pearl Jam at First Avenue on their first tour.). Perhaps I'm now "out of touch." (See accompanying video by Hall & Oates below.)

Technology has changed what we listen to, though. Using iTunes or Google, I can choose to be alerted only when new releases come out from my favorite groups. And Netflix, in providing recommendations, only suggests more of the same genre. For instance, fans of "Doctor Who" are provided "Torchwood" as a recommendation. Thanks to technology, we can just go deeper and deeper into the artists and genres that we like.

So to the Mumford & Sons fans out there, beware: as you get older, you still may be listening to Mumford & Sons instead of some hot new group because of the memories Mumford & Sons brought you today.