Sleepy Man Banjo Boys: Bluegrass virtuosity from … New Jersey?
How surprisingly frustrating, the TED video player refused to start for almost half an hour. I know this sort of thing happens (since my sketchy laptop overheats faster than a nuclear reactor) it just happens that the surprise that twists the knife.
For the past few days a thought had been doing laps in my head, in the way a lone marshall might have to leap up and down to grab the attention of a passing jet. Its become enough of a question that I have to bring it up.
Why don’t we support the artists we know? Why is it easier to promote work from third party individuals rather than someone who is local? (And to go into the far off tangent, bloggers?)
Is it because artists have a bad ‘rap’? That some artists live in a world of no rehearsing or preparation or forms of self control, yet some of these artists earn dollars way beyond the average? Or is it a form of contextual jealousy?
eg> I knew a person who loved a picture they found online, until they found out the picture was taken by another mutual acquaintance. That picture afterwards, in that person’s mind, changed and it quickly fell out of favor.
We should support artists (and writers, actors, singers) who create and put their work out in the world. 99.99% of them will not earn enough money to live off their artistic trade so whatever thumbs up they receive quite literally matters more.
The TED Talks support a wide range of artists and they vary in age and depth of recognition. And in terms of young prodigies, this band might fit the bill.
current number of views: 288,344
I love Bluegrass. There’s a local line dance enthusiasts group that play live music for their events and that’s where I had grown a fondness for it. (Both the line dancing and music) Mental note: Ted Talks about Line dancing <- does this exist?
Tommy, Jonny and Robbie are all under 16 and they’re virtuosos. Much to my second surprise, they’ve been on Ted Talks before.
It looks like their first foray was via TED@NewYork. It makes perfect sense that a great show should be repeated on the main stage. In the world of band culture, the rising level of venue is all of part of that game.
Support an artist and share their work, it’s a TED idea.
-ED
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