On Friday night, I found my self at an event I could have never imagined attending in my life. Not for any particular reason, but it was an event outside of my taste. A few weeks ago, my friend texted me and asked if I wanted to attend a concert with her at the State Theatre on February 28^th. I figured why not, I mean it was going to be a Friday night and I needed a break from the week. Anyways, after I told her I would go to the concert, she said, “Awesome, the genre is ‘bluegrass’ “…my immediate thoughts, “What in the world is ‘BlUeGrAsS’?” I began to use this wonderful search engine called, Google, to educate myself about the style, origin, and history of “bluegrass” music. As it turns out, bluegrass music is traditional English, Scottish, and Irish ballads using banjos, fiddles, guitars, and other acoustic instruments. Reading about “bluegrass” music, I found that it was unlike any of the music I religiously choose to play. I have been playing Justin Bieber’s “Changes” album every moment since its release, and I can certainly say it is in a different realm than “bluegrass” music. Although out of my comforting J. Bieb’s vibes, I was not opposed to experiencing a new style of music.

February 28^th came along, and I met my friend at her apartment so we could walk over to the State College Theatre. When we arrived, there were a lot more people than I expected, however, none of them were fellow students. The majority of the audience were either middle aged or retirees. I was becoming more intrigued the closer the time got to 8 pm because this was a very out of the ordinary experience. Finally, the band “We Banjo 3” walked out on the stage, full of energy and vigorously strumming and fiddling their instruments. I had never seen anyone strum as fast as these 4 men. I was not quite sure how I felt about the music in the beginning, but by the end I found myself having a wonderful time with my friend and the people around us. The band seemed down to earth, genuine, and truly passionate about their music and each other as bandmates/brothers despite them touring around for the past 10 years. I have seen artists, usually the popstars, who see their life as an artist more like a job than a passion, and this can really be felt by their audience. We Banjo 3 encouraged audience engagement and talked about issues they wanted to bring into the light. The band donates a portion of their money made off of band gear such as t-shirts, hats, and albums, to foundations they feel passionate towards as a crew. We Banjo 3 provided me with more than a musical experience; they implicitly showed the audience what it is like to truly love what you choose to do with your life.

Despite my apprehensiveness to attend a concert genre outside of my comfort zone, I am really happy I went to the performance. There were a lot of positives I could take away from this experience. I discovered a new band I can listen to, I became enlightened to a different musical style, and I was able to make a memory with a good friend. All in all, I encourage everyone to do something outside of their comfort zone because you never know how it can shape you.