family band

 At some point during the pandemic we began listening to music during dinner, that quickly devolved into arguments over who got to pick what we listened to and general complaining about musicians we weren't individually fans of, so we set some ground rules. We have a family play list that everyone is invited to add songs to, each night at dinner we hit shuffle and we aren't allowed to skip songs or complain about which songs pop up. Even if Billie Eilish (for example, no shade for Billie) might not be your particular brand you can swallow it for 3ish minutes until the next one pops up and that has worked out incredibly well.

The unexpected benefits of this blending of our four individual tastes in music has been the conversations it has generated, not to mention the unexpected sing-a-longs. We often discuss the lyrics from the 70s, do they still hold up or do they read as pervy and inappropriate in today's climate. Spoiler alert, the verdict is inappropriate in a lot of cases. Sometimes the younger people in the group find the lyrics simply ridiculous, I'm looking at you Boys in the Bright White Sports Car, doesn't really stop us all from singing along while we chuckle though. 

We also spend a lot of time discussing stories in songs. The night we did a deep dive on The Coward of The County is a personal favourite of mine, what a song y'all. Ever really listen to the whole story? Nobody knew how to dial 911? Let's just all sit back and let this unfold the vigilante way? We also talk about the really beautiful stories and lyrics, for example all of Jim Croce's catalogue. Man, could that guy turn a phrase. Of course if I song comes up that is a new addition, we try and guess who added it and then talk about why they like this particular song or artist. 

Another unexpected benefit has been the kids discovering our favourites and loving them as well. We have generated new fans for The Beatles, The Tragically Hip, Jim Croce, and Elton John to name a couple off the top of my head. This is probably one of my most favourite gifts from the past two years.