Fantastic news—the Illuminati have recognized the genius of your editor!

A representative from the group has contacted me by email and invited me to join their illustrious and powerful organization.

He promised me the “limelight of fame, riches, powers and security, [to] get recognized in your business, political race, rise to the top in whatever you do, be protected spiritually and physically . . . in a twinkle of an eye!”

Yes! Good fortune has come my way at last.

The Illuminati is, of course, very, very selective about those they invite into the society.

Now, I get a lot of spam, but I have become savvy at recognizing the bogus messages and scams. This smells totally legit in my book. I mean, this comes from joinilluminati1@outlook.com. Authentic.

I replied promptly with my bank account routing information, social security number and all sorts of other personal and business details so the group can better get to know me. Things are looking up for Bracken Mayo.

Those observing the local live music scene over the past couple of years may have noticed that a good chunk of the major shows are cover bands and tribute acts. On one hand, I get it.

I, and many other music fans, enjoy hearing the music of Tom Petty, Journey, The Grateful Dead, The Beatles, Sublime, Pearl Jam, Queen, The Allman Brothers Band, Hank Jr., KISS, Metallica, AC/DC, Fleetwood Mac (all tribute acts that have performed in the Murfreesboro area over the past few months) and all the greats of yesteryear.

It was also kind of cool, though, being a fan of an active band as the original group itself was releasing new material. That would be neat again—to be a fan of a major rock band that has a new album out and is playing concerts.

Can you name five rock bands that started after 2000 that you think someone else may have heard of? Can you name one . . . ?

Lars Ulrich / Metallica vs. Napster

Lars may have been right. The unfettered sharing of recorded music among fans may have helped lead to the demise of the rock ’n’ roll superstar.

Hey, I was there. I was one of them, burning CDs and downloading music all night long in the late ’90s. “Shut up, Lars,” we would say. “Don’t be greedy. You’re a millionaire. There’s plenty of money to go around. We’ll still buy concert tickets.”

But concert tickets skyrocketed, partially to compensate for the loss in revenue tied to recorded music. And many, who perhaps could have been a part of wonderfully creative rock bands for decades to come, just did not have a significant financial incentive to pursue rock music as a career.

Enjoy Tool and the Foo Fighters while they are still a thing. Popular music will continue to evolve, and there will surely be a wealth of creative people making all manner of art forever and ever. But, and this is not breaking news, the golden era of the rock band may have reached its peak.

Evidently, sharing photos of those with whom you disagree politically or clicking some funny emoji on a family photo of someone when you have no further logical or reasonable points to make has become a practice for multiple social media users.

Strange. I am not the biggest user of social media but I have seen this occur a few times recently—someone gets upset about a post another user makes and, instead of replying with words that make sense, shares the other person’s profile image or gets their friends to “laugh” at a family photo, like that is supposed to be hurtful or embarrassing or a good comeback or something . . . a bizarre practice. I do try and remain available and willing to talk through important social issues, and I hope most other Americans can do the same.