Secret Secret Jayce

A lot of my friends make music.

I don't know why this is. Ever since High School (when I hung around with Random Fit), it seems that somewhere in my social circle there is always some sort of a musician, usually a band.

The thing with having friends in bands is that you lose your perspective of whether or not their music is any good. They're your friends, they're playing a show, you're of course going to go, and if you don't already, you will soon like their music.

But then sometimes, even when I do like their music, I can't quite keep up with everybody.

Beware the Other Head of Science, Desperately Obvious, The Boston Celtics, Secret Secret Dino Club....Can we talk about the interchangeable band members?

Every now and then I get to a local show which involves one or two of these. Once a year I get to check out most of my friends at MillFest, which is always a treat (and moreso if you don't have bronchitis).

So today, I'm subbing in this high school, and my favorite student comes in. It's not that he always does his work to the best of his ability, it is just that he is so darn friendly. Everytime I see him he shouts: "Ms. Armstrong!!!" and runs over to hug me.

The class he is in is a science class with a lab, and the second portion is reserved for finishing something that most of the students have already done. My Favorite Student has his iPod out. Many other students do too, and cellphones. I'm not asking them to put them away because there isn't really anything for them to do. I ask MFS what he's listening to. He names a band I've never heard of. He comes over to me and asks me to name who I know. He starts going through his list of artists on his iPod. I say a name aloud when I see someone I've heard. I know this is absolutely ridiculous, but it isn't as though he is distracted from the thing he is supposed to be doing.

"Antsy Pants"
"Biggie"
"Cat Power"
"I've heard of Metro Station, but only because you told me about them"
"Passion Pit"
"Secret Secret Dino Club"

WAIT. WAIT.

At the same time we begin yelling at each other and shouting "WAIT YOU KNOW JAYCE?"

I try to remember why I know Jayce outside of mutual-Albany-friends. That is probably the best summation.

MFS tells me that he started listening to Secret Secret Dino Club when he lived in New Jersey (is that why he's so nice?), and saw him perform a few times, and eventually met him.

Perhaps these sorts of interactions challenge my guise of authority.

So I come home and start googling Jayce (TWSS). Did you know Secret Secret Dino Club got signed?

Man, I've really not been keeping up with anything. It's not as if it were a secret secret.