One beautiful thing about the Internet is how it allows great ideas to blossom by providing a hitherto unknown means of communicating and sharing them with others. Where before an artist needed a gallery, a movie studio, a publisher, etc. to share their ideas, now, with a little elbow grease and vision anyone can offer up their inspiration to anyone else willing to pay attention. It is an endlessly exciting dynamic and one whose true social impact is only partially becoming clear.
Which brings us to Knock & Rock, the brainchild of Kalen Egan, a filmmaker who is literally taking music door-to-door. The concept behind Knock & Rock is bands stroll a neighborhood and ask total strangers if they can set up in their house for an impromptu concert. It’s a simple, brave idea and the participating musicians, Egan and his partner at K&R Noelia Estrada execute the whole thing with serious charm and no little amount of artistry. Part of the appeal of the segments on K&R is the reactions of the people they play for and how they get involved in the music experience. It’s a happy reminder of when music was something people made in the flesh in real time instead of consumed as a finished, polished product. Spend a little time exploring the site’s archives and one discovers a wealth of sweet music made by sweet people engaged in bringing some surprise and song to strangers – a random act of kindness executed without randomness.
Here’s the latest installment from Knock & Rock with Radars to the Sky, and Kalen tells DI they are working on a number of segments captured at this year’s SXSW. We’ll be paying attention and so should you – a good idea like this deserves to be watered with proper attention and enthusiam.
