Discovering Music with Friends

I was first introduced to Ed Sheeran’s music more than a decade ago and immediately became a fan. The lyrics for many of his songs tell stories; some sad, others uplifting. Supermarket Flowers, written about his late grandmother’s illness and passing, was released a year after my dad died in 2016 and I appreciated how someone else put my feelings into words.

This week I finally got to see Ed Sheeran perform live at Milwaukee’s Summerfest and he did not disappoint. He stuck to more of his upbeat tunes, bringing on a fiddler and her band for another favorite song of mine, Galway Girl.

For his 2026 North American tour, Sheeran is joined by Myles Smith and Aaron Rowe. Smith, still a relative newcomer to touring, was discovered in the fall of 2022 from his music posts online. Just a few years later, a few of Smith’s songs are topping the charts, and tunes like Stargazer and Nice to Meet You had us all out of our seats, singing along.

Prior to the concert, I’d never heard of Aaron Rowe, and I’m assuming most of our readers won’t have either. But that’s what happens when an artist goes from busking and playing pubs in Dublin one fall to touring with a world-famous musician the following spring. We live more than an hour from Milwaukee, so I played a few tunes by Aaron Rowe on our drive up, and like Sheeran, his songs tell a story.  

While I drove to a neighboring state to see these performers last week, it can be easy to discover new music closer to home. The Saturday farmers market in my town regularly features live music, and Wednesday nights in summer the park near my town’s center regularly features new bands.

So, grab a friend, a picnic blanket, and let music do what it’s always done best; create a moment you’ll remember together. Big concerts are exciting, but many meaningful connections happen much closer to home. It’s just as thrilling to hear a local band play a cover song you haven’t heard for years but have always loved. And discovering a new artist with a bestie creates the sweetest memories of all.

Hey ma, I crossed the street today
I said hello to a stranger, but he walked away
I’m sendin’ love from a street where no one knows my name

Aaron Rowe, from his single Hey Ma