I can still remember the confused look on her face as I scrolled down the page. It was like watching a second grader open a Calculus textbook.

"What the hell is a Freezepop? Coheed & Cambria--isn't that somewhere in Polynesia? Oh, Iron Maiden! Like from Teenage Dirtbag, right?"

But a few weeks later, my friend was drumming along with Boston, growling out Metallica lyrics, and looking up the Yeah Yeah Yeahs on iTunes.

Rock Band and Guitar Hero get a lot of attention for their alternative uses. For instance, did you know those guitar games are actually getting kids interested in playing real music? They're helping to rehabilitate the handicapped, too. I'm sure somewhere out there, a scientist is desperately trying to figure out a way to solve global warming with a plastic guitar.

But lost amongst all of this press is the real power of Rock Band: the power to get your 12-year-old interested in The Who. ... Read more