Community...

It's hardly surprising that people who share the same interests seem to gravitate towards each other. Wine aficionados probably start to see a lot of familiar faces after a few trips to the wineries. Dog lovers seem to meet the same people whenever they're out for a walk. That's what our little micro-communities do -- they bring us together in a common experience.
It's the same thing with the local music community. Whenever we can, we come out and support each other. We come to each other's shows; we meet at open mic nights; we talk amongst ourselves and find that we have other common interests; we help each other out if we can; we share information with each other; and sometimes, if it's needed, we'll even play in each other's bands!
Sure, it's kind of like a big social club. But I think it's a little more than that. In my little circle, I think that most of us realize we're not going to be rock stars -- we just love to play, and we want to keep doing it.
And we want our friends to keep doing it, too. That's what community is all about.