I'll admit to sort of being stuck in a time warp when it comes to my musical preferences. (Hey, you get over 40, that stuff happens.) But I still try to keep up on what's being played nowadays. Just not as much as I'd like.

The other night I was walking by the TV set during the tail end of Jay Leno's show and saw a band with a distinctive lineup: mandolin, violin, acoustic guitar and standup bass. That caught my eye. But what really grabbed my attention was the sound: fluid, intense, a bit haunting.

"Hey, this is pretty cool," I said to my son. "Who is it?"

He didn't know, but quickly looked it up.

The band is Nickel Creek, a name that sounded vaguely familiar. (Turns out to be a Grammy winner. Shows you how much I pay attention to that kind of thing.)

The first thing the next morning, I searched for the band on the Internet. Only I typed in "Nickelback." Oops ... that ain't them. Try again.

Anyway, I see where Nickel Creek has released three albums and been involved in some side projects, and I look forward to hearing more than just the one song on Leno.

I guess it pays to watch late-night television occasionally.