This weekend I heard a song from ska band Goldfinger, who I haven’t heard from in a long time, release a new moving, fun ska-punk single about spiraling mental health with Blink-182 lead singer, Mark Hoppus:

Both of these groups started in the early 90s, but it is good to hear them together with a cool sound. Yet, this leads to another Blink-182 guest appearance. Pop punk rising stars The Paradox, who I wrote about a few weeks back, released a new single with Blink-182’s drummer Travis Barker. The title, “Bender” is self explanatory, and it motors! The video is hilarious, too.

See, this is the kind of collaborations I like to see. Old school meeting with newer groups work best not just when the older gens recognize younger talent, but when the new generations respect the sound that inspired them.

About three months ago, Billy Idol, who at 69 has been really making his presence known with his current tour, did a song with newer gen punker Avril Lavigne (who’s 40 now, if you can believe that). They put together a tribute to the birth of the massive punk movement that started in Great Britain in the late 70s.

Another good collaboration was featured on the John Wick spin-off The World of John Wick: Ballerina, featuring the gorgeous haunting vocals of Amy Lee and Halsey. Lee’s band Evanescence formed the year Halsey was born, but it is still very much the old emo rock Evanescence sound.

There is always going to be a disconnect between generations, yet there are some things that bring us together. Music, is one of those things, and when a bridge between two generations of artists who want nothing more than to create a great song meet in the middle, it’s a win for all generations of musicmakers.

And a treat for music lovers of all ages as well.