I find it a bit harder to have an intense conversation with just one person if they are not "on my wavelength" or share common interests, e.g. talking to arts minors/majors while I'm a techie who appreciates artistic things but my mind much more easily blanks when talking to "normal" people or non-techies who don't happen to be tv-show-junkies.

I think the bigger problem is getting to "walking off like we were life long friends"... In groups, I can talk or join in a conversation with some tidbits and I can almost always get people to laugh, I think I'm generally friendly and I never put people down or make any rude comments, they smile and laugh... then at the end nothing ever really comes from it. It's a pleasant past-time of a bit of small talk but nothing like "life long friends" in 10 minutes or 3 hours.

I dont know what I'm doing wrong. Even people I know for a while, I offer them rides to and from concerts for bands we both like, it's a nice evening, then nothing follows up on their part, nothing comes of it... they dont think about me when they go out with their real friends. They all have rich circles of friends while I'm new in town and country and they do absolutely jackshit nothing for me, ever, in this regard. I have not once been asked if I want to grab a beer by people I have repeatedly invited over to my practice space to spam and driven to/from concerts for pretty much free.

I dont know what I'm doing wrong. But I can honestly say I do not know a single person who offers me as much as I offer other people. I know it's not supposed to be an exchange or a competition but if you always give and never get anything back, you start to wonder...