Rockin' On

Ever since I really started listening to music seriously, I've wondered how long I could stay hip, how long I could stay up with new bands and new sounds, how long I would be open to change. It seems, with very few exceptions, that everyone falls off the map eventually and clings to the bands from their past rather than embracing the new. I've attended my fair share of live shows, and it's very rare that I see someone who is clearly middle-aged. Most of the time everyone tends to fall into one of two groups: teenagers and twenty-somethings. The vast majority of contemporary indie rock audiences encompasses those groups. I guess rock and roll has always meant more for younger generations.

What is it about music that appeals to us so much when we're teenagers and later before we become the typical suburban adults? Rock has always been to some extent a revolution against the status quo and the music of the past. But I don't want to get into a lengthy treatise about rock and roll; I'll keep things more personal.

I have this fear that one day I will stop liking some of the music I currently love. I fear that the loud, driving, and often abrasive sounds will stop resonating with me, and I'll abandon a large portion of the bands and albums I listen to at this time. Without loud and urgent rock and roll I'd be left with the folky stuff that's all the rage right now (and often bores me terribly), and I'd gradually become a boring old man afraid to rock out. I'm not kidding; this really does terrify me.

Thankfully, that time has not come. My love for fist-pumping rock and roll was confirmed this past week when I started listening to the Constantines. I don't know why I hadn't listened to them before because they've been around a while and have four albums out. Anyway, I started listening to their self-titled debut album, and by the fourth song I was hooked. The singer doesn't have much of a singing voice, but it works so perfectly with their music. The song "Young Offenders" has become my current anthem. I've been rocking out to it in my home and car about as frequently as possible. I even plug in my electric guitar, turn it up, and play along sometimes. It's great fun. It's a terrific song, as are the rest of their songs. I'm quickly becoming a big Constantines fan. I don't expect everyone to love this band; in fact, I could see how people might not enjoy them, but for me, they are a great band and a reminder that I have yet to mellow out and lose the rock.