It was great to see veteran rockers like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger, Tom Petty, The Who, Bob Dylan, and Lindsey Buckingham release great music in 2006. Throw in Cheap Trick, Jerry Lee Lewis, Paul Simon, Elton John, New York Dolls, Joe Grushecky, Neil Young, Dion, and Ray Davies, and it's hard not to call 2006 a banner year for the old guard.
As we've gotten older, so have the musical heroes of our youth. As witnessed by the above list, many of those artists are still releasing music that is exciting and vital. While it was great to see this kind of activity among the veterans, rock and roll fans, fans of the artists previously mentioned, have got to get behind the great music of younger bands like The Anderson Council, The Hellacopters, Kaiser George and the Hi-Risers, and The Charms.
While it's possible we'll be calling Springsteen's name and Dion's name at the end of 2007, heaping praise on their new music, it seems to me that we've got to pin our hopes on the younger generation of rock and rollers to make this a great year. I think the younger groups are up to it. The question is, when new releases by The Woggles, The Charms, and The Mooney Suzuki hit the stores, will we buy?
If you care about rock and roll at all, this is the year we have to work our backsides off to hear this music when it comes out and then cast our votes at the cash register. For those of you still uneasy about making on-line purchases, do what you can to get comfortable with buying over the internet. This year, more than ever, most of the rock and roll you're going to purchase will come from the web.
Hearing the music won't be easy either. Traditional radio is out, as they seem to be more interested in touting their new high definition signals than exposing the rock and roll world to new music. If you don't already have a satellite radio, make this the year to make that purchase. Both Sirius and XM offer a wide range of musical selections. I chose Sirius two years ago, and I haven't regretted the decision. It's where you'll hear the Underground Garage channel, our best connection to the new rock and roll bands making music these days.
It's still too early to tell if the relationship between the Underground Garage and Best Buy is going to be good for rock and roll fans. It looks good on paper; there are Best Buys everywhere. Since Best Buys are a bit less threatening to buyers over 40, this arrangement should make it easier for this crowd to wander out for the latest rock and roll music. If enough of us do this, it might make the independent retailers take notice too. We need them too.
I'm excited about the possibilities for rock and roll in 2007. We're going to have to work a little bit harder to get to the music this year, but our persistence will be rewarded. It's up to us to keep rock and roll from dropping out of our culture. Never before has being a fan of rock and roll come with such responsibility.
One of my resolutions for 2007 is to hold up my end of the deal. I hope you'll join me.
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