Even Your Favorite Music Artists Have To Grow Up....

So I was doing one of my favorite things today- browsing through iTunes- when I remembered that in two recent TV shows I could have sworn I heard a couple of my absolute favorite artists: Rocky Votolato and Patrick Park.

Now, I have never owned tons of their music, but I desperately love each and every track I have bought; and it was with great sadness that I waited one year, two years, and then three years to get some brand-new music (even though they released stuff in the meantime, I never seemed to be on the right bandwagon to tune in).

And they BOTH have released new albums within the past six months- and Patrick Park even had a song featured on the season finale of Grey's Anatomy! And you know what? I previewed both new albums on iTunes, and they ROCKED!!!

I haven't bought the whole albums yet- part of me remembers that I only bought a few songs originally (but as I also know, it can take me a few years to warm up to an artist- take Spoon for example- that took me almost four years to really decide I loved them, and now I can't help but love every song they release). Another part of me fears how I will now perceive these two artists- originally I had my wonderful little view, unmarred by any sub-par tracks and was simply some fave picks for the lazy nights... but now I'm going to have a full picture of what they sound like.

Will I remember how it felt to hear that first song by them? Or will it just be lost in the throng that I will soon possess? Will I get the same sense of nostalgia when one of their songs plays- especially since both artists were discovered in the France year, which always makes me insanely nostalgic anyways? Or will that all change.

Part of me wants to run to my room and listen to all the songs I first owned, just to capture that feeling one more time; but part of me is excited to plunge forward to see what comes next. A pretty good metaphor for growing up and living your life, right?

It makes me realize that I'm not the only one that has to grow up- everything that influences your life keeps growing up and moving forward; I can't let myself fall behind, now can I? But I can take a moment in homage of the first time I heard those golden chords.

(Side note- Just heard a Patrick Park lyric that said: "Oh, it's time to let go of everything we used to know/Ideas that strengthen who we've been/It's time to cut ties that won't ever free our minds/From the chains and shackles that they're in." Pretty perfect, if you ask me)