I won't give up on you (that easily)...

I'm a Capricorn, and one of the personality characteristics every girly and/or tabloidy magazine tells me I have is a strong sense of loyalty. I'm also supposed to be very practical, money-hungry, and determined. And I look best in earth tones.

I agree that I have a strong devotion to whomever or whatever it is I hold near and dear to my heart. I'm a long-term relationshipper, I don't make new friends that easily, and I once wore a Charlotte Hornets sweatshirt everyday for a year my sophomore year of college. And, up until about a year and a half ago, I proudly stated to everyone in the land that the Counting Crows were indeed my favorite band.

I lasted as long as I could, folks. I lasted way longer than most. I mean, I have a history with that freaking band. My junior high friend Angela's dad introduced me to August and Everything After and the two of us (Angela and I, not her dad and I) would listen to it in her basement. Teen angst at its best, let me tell you. I listened to Recovering the Satellites 45 times after our football team lost in the 2nd round of the playoffs my senior year. It was the perfect soundtrack to be played against scenes of crying 18 year old boys. And then I started seeing the band in concert. In fact, I saw them five times in two or three years. You were not gonna tell me that Hard Candy was a piece of crap. And once my interest possibly started waning just a titch, I met the lead singer Adam Duritz in NYC in the fall of 2004. We talked college football. My devotion had reached an all-time high. (Yes, he's quite portly...and no, his hair doesn't smell like manure).

And then Shrek. That damn green ogre. You all can guess what ultimately ruined it for me, can't you? I held on for as long as I could. And, I guess what triggered this whole posting is the fact that tonight, while dozing on the couch and waiting for The Office to come on, I saw the opening credits for some lame Seth Green sitcom, 4 Kings. And wouldn't you know..."Hangin' Around" is the themesong. The book just closed another 1/4 of an inch.

But in this day and age, we're all going to be faced with the dillema of when to give up on a favorite band more frequently than ever. Matt will still fight to the death for U2, and more power to him for it. (I say that now, and I mean it...but I've still given him a lot of shit. Catorce!) Kings of Leon, Oasis, and Razorlight...just to name a few...have had good songs in commercials in the past year. Are we all just gonna drop these guys and incessantly scour the depths of indie magazines and websites for bands that no one has ever heard of, particularly not Hollywood and/or Corporate America? That's just not me, mane.

I'm facing a similar issue with my (relatively) new number one: Ryan Adams and the Cardinals (formerly Ryan Adams solo, formerly Ryan Adams of Whiskeytown). I know what they say about him. Yes, the man writes 7,305,372 songs per day and comes out with 10 CDs per year. To you, I make a “W” with my two hands and place it on my forehead. So, it was Adam Duritz and the Counting Crows...now, it's Ryan Adams and proud of it, bi-otches. You can say all you want that it's quality not quantity, yada yada. I like what I like.

To honor my current favorite musical devotion, here is a Ryan Adams Top 5...or two...

Top 5 Favorite Slow Ryan Adams Songs (in no order):

1. How Do You Keep Love Alive?
2. Oh My Sweet Carolina
3. The Bar is a Beautiful Place
4. Dear Chicago
5. Come Pick Me Up

Top 5 Fast(er) Ryan Adams Songs (in no order):

1. Cheer Up, Chin Down
2. To Be Young
3. Answering Bell
4. Let it Ride
5. Touch, Feel, Lose