Up until I was 7 I just listened to whatever, didn't mean much to me. Mainly what my parents listened to but I remember loving the Backstreet Boys harmonies when I was 5, but I never pursued it.

At 7 I started getting more into music, mainly what my parents listened to because my dad had upwards of 800 cds. My favourites were Metallica, POD, Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath.

At around 9, I got really into metal, mainly old school metal but there were a couple of newer artists I loved. Some favourites: Pantera, Maiden, Fear Factory, Slayer (who I wasn't allowed to listen to so I made a point of listening to them. Up yours mom.), and Alice in Chains.

I stayed on the metal route until I was about 14, and I mainly rooted around in various metal subgenres as well as some alt-rock like Seether and 3 Days Grace.

At 14 I started going back and gaining a love for psychedelic and 60s music. Some favourite artists were Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Zeppelin, and Cream. Late in my 14th year, a friend showed me Frank Zappa's Inca Roads and that massively impacted my taste. I started digging around and trying to find crazier and crazier prog like him.

Through Hot Rats, I heard the name Beefheart, but it wasn't until I was 15 when I first heard TMR. Hated it. But I listened to Safe As Milk, got hooked, then decided out of the blue to lend TMR my ear and I never got it back. From there I explored the avant-garde territory and found John Zorn. No turning back now.

I started to really get into jazz, mainly free jazz at the hands of Albert Ayler when I was 16. From there I went headfirst and became a massive free-jazz and avant-garde lover. I also started listening to post-punk, modern classical, and industrial music. It was also then that I joined MB.

When I was 18, Goofle helped me out with demolishing my hatred for hip-hop and after a little bit I added hip-hop to the list of genres that I listened to.

Now at 20 I listen to a lot of avant-garde music and free jazz still, with a healthy dose of hip-hop, throat singing, folk, metal, psychedelic music, electronic, noise (I think I started getting into that at around 17), and blues, among others.

It's kind of hard to map out exactly when I started getting into different things, because after around 16, I really started to spread out my reach.

You got into music at 7 years old? I didn't give two craps about music until I was 11 or so.

Sure did, became an avid listener at seven and started playing at eight.

I didnt really start listening to music until my second year of highschool. I remember in junior high we had to do an assignment on our 5 favorite bands and I couldn't even think of 5. My 16 year old self wouldn't be able to fathom the shit I listen to now (or that I care about music at all really).

My first 12 or so years are basically the same as most other people. Listened to whatever was popular in the late 90's and early 2000's in the UK. Moving onto Hip Hop as Eminem became a huge star. I think the first music I started listening to which wasn't the same as everyone would be The Stone Roses. This led me to other British rock bands like Oasis, Suede, Smiths etc. when I was about 14.

At around 16 I moved onto listening to popular 'indie' bands like Kings of Leon, Cage the Elephant and The View through XFM, a radio station based in Manchester which was a favourite of my Mums. Looking back I was into this stuff for far too long, and I'm disappointed at how long it took for me to bother looking for other music that wasn't presented to me. Probably because I liked most of it (and still do). Though I did pick up a few greats like Doors, Stooges and others in the process.

So I think it wasn't until I was 19 that I looked for a site that would record my listening history. Of course that led me to last.fm.

The state of this: TomClancy11

Around 2010 I discovered theneedledrop who, to this day, is by far the biggest influence on my tastes purely by bringing attention to the world outside of popular music.

Gets Spotify, signs up to musicbanter. Rest is history.

theneedledrop has been a HUUUUUGE influence on me half the bands I listen to now I do because of him

This is my first visit to Music Banter and I can't think of a better thread to get started in than this.

Born in 1978.

My first memories of being enthusiastic about music were around 1985 when I got into the Oldies radio format. My formative years were spent listening to 50s and 60s rock and hating the music that was current. Eventually became an expert on the Beatles, my favorite band when I was 7, as was the case for most eventual pop music hounds.

1988 - Lightened up a bit about new music when I heard "Don't Worry, Be Happy" on the radio. Hey, I was a kid and that was basically a kid's song. But it did lead into my embarrassing 5th Grade M.C. Hammer phase.

1993 - Discovered Nirvana-era Alternative music. Really became a full-on grunge puppy. Worked my way back through 80s college radio like REM and Talking Heads. This is where I really started learning the history of rock/pop music. Eventually into the rock hits of my generation like Weezer and Beck and stuff like that. U2. Radiohead. Started learning guitar and formed various ill-fated bands over the years.

1995 - Beginning of my Britpop fascination. Oasis. Only kid in my small Texas town who'd ever heard of Blur.

1998 - Really turned away from rock radio again with the rise of crap like Limp Bizkit and Creed. Flirted with pop and electronica but really couldn't get into it. Spent most of the year listening to old Stevie Wonder records. Started going my own way.

2002 - Felt the garage rock movement, while pretty good, was too little too late.

2004 - About the time it sunk in that I'd never be a rock star. Checked out from keeping up with current events in music.

2009 - Realized how little hip-hop I actually listen to. Started actively trying to trace down hip hop and R&B I liked.

I've spent the last decade listening to a little of everything. I'm likely to dig out an old Byrds record as I am to listen to Jay Z. I recently went through a phase of listening to old 60s girl groups, for instance. I went through a period where I mostly listened to Outsider music. I'll put on Debussy and my newborn baby seems to love Django Reinhart style jazz. Generally, I'd say I'm an expert on pop music from 1956 to 2000. Since then I'd say I'm fairly well versed but not necessarily an expert. There are Kanye West records I've never heard. I'm not that big on the Strokes or later Radiohead.

Anyway, glad to be here.

^
You sound like you're going to fit in well; your taste isn't too bad. Welcome.

Get that kid a guitar. Stat!

Just please keep evolving. Don't be one of those people that lets their taste for musical exploration die out or freeze around a certain time period. The only time my roomie listens to music is when he is on a road trip and when he is in a mood, he will break out the same REO Speedwagon tape every time. I had a boss who had Styx Grand Illusion welded into his tape player because it reminded him of high school, the BEST time of his life. Most people don't give a ****e about music past the age of 25. Me, since I turned 50, I've been listening to nothing but Thrash Metal and Gangster Rap. You never know where your musical evolution might take you, but you need to keep stoking the fire. If everyone was a music nut, I think the world would be a better place...