Board Thread:Misc/@comment-4059927-20151119044913/@comment-26358727-20151119050422

Honestly, I grew up with all sorts of musical influences as a result of my family - and I thank them so much for that because I don't know where I would be without it. Music influences my writing almost 100%, so without the constant creative boost from music, I probably wouldn't even be writing at all.

My mother dominantly listens to classic rock, which I've been hearing dominantly since my parents split up. Artists like Pink Floyd, The Eagles, Def Leppard, AC/DC, etc. However, my father played a lot of new country before that, so I a lot of the 1990s new country is very comforting for me nostalgia-wise. Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Brad Paisley, etc. I will never understand why some people turn away from country as a whole; it's such a down-to-earth genre of music.

Similarly, my grandparents on my mother's side turned me onto old country, too. Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Tex Williams, Patsy Cline, etc. - a lot of it was fun as a kid, but I've really come to appreciate it due to that exposure when I was very young. On my father's side, I heard a lot of the old pop and doo-wop music in my grandmother's garage. Artists like Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, The Beatles, The Hollies, The Coasters, Dion and the Belmonts, etc. As a result of being exposed to my grandparents' tastes in music, I'll listen to anything from classical (like Mozart) to modern hip-hop (like the Wu-Tang Clan).

In more recent years, I've also branched out on my own and I've really taken to broadway. I like theatrical shows - live theatre - and alternative acts like Celtic Thunder a lot. I just have a real appreciation for all forms of music, even though I'm not musical myself, as I truly believe that they inspire me to explore my own creativity.