You know what I'm talking about. The band that opened your ears to music and changed your entire life. Who was yours?

For me, it was Nirvana. My dad bought be Nevermind in January of 9th grade. I was preppy, into rap, and basically a cookie cutter wannabe cool kid. Nevermind was okay. Then I got Nirvana: Unplugged for my birthday in June, and that was it. Something clicked in me. By the time 10th grade rolled around, I had long hair, was wearing flannel, writing poetry, playing guitar, and had denounced the desire to ever be popular or cool again. I had every Nirvana album, book, poster, and t-shirt that was available for consumption. I'll never forget those days of listening to In Utero and Vs. on the bus to school. Ahh.

pearl jam

It was Nirvana for me too. I got into them sometime in '93 in the seventh grade. That whole album was almost the end to my stereo speakers back then.

wow that couldnt be any more like my story...so i wont bother writing it. it was unplugged that ultimately kicked my ass too. i had dozens of bootlegs and everything. tons of posters tshirts. long hair, the whole nine yards. while nirvana doenst hold the same value for me today, it changed my views on life and i am thankful for that. i think i am a better person today for having discovered their music and ideologies (and that of the whole genre that came from it)

KISS - i vividly remember fighting with my mother to let me stay at my uncles house cause he had hbo and kiss was on concert

I am the same way. I'm glad music was good in the early to mid 90's, because that is what shaped what I will like forever. I feel sorry for the people coming along today and seems like their only choices are Lindsay Lohan and Ryan Cabrera and all of this other mtv bullshit.

Nirvana, for sure. But much later than most of you got into them, I'm sure.

KISS was my first major band. I was 3 yrs. old at the time.

**Jay **

thats ok. your young. you would have to have been 5 when you got into nevermind lol...i dont know any 5 year olds THAT cool

Smashing Pumpkins in the third grade.

Hey, I've been 17 for 3 hours! But no, you're right. I wish I was that cool.

I've gone from being totally obessed (as in buying all the cd's of them I could get my hands on) over one band to the next... pretty much in a chain. Since 1997, it's gone like this:

U2 -> Pearl Jam -> Live -> Our Lady Peace -> Powderfinger -> Silverchair -> Matthew Good (Band) -> Radiohead -> Muse

And about once every six months I have a "revival" in one of these bands where I can't put down their stuff for two or three weeks, over-listen it to death, and that's it until the next "revival".

nirvana

Wu Tang Clan
Pearl Jam

pearl jam, and its a tribute to them that they're still one of my favorite bands even after my tastes expanded tremendously

Red Hot Chili Peppers, actually... I had been dipping my toes in the Smashing Pumpkins as well as Radiohead prior to that, but never to the same extent. I am not as crazy about the Chili Peppers as I used to be - perhaps due to too much listening - but I still enjoy them every once in a while.

I was a damn cool 5 year old, though. Or not.

REM, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam

REM has been my favorite band for as long as I can remember. I listened to them and rap a lot because I wasn't really into a lot of the 80's hair bands. Then 1991 happened. Smells like teen spirit completely turned my world around. I still remember the first time I heard it, I was blown away. Then Pearl Jam (my other fav besides REM) came out and I have been a fan since '91. Once I heard music from the other Seattle and "grunge" bands I was hooked. No more rap for me.