Musical Journey: 6-12th grade

6th Grade I think is the year when I really began paying attention to music. Before the days of portable CD players and long before iPods, I was on a flight listening to the pre-programmed alternative rock station. I remember that I fell in love with one of the songs on the playlist, and this was it:



7th grade was the year of Nirvana (and some Pearl Jam. In one of my star-struck moments, I wrote a love-letter to bass player Jeff Ament. No joke. I even enclosed a portrait that I drew of him in one of his floppy little hats).



8th Grade will be forever known as the year I became exposed to pop-punk. Lookout! and Epitaph records were hard to come by and required trips to Columbus's Magnolia Thunderpussy record store on High Street.



9th Grade. Still heavy into pop punk although Lookout! bands seemed to be more my style at this point. This was also the year in which I purchased a record player. Operation Ivy's 'Energy' was on heavy rotation.



10th Grade was when I moved cross country to Phoenix. I also acquired a Ramones album.



11th grade I believe is when I became obsessed with the Donnas. A natural segue from the Ramones. This record (dubbed to cassette) practically fueled my way to the guitar store when I turned 16 to make my first instrument purchase. A TG Tanara...for those unfamiliar with generic Japanese guitars, the Tanara was modeled after the Fender Telecaster.



12th Grade: Don't get me wrong..... I was still into the Donnas big time. I was also heavy into picking up 7" from random girl fronted bands like the Rondelles and the Budget Girls. However, more significant to my current musical collection today, is the fact that 1997/1998 was the year that I became obsessed with the Smiths.