Do you think your geographic location has shaped your musical preferences?

Question

Yes or no? and why?

Deke.. A fellow southerner.. I had no idea.

Answer 1

I grew up in a small Pennsylvania town (population 2000) that was a bit of a cultural vacuum. I tend to relate to some of Trent Reznor's comments about life in small town Pennsylvania - basically not bad places to live but as a teenager there's very little to do and TV becomes your window onto the world.

I grew up listening to country, then top 40 in middle school, then alternative in high school and beyond. I was lucky to live just barely within range of WHFS, the alternative station out of DC/Baltimore. I was able to discover more interesting bands via the radio and through some of my like-minded friends. As the proverbial square peg in a round hole in high school, it was a relief to get to college and find more people who shared my musical taste.

Since then, I've always lived in or near a major metro area, which makes it easier to browse music stores. But I will say the internet has had more impact on me in the last 10 years than geography. It's much easier to find music that I like now, via Amazon, Youtube, and internet radio. Oh, and Yahoo Answers!

Answer 2

It has to at some extent. I was born in a farm in the middle of no where in China, so i didn't have much music till I moved to teh US, and even then I was alone. I had to pick through all the mainstream pop stuff to find classic rock and prog rock. I started listening to rock mainly cause of the Indie scene in New York. If I hadn't been in New York, I would have never found out about so many great obscure bands and if I grew up on music, I might acually listen to whatever my parents listen to.
I don't think NYC shaped my prefernces, but it defenitly helped me discover what I like.

Answer 3

Perhaps in the 90's with the flood of awesome music we had here. However, I know I would have loved Smashing Pumpkins, Urge Overkill and Veruca Salt no matter where they came from. Still, there was a lot of pride in the fact that they were "our" bands. Also, with WaxTrax here, the love for industrial music was always there.

Now if that were the case today, I would likely have the A-line haircut, be all whiny, dressed in black attire and far too busy slicing and dicing to be here with you all typing. This is now the home of FOB and The Plain White T's.

Answer 4

To a certain extent, I think so.

I've lived in the South my entire life, and my tastes lean towards The Allman Brothers and the Black Crowes. Now, by the same token, I'm not at all a fan of R.E.M. or Widespread Panic, but they don't have the southern-tinged sound that the aforementioned bands do. I don't know if I would have the same appreciation if I'd grown up elsewhere. But, who knows...?

Answer 5

I don't think so.

I live down in Texas and I have yet to give in to country. And even though Texas supposedly has an avid "underground rap" scene, I don't listen to that either. I listen to loads of classic rock (and I despise Journey, unlike other Texans, for some reason) and love metal and alternative and acoustic and hardcore....

Anyways....

I think I was born in both the wrong state and the wrong decade. Sometimes I think I should have been born during the 70s. If not then, then in the upstate areas... lol.

Answer 6

i'd say yes, espically in the last 10 years. i've been living in a small town in va and the radio stations up here are about 2 years behind most big cities. they pick up the biggest songs, but most of the really good stuff takes forever to get played. so it's harder to keep up with music. if it wasn't for the internet, i would be very far behind and not know anything about black stone cherry or lynam or much at all about hinder and buckcherry because the radio only plays 1 song from each of them.

Answer 7

My music preferences are quite vast and have been for as long as I can remember, from buying Ravi Shankar albums in the 70's to listening to French sung metal in the 80's and beyond that even more obscurity.The world of music is my playground.

Answer 8

In part, yes......

I was born and raised in the Boston area, full of musical talent (and not just from Berkley College of Music). Just as with our sports teams (yes, I am part of Red Sox Nation and a fierce Pats fan), we are ever loyal to our musical exports, more or less.

The Boston music scene is very rich and diverse and over the years has exposed me to a range of music.........hardcore punk (Gang Green, SS Decontrol, DYS), Rock/Metal (Rob Zombie, Kill Switch Engage, Staind, Godsmack, Powerman 5000), Punk & Ska (Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Ducky Boys, Dropkick Murphys) and everything else in between (Pixies, Lemonheads......)

Answer 9

Absolutely - it's been a strong factor in the evolution of my musical preferences. Aside from the fact that I was a teen during the (ugh!) "grunge" explosion, Seattle is almost relentless about getting the local rock bands heard.

Basically, it was unavoidable but thankfully most of it was really good music.

Answer 10

I live in the dirty south and I did like me some Skynyrd , Molly Hatchet, and 38 Special but I was also into everything as far away as Scorpions , Rush , Triumph , and AC/DC. Loud guitars have a way of creating one big culture.