How I came to discover the music artists I love

It's funny how our awareness of certain artists only comes into being via certain people, places, or situations. I'll list a few of my musical journeys below.

In my early teens, while on summer vacation in Trenton, NJ, some kids down the street from my grandma's decided to play me every Chicago album they owned.

While growing up, I didn't own a music collection. All the music I knew I had heard on the radio. Since my parents weren't interested in listening to rock or pop stations (my dad had a proclivity for the most boring radio of the time - CJAD 800 AM), it wasn't until I got my first portable transistor radio that I started hearing the current music of the day. But of course, radio doesn't play whole albums, so I had to rely on my friends to introduce me to some of the rock greats of the late 1970s.
Styx. Supertramp. Alice Cooper.

My next door neighbours were metal rockers in the making (they would go on to play in Megadeath - not kidding). They introduced me to Queen. They even gave me tickets to one of their concerts they couldn't attend.

My friends and I made incessant fun of the Bee Gees and KC and the Sunshine Band, but (and I can't speak for them) I secretly loved them.

Once I had joined the military, I had the good fortune to deploy to Germany on an exchange program with the British Signal Corps. I went to Verden and met some great British lads. Their music was a real eye opener, as they were listening to stuff North Americans were oblivious to.
Jean Michel Jarre. Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark (OMD). Kraftwerk. Ultravox. Madness. The Human League. ABC. Kim Wilde.

Needless to say, those artists really broadened my horizons and when I got back to Canada, I was hungry for more music that was popular across the pond but hadn't yet made it over here. I befriended a music store employee in Kingston who was well aware of the European music scene and was introduced to The Eurythmics. Thomas Dolby. Yazoo. Howard Jones.

Thanks to the movie Hi Fidelity with John Cusack, I discovered The Beta Band.

My brother Bob made me aware of The KLF.

Thanks to the Peanuts cartoons during holidays on TV, I investigated the legendary Vince Guaraldi Trio.

Thanks to the movie Blade Runner, I checked out everything by Vangelis, including Jon & Vangelis.

While in a record store looking for anything new, I heard Delerium being played over the store sound system.

A student of mine in 2002 figured that if I liked Pink Floyd, I'd probably like Porcupine Tree. He was right.

John Sakamoto used to have a music column called the Anti-Hit List based in Toronto and he introduced me to a lot of artists I otherwise would never have know about.
Acoustic Alchemy. Afro Celt Sound System. Amel Larrieux. Au Revoire Simone. Bahamas. Belle & Sebastien. Black Box Recorder. Brazilian Girls. Caribou. The Cinematic Orchestra. The Dandy Warhols. Dread Zeppelin. Emiliana Torrini. Esthero. Fiona Apple. Ida. Josh Rouse. Massive Attack. Mum. Sara Bareilles. Super Furry Animals. Turin Brakes. The Like. The Flaming Lips. Quantic and subsequently Alice Russell. Nouvelle Vague. Muse.

John also made me aware of mashups.

My friend Gord introduced me to Shakey Graves.

David Letterman had The Heavy on his show once. That's all I needed. In his new Netflix show, I was introduced to Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real.

Aware of the amazing radio in Los Angeles, I began tuning in to KCRW online. That led to the discovery of Vampire Weekend. Timber Timbre. Tame Impala. Rhye. Portugal the Man. Haim. Dua Lipa.

I never would have heard of Kalle Mattson except that the trumpet player's dad is a military friend from way back.

The movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty introduced me to Jose Gonzalez.

A friend from Loose Moose made me aware of Father John Misty.

Lately, I've been checking out NPR's Tiny Desk concerts on Youtube. Daniel Caesar. H.E.R. Khruangbin. Lianne La Havas. Sister Sparrow. Tom Misch. Yissy Garcia.