How did you first find out about your favourite band(s) ?

[hatchetman]

Man, I have no idea how old I was when I first heard my favorite bands. My older sister listened to all types of music and I felt cool hanging out with her whenever she was blasting music. My musical taste is broad and extensive and I've seen many of my favorite bands live.

[Terorero]

I could say that my all time favourite artist is Italian singer Alexia. Her first solo single was released in 1995 and I was like ok, sounds quite good. Then 1996 came the next two singles. "Summer Is Crazy" blowed my head and I was like damn I really want to hear more. Then came the second single of 1996. It was called "Number One" and after that I've been following her career and have had a the pleasure to meet her many times.
I could say that one thing that catched my attention was the fact, that she has an amazing voice, if thinking about the fact that she started with dance music. There's really something in her voice and I think, that it has been the key, why I've kept following her even though her music style has changed during the years.

I have to add something to make fun of myself. Of course it did help that I was 16/17 when Alexia started her solo career and you know that beautiful women turn the heads of young guys

[hatchetman]

Just wanted to come back in and add something. A lot of bands that I like now, I found out about them because of some controversy surrounding them or a bunch of people criticizing them or something like that.

[SteveO]

You are lucky to have seen many of your favorite bands live ! Who were some of them, Hatchet ?

Man, I have no idea how old I was when I first heard my favorite bands. My older sister listened to all types of music and I felt cool hanging out with her whenever she was blasting music. My musical taste is broad and extensive and I've seen many of my favorite bands live.

[SteveO]

...and old guys too..when my wife isn't with me....lol

I have to add something to make fun of myself. Of course it did help that I was 16/17 when Alexia started her solo career and you know that beautiful women turn the heads of young guys

[hatchetman]

Just wanted to come back in and add something. A lot of bands that I like now, I found out about them because of some controversy surrounding them or a bunch of people criticizing them or something like that.

All right, so I'm not proud of liking her and she's not a favorite anymore, but I did like Willa Ford. I started liking her because even before she came out with a CD she had the whole internet hating her because she dated a Backstreet Boy. She turned that into a career.

Lana Del Rey. She is a favorite. I heard of her through articles posted on Facebook about indie bloggers trashing her.

Kerli. Love her. Heard a lot about her because of people claiming she ripped off Lady Gaga ... even though Kerli was doing her thing a good five years before Gaga even started.

I know there are more, but can't really think of many right now.

[CraigCyril]

I want to hire best band of Australia in my wedding party, but I am unable to judge who is best. Need help.

[SteveO]

Wow that's a tall order ! If you can get them ....AC/DC !!!...lol...however they're probably not available and they'd charge you millions if they were !!!...lol

I want to hire best band of Australia in my wedding party, but I am unable to judge who is best. Need help.

[Music Head]

Wow that's a tall order ! If you can get them ....AC/DC !!!...lol...however they're probably not available and they'd charge you millions if they were !!!...lol

lol
that would have been my pick
might have to settle for Little River Band

[pachubatinath]

My favourite band are Cabaret Voltaire.

I first heard of them when I was, probably, 16 or 17 because I was a NIN freak and whenever I looked up 'Industrial music', it just had pictures of Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire (and sometimes Neubauten).

I remember not knowing much or being able to find out anything about them and that being really frustrating for me. Everyone always cited them as 'an influence' or 'seminal' but their records were NEVER in the shops!

When Mute released a Single collection of their early, Rough Trade stuff, I remember finding it in a second-hand shop and my girlfriend buying it for me because I couldn't put it down (the cover was a great stone-grey, with odd mysterious textures and a totally oblique, cold presentation).

The Singles collection didn't inspire me: Nag Nag Nag, yes, and Yashar, yes and Silent Command were 'nice' and weird and cool, yes. But the whole thing didn't really get me going...I didn't 'get it.'

I ordered, maybe a year later, their 'Red Mecca' album after DJ Mag did a feature on them and recommended it as their best album. I recall being into EBM and KMFDM style industrial and hoping this was an old-skool slab of that kinda stuff. Alas, no, it was murky, cloudy, kraut-inspired post-punk which, again, I didn't get.

This went on for about 5 years...I picked up every bit pokey vinyl and every second-hand unloved CD from this band in an attempt to 'get it'. Eventually, while listening to Microphonies for the 100th time (and being, admittedly, a bit stoned) something just clicked. The way the tracks had little, barely detectable segues, little overlaps and burps of sound...the way every track seemed haunted by some data goblin, some media-panic-rash...the way that the band pretended not to notice, or, were this panic's cheerleader. I remember picking up a magazine cutting I'd collected and reading: "looking at the camera but speaking in tongues" as a description of CV. It was perfect -that was the moment when I sort of realised they were my favourite band and not just that, a kind of profound research project that continues to this day. Despite knowing every damn detail, they're still a mysterious, unfathomable band who continue to amaze and baffle me to this day.