When I was in middle school and early high school, I listened to whatever was popular, regardless of genre or, well, quality. If someone asked me what kind of music I listened to, I would say "whatever's popular" like a middle-aged person trying to fit in with a group of local "youths". To be honest, it was hard to genuinely relate to my peers at that age musically. When I received my first MP3 player in the second or third grade, it was mostly comprised of my dad's music. This means lots of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Weird Al Yanchovic, Journey, Dave Matthews band, etc. Real "Dad" stuff. The only way I figured that I could relate to my peers was to start listening to their music. While at first I wasn't impressed, I knew it was my only in to middle school culture, so I bit the bullet and forced myself to listen to 50 Cent, Kelly Clarkson, and whatever else was on the Top 100 charts. Anyways, it wasn't until my sophomore year of high school that I found my place in the music world. In my chemistry class, I was forced to sit at a table with complete strangers. One of these strangers was, for lack of a better monicer, an "emo". I had never seen one up close. She looked nice enough, so we talked about how much we already hated the class, on the first day of school. Now, five years later, we've been best friends ever since. Because of her, I have branched out from my original "tastes" toward music that means things to me and makes me feel good and whole.

1. twenty one pilots

These boys are my absolute number one. I remember the first time I ever listened to them. I was sitting in my high school art room with my aforementioned emo friend. I suggested that we listened to "her" music, mostly because I didn't think that she'd like mine. The first song out of the speakers was "Car Radio", one of twenty one pilots' most popular songs. The first thing that I noticed was how it wasn't pop-y. It was mellow and had a nice piano line in the background. Then, came the lyrics. They were an interesting metaphor that I had never heard in the musical form. It was a hopeful but foreboding narrative of Tyler, (the lead singer in the two man band), contemplating his own mortality and mental instability whilst driving in a silent car. Next came the screaming. While it at first worried me, it was oddly calming, so I rolled with it. When the song ended, I wanted more. I asked my friend who the artist was, and from that day forward, they have been my all-time favorite band. I have seen them live once and will hopefully see them many more times.

2. Panic! At The Disco

Like with most things, one thing leads to another, then another, and another. Finding twenty one pilots and dedicating my time into learning all I could about them led me to other bands, mostly that were on the same record label or on similar ones. Panic! was actually a band that I knew about prior to my musical awakening. One of their songs was featured on either Rock Band or Guitar Hero, so after playing it many times on the game, I bought it on iTunes. Many years later, I looked into the rest of their discography. It turned out that the rest of their music was even better than the single I had listened to hundreds of times in my youth!

3. Walk The Moon

While these guys are a little less "hardcore" and the previous bands, I still managed to get myself hooked. This was of the first bands that my friend and I ever mutually liked before we had met. I liked how they were still close to the pop-rock that I was used to, but were also a little more alternative, (a genre that I became quite enamored with).

4. Jack's Mannequin, Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness, Something Corporate

All these bands are led by the same brilliant man; Andrew McMahon. I originally only listened to these bands because Andrew was co-headlining for a band that I was seeing live with my friend. Not wanting to look like a dingus, I dedicated my free time to memorizing every word of every song on his setlist. It was odd to me that he was involved in so many bands. I looked into his life and what I found struck a musical and emotional chord with me. Andrew used music to get through an extremely difficult time in his life. His band, Jack's Mannequin, finished recording their debut album "Everything In Transit" the same day that Andrew was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. Now, eleven years later, he has a beautiful wife and young daughter, and a successful career both trailing behind him and laid out in front of him. He is living proof that music is a powerful healing force. Not to mention, his songs all have beautiful messages about pushing through and improving yourself carried across on interesting rock-pop melodies.

5. Ninja Sex Party

Yes, their band name is funny. Naturally, so are their songs. Danny Avidan and Brian Wecht are an unstoppable comedy-music duo that makes me laugh hysterically and also connects with my inner musician. After many years of listening to Weird Al Yanchovic with my dad, I was ready to see what else the world had to offer for genuine comedy in a musical form. The only reason I was able to find NSP was because my cousin showed my the Let's Play, YouTube channel, Game Grumps. On a late night at his house, we listened to Danny and Arin's commentary as they played "Sonic Boom", one of the most poorly-made, modern console games of all time. For hours upon hours, we laughed until we had tears streaming down our faces and wheezy, silent laughs. After further research about the gaming channel and it's member, I became hooked on Ninja Sex Party. Their songs are both hilarious and well-written and arranged. Also their cover album "Under The Covers" may have the most clever name in the history of music. Just saying.