I grew up with almost zero exposure to country music. In high school I was forced to listen to Garth Brooks and Randy Travis thanks to my brother and I hated it. Anything with a slide guitar or banjo made me cringe.

Two things happened to change my mind about country music. First and most importantly I started playing guitar. The more I play acoustic the more I respected the country guitarists. Secondly I looked around for something unfamiliar to quiet the noise in my head.

In the last six months I have dunked my head into the sobering outright common sentimentality of ballad country music. I like the happy songs too but if it smacks of a bar song or a sing-a-long then I have to pass on it.

I have been caught off guard by some songs like "Allisya Lies", "Better in Color", and just tonight the song "November 8th" blew me away.

I am not saying that I know the artists or follow discography. I am still a Demon Hunter, Emery, and King's X fan. I have just opened new avenues of musical appreciation.

Another odd facet of my music enjoyment is the joyous phenom that is Kingdom Bound Quartet. They are like the Lil' Wayne of regional southern gospel quartets. Chicks dig them and they sell t-shirts. They are awesome.