Damn MM, you do know how to come up with the big questions. Actually, it seems like there's two big ones here... I find this stuff really interesting too, both about local music and about formative musical moments. In terms of background & culture, here's an abbreviated list for me:
- First musical memories: my mom singing Joan Baez songs to me (fr realz, that's how I learned the concept of death at 3 years old... I don't think that's what she MEANT to do, but hey... at least the songs were pretty), and looking at my dad's Beach Boys & Janis Joplin LP covers (cue: little brain exploding).
- Key "ah-ha!" moment: when, at age 8, I realized that I could actually understand the words being sung in the songs on the radio. I know, I know - a bit slow in the uptake dept. After that, I became a regular requester to our local rock station. Unfortunately, what I requested was invariably the Jagger / Bowie duet "Dancing in the Street" (not a proud moment).
- Age 12: I "borrow" my father's Best of Steppenwolf cassette tape. (again: cue brain exploding) Shortly after that, I steal his Best of The Who tape. "Pinball Wizard" is the song that officially seals my fate as a rock-loving lifer. It's also the first song that I ever get caught playing air guitar to.
Oops!
- Age 14: after my first concert (Jimmy Page), I decide that I may as well take guitar lessons. My first teacher tries to get me to learn "Michael Row the Boat Ashore" from the Mel Bay intro guitar books. That doesn't last. My second guitar teacher is an old-skool Delta Blues guy who tells stories about partying with Janis Joplin when he lived in San Fran. That works out much better!
- Age 16-ish: I discover Reflex Magazine, which covers this weird thing called "Alternative music," and has a flexi-disc of two different bands each week. From Reflex, I learn about Soundgarden, Primus, the Smashing Pumpkins, Ministry, the Pixies and many others.
- Age 18: I join my first band, Crash and Burn. We play Nirvana, Metallica and a whole bunch of classic rock. We also get booked at numerous dive bars, largely because there are no other bands around. I get my first exposure to the genius of Cliff Burton.
- On my own, I stumble across the Ride album "Nowhere" in my local record store.
It is one of my first CDs purchased. It is shortly followed by Bob Mould's "Black Sheets of Rain" and Husker Du's (sorry I can never remember the umlaut shortcut) "Warehouse: Songs and Stories" (I know, a lot of people hate that one - I think it's criminally underrated).
- College: I decide where to go mainly based on the fact that the town has an underground comic shop and the college has an amazing anti-top-40 radio station. I get in, and because I play "Seek and Destroy" on one of my graveyard shows, am asked to become the radio station's Metal Director. From then on, I split my time at the station between doing daytime shows that play indie-rock & shoegaze, and Friday night shows that play thrash metal. I also join the concert crew and work backstage at as many shows as possible. I learn that Tori Amos has the craziest cross-section of fans, Ani DiFranco has the most rabid fans (well, at the time she did), Beck and the Cardigans were really nice to the road crew, and that Sonic Youth and J. Mascis are not so good at following (admittedly lame) "no-alcohol in the dressing room" rules. Oh, and that Thurston Moore is really funny in person.
- After college: I move to Providence RI based entirely on the fact that my bandmate grew up in the area and we can get gigs here. Fall in love with the city. Bandmate moves away and I start a new band. Play out, watch the club scene rise and fall, meet peeps, fall in love & get married, get a dog, have a kid, still try to make music, etc.
Good lord that's a long post. Apologies if it's too long and congrats if you made it this far. I'm definitely interested in learning more about everyone else on this board, so please keep this thread going - I bet there will be some intriguing histories laid out here...
, and sadly Good Charlotte and Linkin Park. 
Most of the time, when someone said what kind of music I listened to, I just said whatever is on my video games. But to this day I still enjoy All Killer No Filler. I also liked "Anarchy in the UK" and "Blitzkrieg Bop". And out of nowhere I liked Daft Punk's Discovery Album as well, I bought as soon as I heard "One more time". Oh and The Gorillaz were in my CD player too.
