Have you ever hated something because of its association with a bad memory? Kind of like when you can’t eat a certain food without remembering a time you were ill. Well I have that with music.
When I was in college I heard of the Avett Brothers for the first time. I wasn’t a fan of their music. I only liked one song, Kickdrum Heart. I didn’t hate the band, but I would never have chosen to listen to their music.
Guess who loved the Avett Bros? My friends. (The ones who are no longer my friends.) I was really into politics in college and my friends thought it was stupid. The Avett Brothers have a song where they talk about how unimportant political office is. My friends played that song every time I was in the car. I began to hate the Avett Brothers.
Now I can’t listen to them. I hate their sound. I hate their lyrics. I even hate Kickdrum Heart, which I used to love.
Do the Avett Brothers actually matter to me? No. But in my memory they are connected with pain and mockery and passive aggression. So when they’re played in the coffee shop, or my sisters car, I either change the song or put in my headphones.
What is your musical aversion?
Redheaded Jill 
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