It is strange. My biggest influences right now are Riot, The Scorpions, Boston, The Cars, Brian Wilson, Angel Witch, and (might get some flak for this) Run DMC's guitar thing. I also like that 8 bit Pokemon music, I read somewhere it is actually used to cure depression.
My musical goals are to do things that haven't really been done before. I love Thrash Metal, but there are Thrash Metal bands. I feel like I would take away from someone doing a similar thing unless the thing I do doesn't exist, at least in the way I do it.
When I was a kid, I was zoning out in science class. My teacher said Lithification is the process in which softer elements are used to make a harder version of rock. And I thought he was talking about the music. So, I do a lot of lithification.