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Entry 10 - The Opportunity of a Lifetime VOTE I can remember everything as if it were yesterday. It was a Thursday afternoon last March, and I was at an utmost point of desperation… For years I had been searching for my niche
in the world of music, and my hope was fading quickly at this
point. When I did get
to play a gig, I didn’t care what kind of music I was playing;
world music, Latin, acoustic rock, bluegrass.
Percussion fits into many different genres, and so it
didn’t matter because playing gigs meant money for rent as well
as exposure. But the
exposure wasn’t at the right places.
I had moved to Austin
two years earlier, playing the clubs along So there I was, the second Thursday in March,
on a busy street corner in My hands were getting tired and I was getting
ready to call it quits for the day, when a guy came up to me and
asked “wouldn’t you rather be playing along with a guitar or
two?” I looked at
him with what I’m sure was an excited expression and I replied
“perhaps a bass guitar as well.” I
imagine that to most people, this guy was just another person
walking by them on a Stefan told me that he had watched me play for ten minutes or so before coming up and speaking to me, and he asked me why I had been playing on a street corner. I briefly explained the circumstances that had brought me to where I was and how I longed to have a successful career doing music. All the while I was talking I kept having to remind myself of who I was sitting across from and talking with. Stefan was just a regular guy, so down to earth and willing to sit in a McDonald’s for over an hour listening with genuine interest to what I was saying. I was completely blown away. If only I knew how much more was about to happen. Just before we left McDonald’s Stefan gave
me a napkin and pen and asked me to write down my phone number.
He said “I’m gonna try and get something together and I
will give you a call tomorrow.”
I gave him my number without question or hesitation and we
parted ways from there. I
went back to my apartment after that and for the rest of the night
I tried to comprehend what had happened earlier that evening.
I was afraid that I was going to wake up any minute from an
amazing dream, only I found that I couldn’t get to sleep as I
wondered what Stefan had in mind for the next day.
Sometime after I awoke later that morning to the sound of my phone ringing, and I jumped up quickly to answer it. It was the wrong number. The whole idea of Stefan actually calling me wasn’t very realistic in my head, and I kind of doubted that he actually would. He proved me wrong a couple of hours later when I answered the phone and he was on the other end. He asked if I could get my equipment together and meet him at a house not too far from where I was staying. I didn’t waste much time leaving my apartment and before I knew it I was knocking on the front door of the house. I was nervous and excited, and I only got more excited when Carter Beauford opened the door. I don’t know how I managed to speak at that point, but I introduced myself and he invited me inside. In some state of shock, I followed Carter into the living room where Stefan was watching television. The three of us talked for a few minutes until I heard the front door open and Dave came walking into the room. I can’t really say what my reaction was when I saw Dave. Everything that happened those next few minutes all seem to blend together as one in my mind. I do remember trying not to overreact and make a fool of myself, although I’m not quite sure I accomplished that. Dave was very friendly and conversational, and I shared my story with him much like I had with Stefan. Dave told me that he was starting up his own record label, called ATO Records, and that there was a group of three guys he was looking at that could use a percussionist as a fourth addition. He asked me if I was interested in playing some gigs with the guys and getting a feel for their music. I told him that I would love to and that I would do anything for that opportunity. “All you have to do is a little audition here for us in a few minutes” he said with a smile. I was so nervous but more than willing, so I went out to my car and Carter helped me bring my equipment into the house. He told me he really liked my set and he jammed on the drums himself for a few minutes. I loved every minute of it. Dave came back into the room with a guitar
and asked me if I was ready.
I couldn’t believe that I was going to audition for
three-fifths of the Dave Matthews Band with Dave himself playing
guitar. Then again, I
couldn’t believe anything that had happened so far.
Dave said “play what you feel,” and then he started
playing something I had never heard before.
I now know the song as “Kit Kat
Everything
that has happened from that point on is another story entirely.
This has been just the first chapter of what could easily
be a very lengthy book. All
I can say is that it has been an unbelievable experience so far,
and I am having the time of my life.
VOTE |
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