Musical Influences: Dave Matthews!

I was watching TV this morning and happened upon The Dave Matthews band on NBC. A landslide of memories from Charlottesville, VA (my hometown) came washing over me.

Ya see I followed Dave Matthews when he was playing solo in ‘The Jazz club’ downtown C’ville.

I watched as he gained an incredible following. An incredible group of musicians found their way together to create a sound like no other.

Year after year they became tighter and more extraordinary. We used to pile into MAX TRAX downtown on Thursday nights and experience an awesome musical journey!

His following was and is exceptional.   Dave’s voice just seemed to have that quality that brought you into their vortex and held ya there for hours on end!

Boyd, Carter, Stephan and LeRoi just kept ya there with their magic! His  relaxed style &  lyrical depth wrapped in a crazy sense of being just, well it just grabbed ya!  His phrasing is so incredibly unusual and captivating.

So I was watching this morning and remembering

… thinking and strangely enough teared up. Yes, … I cried.

Emotional memories can do that sometimes … who knew that an attachment to home a feeling of not being alone in the world would ever save a life. It redirected and some would say, saved mine. I was in a tough mental place years ago while acting in Boston.

Lost and a  bit confused with my path in life and was in an overall downward spiral … I had just finished a difficult good bye lunch with a friend of mine downtown Boston at The Planet Cafe.

It was a rainy day … the kind that fogs up your windows in your car. As I traveled down Commonwealth Avenue ready to let go … get home… get my dog… pack myself up and get back  in my car and just drive away – leave it all behind – I saw Dave Mathews Band up on the marquis of The Paradise Club. I was 5 minutes from home so thought ‘what the heck I’ll stop in for 2.3 seconds’ … ‘what do I have to lose now’.

My mind was already set to just leave town unannounced. Maybe they’re doing a sound check before the evening set. Why not. They probably won’t even remember me, … it’s been 3 years since I’d been home. Regardless of being a loyal follower. There were countless evenings we’d all run into one another at Millers downtown C’ville and Carter and I had become ‘hello’ friends, laced with a few great conversations. It was that feeling of home … the comfort that it sometimes brings – it’s what made me stop for a moment and think.

So … anyway I popped in and asked one of the crew if Carter was around he replied … ‘ya let me get him he’s around somewhere’…

So I sat and watch while Dave was drawing an extraordinary picture on a letter that he was writing a friend.  A few minutes later out of the back came Carter

and it was indeed this moment that made the difference.

He didn’t say “who are you” or “what are you doing here”. Instead he said “Cat! babe how have you been?  Whats up girl?”   Seems simple enough huh. Not a big deal. I know but what was important was the familiarity of home. It was that feeling that changed my perspective. I was in a city trying to make it as a performer … I always had friends around me always busy but ALWAYS longing for that feeling and security of HOME.

It can get tough out there trying to make it through the world. Pushing forward and not losing your pacing. It can feel dark in the corners of life but it is those brief moments that snap us back into a warmer reality.

If I saw Carter today I’d thank him for saving my direction in life. Because I stayed and stuck it out in Boston for a piece of time. I even went to their performance that night and had a chance to hang out and hear a few of their older studio tracks. Why did that moment matter?    It colored the twisted windy maze that brought me to who I am today.

We ALL have a chance to color somebody’s life with a different mind set.  Sometimes that’s all it takes. It makes ALL the difference … It’s ALL in how you look at it.

So Carter Beauford “Thank you for being a turning point in my journey.” and Dave Matthews band thank you for adding incredible music to my life!

< Article about this morning’s performance >