From the moment I heard their Central Park album back in 2004, I was hooked. The Dave Matthews Band had every aspect of music that I admired. From the instrumentation (who puts a violinist in their rock band!?) to the improvisation and prolonged jam sessions- I admired the bands stage presence and musicality. One day in high school I made it a goal of mine to play trumpet with the Dave Matthews Band. It was a grandiose ambition but being young and naive, I thought it could be accomplished.   

In order to achieve my goal, I started with a 3 step plan. It was a slow burn that took 5 years to come to fruition but I wanted to share my story on LinkedIn as it can be applied to a variety of facets in the business world.

Step 1: Learn the material your dream is associated with.

The best way to make a dream come true is to wake up. 

While listening to their great saxophonist LeRoi Moore through both live and studio recordings, I started to transcribe a new horn line to trumpet every day. Their catalog of over 250+ songs is very intimidating but taking one song a day and checking it off the list could be accomplished in under one year. I started as a junior in high school and felt comfortable with their catalog by sophomore year of college. It is also interesting to note the transition of technology during this period. I switched from CD’s to Spotify to transcribe the music, from sheet music to iPad to read music, and from practice room to at home with a practice mute. I was adapting to the times which made it easier and more accessible to learn their material. As the band continued to evolve in their live performances, I found myself starting to have instant access through new taper recordings as opposed to official releases which were often outdated. 

In 2006, Rashawn Ross became a full time member of the Dave Matthews Band as their first trumpet player. I did not take this as a setback or discouragement to pursue my dream, I looked at it from a perspective of opportunity. Rashawn incorporated new harmonies and parts to LeRoi’s previous catalog. The Dave Matthews Band brings guests on stage all the time to solo in their sets and this increased during Rashawn’s tenure. I focused on becoming good enough to fill that guest slot one day. While one door closed to be a regular member, another opened- to be a guest.     

Step 2: Find a way to apply the material you learn towards your dream directly and indirectly.

Learning the various improvisation and horn intricacies of DMB’s music allowed me to apply it to other groups and musical opportunities. Becoming a student at UCLA linked me to the Los Angeles music scene and its surroundings. Some of the most prominent venues in the world are in Los Angeles and as a major hub, headlining bands come through year round. I wanted to infiltrate a group that had a relationship with the band to create an “in”. Robert Randolph and the Family Band was DMB’s opener throughout 2005-2006. They were releasing a new album and after listening, I realized it had a ton of horns on it but they didn't tour with brass/woodwind musicians. I saw this as an opportunity. I took the transcription skills I developed through DMB and applied them towards learning Roberts’s new album. I then saw Robert Randolph was performing at the House of Blues so I reached out to their band page on Myspace (I know, I know… so lame) and got a response. It was from their management company, Red Light, who also manages DMB. They invited me to come to the show and bring my horn. I showed up at the House of Blues and the first person I met was a man named Bruce Flohr. He had no idea who I was and handled the situation very graciously (imagine having a trumpet player show up for a gig he thought he had) and said hang out in the green room. So I get to the green room, and Robert is warming up and says “Who are you?” I explained my situation and he said, “Alright then play me a song.” So I played the song “Diane” from his album and he said, “OK, ya you can play with me tonight.” It turned into a guest spot during his sold out show at the House of Blues and a 3 minute solo. As a 17 year old at the time, I thought this was normal. I had no filter, I did not know the etiquette of the music scene but my naive mentality got me in the room and a gig. Turns out, the first gentleman I met, Bruce Flohr, was the A&R executive who discovered DMB. I finally had a connection and a relationship to develop with the band along with motivation knowing I was on the right path and one step closer.   

3. Connect opportunities that will lead to the development of your dream while exploring other opportunities. 

Situational awareness is key when achieving any goal. I stayed up to date on the latest DMB news and I realized that violinist Boyd Tinsley was a member of my fraternity (Sigma Nu) which was another “in.” I performed with the Dave Matthews Tribute Band for fun in various cities. I continued to meet with other musicians in LA and jam with them. I went to 21 Dave Matthews Band Shows. It was my passion and I met so many people and so many doors opened because of this goal and journey. It also made me realize in college that while I loved performing, I did not want to be a musician full time. I will never forget the day I looked down at my horn while in a practice room and thought, “How am I going to support myself and a future family with this?” From my interactions with Red Light Management, I wanted to be behind the scenes making the magic happen on stage in some capacity. I interned at Warner Bros. Records, at Vector Management. And then senior year at UCLA I was on the DMB fan website antsmarching.org and there was a post of an official casting call for DMB’s next music video. They needed musicians including trumpet players. 

My heart dropped. 

This was my moment. I got in touch with the casting director and shot him an email expressing my interest in helping be a part of the video. I didn’t receive a response. Then the day before the video shoot, I was driving back from San Diego and I received a voicemail and an email on my phone after charging it back to life. I checked the voicemail and it was the casting director. I checked the email and it was the casting director. They wanted me in the video. I immediately called him and he answered and said, I am so sorry I wish you would have called me 30 mins earlier, we are completely booked. The feeling of disappointment that rained down over me was unbearable. I thought of how I could rectify the situation.

 I wasn’t going to give up. 

I took a deep breath and composed myself and humbly told him my story- how this had been my goal for the past 5 years and how I would be a professional on set know all the parts necessary. I was on the brink of tears, my voice was shaky. He paused for a moment and said, “Let me see what I can do” and called me back an hour later. He said he got me in. I started jumping up and down. I could not believe that in 12 hours I would be meeting my favorite band in the world and playing trumpet in a music video with them. 

When I arrived on set, we were directed to play the song and how to sit during the shoot. During lunch, I was able to meet the band and give Boyd Tinsley the Sigma Nu handshake. I asked Rashawn Ross for advice (He said to never say no to a gig which I still go by till this day) and even got to play a little #41 with drummer Carter Beauford. I ran into Bruce Flohr and Coran Capshaw. Then I met my idol, Dave Matthews. I gifted him a bottle of wine and was able to thank him for his music. Every time the director yelled cut, and to reset, my smile grew larger. It was another chance to play with my favorite band in the world. I played with the Dave Matthews Band 80 times that day and lived in every second, of every note, of every take. I accomplished my dream.

Follow up and where I am now: A variation of my initial dream came to fruition and it led me on a journey that continues to this day. It is still my dream to play on stage with DMB during one of their concerts as a guest. Outside of working at Lionsgate, I have continued to collaborate with artists and build a performance resume that one day I hope catches their attention. I was even able to bring something about for Rashawn Ross by introducing him to Gard Bags which he now uses for all of his trumpet cases. Dave Matthews made a quote about The Hunger Games around the time of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 release. I asked our head of publicity if we could invite him and his family and reached out to who other, than Bruce Flohr to extend the invite. Although he could not attend, the invite made things come back full circle. I was able to bring something to the table for my idol, which was extremely rewarding.

Lionsgate has been a dream career for me. Time management is crucial to balance outside passions with work and luckily with music as my career, both of mine blend. It is a joy to talk about music with composers, labels, managers, agents, and beyond and to be able to perform it as well. It is all possible due to this one dream I pursed back in high school- to play with the Dave Matthews Band. Check out my moment of glory at 3:25 in the Dave Matthews Band music video, “You and Me” where you can see me playing away: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kD9CrZODlNA

Thanks for listening to my story, I hope these 3 steps can be applied to yours in your future pursuits. Don’t get discouraged, use change as opportunity, and as Dave Matthews would say:

Don't lose the dreams inside your head

They'll only be there til you're dead

Dream

For more information on me please visit www.musicbefore.com

Thanks for reading

- Ryan