At my shows you may have noticed that I am stomping on an old suite case under my right foot. This has a really cool and meaningful story surrounding it, and I would like to share it with you.
My Grandpa Beryl was a man of very few words, but many stories (if you asked for them). I felt like I knew my grandpa, well enough, as a fisherman, camper, jeweler and watch maker/repair. I had many fond memories of riding on his moped with him, or driving a few hours in his van, to visiting him in the nursing home and being amazed at the paintings he was coming up with.
After his passing we came upon a suitcase shoved in the corner of a basement closet. It was full of old music books of all sorts… but mostly country, gospel, and old hymns. As far as I know my Grandpa was never a musician, and to this day I still don’t know anything other about why he had all of this music in the suitcase or what the importance to it was that made him save it all in a suitcase in the basement, but long story short I ended up with this suitcase in my closet for a handful of years.
A while back I started going through the suitcase and picking out some music I wanted to keep and learn, and some that I would never play and wanted to find another home for. The music I picked out ended up shaping the sound and style I’m playing today at my shows. I don’t always play songs from my Grandpa’s suitcase, but sometimes it is fun to share a song or two at my shows.
After going through the music and picking and choosing what I wanted to keep I was left with an old suitcase. I couldn’t just get rid of it but at the same time I didn’t want to hold onto it as an empty suitcase as well. After some time in the closet and collecting a little more dust the suitcase finally needed a new purpose. I took it out of hiding and tore out the insides, and braced it with some wood, and was able to figure out how to connect a kick drum pedal to it.
I love having a part of my Grandpa at my shows. This suitcase still has a little mystery to it in the fact that to this day I still don’t know what it’s significance to my Grandpa Beryl this thing had, but I feel very connected to him today. Thank you Grandpa for inspiring me and supporting my music even after death. Cheers!