Of dreaming and possibilities.

How incredible dreaming big can be.

Paul and I both sent out emails to a few of our favorite musicians, asking them if it would be possible to play acoustic shows at DSU. Something I had always dreamed of, but simply considered unrealistic.

His was to Tomas Kalnoky from the band Streetlight Manifesto.
Mine was to Kevin Devine of ...well, Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band. (Also recently of Bad Books...Side projects are exciting!)

Anyway, I was incredibly nervous about doing it. But Paul put my head on straight. "What's the worst that could happen?" he asked, "At least we tried. And this is our last chance before we graduate. Why not?"

Agreed. So, to start things off, I used my Twitter account for only the 5th time and took a shot in the dark, mentioning Kevin in a tweet, asking the chances of him playing a solo acoustic show next semester. Not an hour later, he replied back, saying "@DeniseLiv If you reach out to my booking agent, info on all my websites, your wish is my command"
That, alone, was one of the most incredible feelings of accomplishment. I was not expecting a reply at all, let alone a positive one within the hour!


So today I crafted up an email to his booking agent and hesitantly sent it, with the help of Paul's encouragement.

It is funny how we forget how possible things are. Immediately when Paul suggested these events, I said something along the lines of, "There's no way. We don't have enough money, first of all. And second, we live in South Dakota. Nobody cares about us here." How terribly wrong I was.

Our faculty adviser reminded me that we have the help of other clubs on campus, as well as the community. Fundraising and collaborating can do wonders, something easily overlooked in a situation like this. I am feeling very accomplished right now. Even if I get a reply from his booking telling me that it's not possible at this point, at least I tried. It has cost me nothing to TRY...Even if it had, it would have been worth it. And maybe, maybe if Kevin can't make it, I'll try for someone else. Maybe Conor Oberst or even Jesse Lacey. Who knows what could happen. But we must continue to try.

I am still waiting for a reply. But Paul has already found some success. His contact replied to him right away last night, and they are already talking numbers. This could be huge!

A quote (from where, I don't know. Maybe I made it up without knowing it...) I have been referring to throughout this process: "Dream big. Then dream bigger." Powerful, is it not?