'33 Miles' from Tech

Hometown: My hometown is Gilbert, LA. It is actually a village. It doesn't have the population to be considered a town. Blink and you could quite possibly miss it, but don't try to speed going thru!

Now resides in: I currently reside in Spring Hill, TN, which is a suburb of Nashville with my wife, Jennifer (who is also a TECH alum), and our two boys, Jake (4) and Jonah (2).

Degree: I earned a BA in Music and graduated in 1996. It hurts to say that date. Has it been that long already?

How I got to Tech: I fell in love with Tech visiting my older brother, Brad, when I was in high school. I loved the campus, the people, and knew early on that Tech was the place for me. I knew it was a place where I could flourish because I felt completely safe and comfortable...just like home!

After graduating: I actually traveled the country with a vocal group out of New Jersey and then came back to Tech to work in the Admissions office as an Admissions counselor and a recruiter to save money to make the move to Nashville. The summer I spent as an Orientation Student Leader really paid off when I came back!

When did you know that music was your career path?: I won a talent show in the 5th grade and knew then that music was my calling in life, but didn't really know what that meant or how to accomplish acquiring a career so to speak. It even took me two years as an undecided major before I took the plunge to get a music degree.

What would you say was your first "break in the music business?": I would have to say that my first "break" was when I started gaining notoriety in Nashville as a session/demo singer. After this happened, everything snowballed. One thing led to another and within two years of being in Nashville, I had my first record deal with Essential Records, which is a part of Jive/Sony/BMG Records. I learned quick about networking and how important that tool really is.

Tell us something about the music industry that would be surprising to the general public?: It is HARD. A lot of people think that I live a "cush" life. They don't see the 3:30 a.m. bus calls or 4 a.m. trips to the airport to fly all day and play a show across the country. They don't see that we work all day setting up, sound checking, rehearsing, meeting fans, performing, getting to the hotel around midnight only to get 5 hrs sleep and then it's up and at ‘em to do it all over again. It is NOT glamorous. That is not to say that there aren't certain perks like turning work trips into vacations, free Disney tickets, clothes from photo shoots (OK, that sounded a little ridiculous), and most importantly getting to do what I love every day! I have a really cool job. The hardest thing is being away from my family though. I wish I could take them everywhere with me. Maybe one day soon! That's the goal!

Where do you see yourself (or 33 Miles) in five years?: In five years, I see myself and 33Miles still growing and expanding our audience. It is hard for me to say things like winning Grammy's and Dove awards because although those things are awesome it's not why I do what I do. I just see myself still plowing ahead trying to create music that moves people's hearts all while trying to be the best husband and father I can be.

Memories of Tech: My favorite Tech memories are:

1. Hanging in the TONK with friends eating what we called "fat baskets" from Tech Grill. It was a chicken strip basket that was soooo good! That was before Chick-fil-A. I am dating myself with that one.

2. Saturday morning pep-rallies in Railroad Park in downtown Ruston.

3. My dorm, Pierce, which at the time was a male honors dorm. It was the nicest male dorm on the campus. I was saddened when I heard it had been converted back to a female dorm. Poor guys!

4. My church, FBC Ruston, and the college group there. I made some lifelong friends in this group that I still keep in-touch with today.

5. My summer as an Orientation Student Leader was the BEST!!! I will never forget that summer!

6. My ABSOLUTE favorite memory though is doing the musical, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat". So many things happened as a result of my doing this show. I met an amazing girl who would become my wife, and found myself believing that I might actually be able to make a career out of singing. The fall after this show I declared my major in music.

7. A lunch I had with Cherrie Sciro, the Director of Theatre (at that time), where she pretty much kicked my butt and convinced me to move to Nashville and pursue my dreams. Cherrie always believed in me before I did.

Most important thing that I learned at Tech: The most important thing I learned at TECH was loving people. I know that might sound kind of weird but for the first time in my life this little country boy was surrounded by people from all different walks of life. I ran into people that were so different than me and I learned to love and appreciate them for who they were and not look down on them because of our differences. It made me solidify who I am, what I believe, and what kind of person I wanted to be.

Do you know of a Tech Triumph? Let us know.