Following the beat to your own drum

Hi, my name is Jacob Mann. I cover the Art Beat for the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman.

Stories start in many different ways. This one is about reaching down inside to see what really wants to come out, and letting that unique song that only you can sing be heard.

I recently interviewed Justin McCain, an old friend of mine that I met through my various travels in the music festival circuit. We both have less hair on our heads than the last time we saw each other, but we both seem to be making it through these interesting times okay in our own special ways.

McCain is a local musician who’s been active in the scene for over decade. His story inspired thoughts of it never being too late to discover something you love, as well as sentiments over the importance of finding those things and sharing them with others if you can.

“I wanna play with people. I want more people playing music with me. My favorite thing in the world is playing music with my friends… It’s like, ‘this sounds better than when I’m playing by myself.’ It’s like a treat,” McCain said during our interview.

Like countless other musicians, McCain has had to adapt his musical endeavors to safely wade through the social distant waters of COVID-19. He’s able to perform live every once in a while at open mics and other small venues like Schwabenhof, but it’s mostly online.

McCain thrives from playing around others. Understandably, he misses the world before COVID-19, and longs for the days where people can put on shows like they used to. For him, making music is no longer an option. He found the spirit inside and he refuses to let it go.

“There’s something about the stage that’s addicting. I need to be on the stage. I have to. Money doesn’t matter. Fame doesn’t matter as long as I have a crowd,” McCain said.

I asked McCain if music soothes his soul and this is what he said, “Oh, definitely... I don’t see a foreseeable future where I’m not playing music.”

Whenever I ask my Creative Q&A subjects about the Valley’s pool of talent, they almost always say it’s chock full of skilled and creative people.

“It’s remarkable how much talent that’s in the Valley per capita in my opinion...The Valley is music over drama, like no one’s caring who’s getting the most money... We’re just all in this together... We’re all very supportive of each other. It’s like a family out there. I think open mics do help with our community being closer… Anytime there’s someone new, everyone gets super excited.”

The fact people keep saying the Valley is full of talent, and the fact I witness that talent taking on countless forms on a weekly basis leaves me with the impression that we have plenty to work with out here. It seems like we have a lot of people who freely follow that inner voice that compels them to create.

I’m sure there’s countless people out there who still haven’t tuned into what their soul really wants. Maybe they’re stuck in a job they can’t stand or maybe they’re ignoring a lifetime on inclinations like drawing or picking up the piano. Maybe they have no idea what they really want. That’s okay. As long as you’re still kicking, there’s time to find out.

With plenty of time and practice and little luck, maybe one day day people will march alongside you. But if you haven’t heard that particular tune, keep scratching away until you hear it. Once you do, just keep marching to beat of your own drum. Everything else will follow suit in a way you could never predict, but will be thankful for in the end.

“Every song I wrote to change the world sucks, but every song I wrote for me, people like. My music aims to please, but first on the list is me,” McCain said.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com