Jayson's Blog : Photos, General, Charlotte

DrumSTRONG 2008: A Smashing Success -- Thank You Scott and Mason!

Jayson Knight — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:10:51 GMT

Three years ago, a friend of my family's teenage son was diagnosed with cancer, and was given fairly bleak chances of making it through the ordeal. It was a crushing blow to the family. For the full story, read the ESPN piece on Mason (he's the last story). Mason would go on to conquer the cancer inside his body, and has been cancer free for a couple of years now. Against all odds. And it was during this time that he reached out to one of my idols, Lance Armstrong...the 2 had a bit of dialogue during the ordeal, and would eventually meet in real life.

It was during one of his meetings with Lance that Mason came up with the idea for drumSTRONG, whose mission is simple: To beat the shit out of cancer, and raise awareness through drumming. Each year they've upped the ante just a little bit: The first year was 24 continuous hours of drumming, up to this year which was 26 straight hours. A secondary goal was to get into the Guinness World Record book for having the longest continuous group drumming event. I'm sure we succeeded on both fronts.

I personally committed to 10 hours of drumming over the 26 hour spread, and actually ended up doing more along the lines of 12 hours total. My hands are paying dearly this week, but that pain is outweighed by the pain that was lifted from me mentally during the event. I have posted several photos of the event in my photo gallery, and more photos/videos will be posted to the drumSTRONG site over the coming days.

I've been playing drums of some sort since I was barely walking, and have been doing formal hand percussion gatherings for almost 15 years. Unfortunately it is something I haven't made as much time for lately, but after this weekend I'm making it a personal goal to start rounding up some of the talent here in Charlotte for some formal jams. Given my background, this event was a no-brainer. In the end over 2,000 people showed up...there aren't any words that can describe what the event did for everyone who participated. It was without a doubt one of the most moving experiences of my life, and I cannot wait to do it for 27 hours next year. Thank you Mason for this amazing concept, and thank you Scott for having the tenacity to actually make it happen. You're both amazing people, and quite simply put the world needs more of you.

The image in this post is of me and my best friend 20 minutes before we hit the 26 hour mark. The skin was literally peeling off my hands at this point, but I felt no pain surprisingly. Actually in hindsight, it isn't surprising at all.

Keep. Drumming. Beat. Cancer.

Best. Wedding. Ever. Sorry Ladies, Matt Brandau Is Off The Market

Jayson Knight — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 18:11:41 GMT

A very good friend of mine, Matt Brandau recently got married to a wonderful woman, and I had the pleasure of attending. Here are some photos from the festivities. It was without a doubt the most fun reception I've ever attended...Matt is a professional bassist (shameless plug, he now plays with The Old Ceremony; an amazing band out of Chapel Hill...definitely check out some of their music @ the link above) with a degree in music from UNC. All of his previous bands were in attendance and got up on stage at one point or another to perform. Hilarity ensued, and it'll be a tough act to follow whenever I get married one day.

Congratulations Matt...you guys are a beautiful couple and I'm sure you'll have a lifetime of happiness together. All of the 'core' crew is married up; my buddy Jason Dulin and I are the only bachelors left.

Sidenote: Where the heck has Jayson been lately? Taking a break from blogging. Actually, ever since I've discovered Twitter (I'm here) I've been posting there quite a bit. Definitely not a substitute for blogging, but it's been a great way to stay connected with a lot of folks I've met in the blogosphere. I've run this site for 4 years, and have close to a thousand posts, so a break was probably needed, if not earned. I'm not making any new year's resolutions such as "I plan to make X number of posts this year" because quite simply I don't know when I'll get around to regular posting again. It'll be sooner than later so definitely stay subscribed. From a technical perspective, Sharepoint 2007 has been taking up a lot of my time, so expect some posts soon about my adventures in MOSS-land.

Sidenote++: My main new year's resolution is to quit smoking. I'm getting on the cessation pill in the next week or 2, it's worked miracles for some of my family members (some of them with 30+ years of smoking history). I wish all of you the very best of 2008...something tells me it's gonna be the best year yet.

Congratulations To Eric And Leigh

Jayson Knight — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 15:29:43 GMT

This past Thursday, one of my best friends (a local artist, check out the cuffs he makes by hand) tied the knot to his beautiful bride Leigh in one of the most memorable weddings I've been to lately. He's one of the 'core' crew, and even though we've lost touch a little over the past couple of years, I love him like a brother and wish him and new wife the absolute best of luck in their life together.

The reception was held at Blue, a local restaurant, and I've posted a couple of pics over in my gallery. It was awesome having most of the core crew under one roof hanging out together; it's tough to get everyone together at the same time.

Congratulations Eric!