Today we’d like to introduce you to Dillan Potter.
Dillan, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Born and raised in North Texas and I’ve played drums for 25 years locally with various bands. I started playing on my brother’s kit in junior high and one day he just gave them to me because he noticed I had a natural inclination for the drums whereas he didn’t. My style is rock, funk, metal, and prog mostly with some hip hop in there as well. I play drums for industrial rock band Koppur Thief and doom metal band Sharpy. I also used to be in a metal band called Gallows Grove as well as hosted my own absurdist comedy/music show on Deepellumradio for three seasons called Savant Garde. My newest achievement is the birth of my wife Meia and I’s son Dorian Vega Potter.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road lol. The DFW market is a difficult one for local bands in my opinion. Deep Ellum is constantly in flux but the good news is there are finally new clubs like Texas Tea Room and Puzzles popping up. For a few years it felt like all we did was lose clubs. I still miss Curtain Club to this day.
Another obstacle, which anyone in bands can tell you; is that a band is like a group marriage. Imagine how hard it is to keep a marriage functioning happily long term well now multiply that by however many members there are in your band and it can get difficult really quickly. Thats why I do feel fortunate both my projects Sharpy and Koppur Thief have always been drama free, ego free zones.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
By day I’m a journeyman union stagehand. I work at the opera house, music hall, convention center, Majestic theater, anywhere where entertainment production takes place in Dallas. I’ve been doing that about nine years now. Its fun and you get to meet cool people. Lenny Kravitz was the nicest person I’ve ever met. Also I hate money and capitalism and I’ve found this type of work to be actually tolerable, at least compared to customer service nightmares I had lived in the past.
And by night I play the drums and used to have a radio show called Savant Garde as well but nowadays I spend as much time possible with my beautiful family: my wife and fellow musician Meia, my teenage daughter Scarlett and my newborn baby boy Dorian.
One thing that may set me aside from others is my influences. My favorite bands are Tripping Daisy and Primus plus anything Mike Patton may be doing at the moment. I love weird stuff. Weird time signatures, weird costumes, weird social experiments haha. I’ve been told I remind people of Andy Kaufman and thats honestly the best compliment I’ve ever gotten in my life lol.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I have notoriously bad luck. My entire immediate family died early on, I struggle with depression and anxiety. I’ve survived a nasty divorce and getting sued three times in one year with no legal representation. It could always be worse and I don’t often complain but my point is everything I have done in my life is in spite of bad luck. Luck is certainly nothing I’ve ever been able to count on. In my personal life however I feel very lucky. I have a wonderful family of my own that I live for now.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: sharpymusic
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/countfistula
- Youtube: @sharpydfw
