By Lauren Burgess
VALDOSTA – Music is an interesting thing. It has the ability to bridge generations and bring people together. By day, there is a group of men working in diverse professions. By night, a plumbing salesman, an R.N., a forklift operator, an E.M.T., and a maintenance supervisor come together to form D.T.M.
Wednesday nights are a special occasion in the Johnson household. Made up of “Dan the Man” Johnson, his sons Todd and Butch, and friends-turned-family Keith Dye and Rob Mason, D.T.M.–short for Down the Middle–gather to play music, have fun, and more importantly, spend time together. There’s never a dull moment in practice, as grandsons and future band members Cammren, age 4, and Colton, age 2, sing, dance, and keep everyone laughing.
“Wednesday nights, if nothing else, we just get together and hang out, and it’s a good stress reliever for all of us. We start playing that first song, and all our troubles flow away” said Dan Johnson.
Each member of the group comes from a musical background. Dan Johnson fell in love with music at a young age, listening to his mother play piano. When he was six he started playing the accordion, a gift from his uncle. He later picked up the 12-string guitar at the age of 17 and has stuck with it ever since. He instilled that same love of music in his children.
“I remember watching dad play guitar when I was little and when I was about 14 and I told him I wanted to play. He got me a poster, highlighted the major chords and said learn these first. Once I did, he listened to me play them and told me that was it. With those four chords, there were 50,000 songs I could play” said Butch (Show Pony) Johnson, lead singer of the group.
Todd, Dan’s youngest son, started music as a young child, learning to imitate his father on the piano. In middle school, he started playing tenor saxophone and continued playing in high school, becoming a member of the Lowndes High Georgia Bridgemen and a member of Jazz Band. When he started college, he began picking up the drums and is now the drummer of D.T.M.
Even his oldest son Daniel, who is not a member of D.T.M., has been influenced by his father’s love of music. Owner of Sound Vision Audio and Tint, Daniel also enjoys playing guitar in his spare time and serves as the band’s audio and visual expert.
According to every other member of the band, Rob Mason is considered the most proficient musician of the group. What started as a tryout, quickly became a jam session that left fellow members in awe. Extremely multi-talented, he has played with multiple groups over the years, has written original music for the band, and is now the lead guitarist of D.T.M.
D.T.M.’s bass player Keith Dye’s history with music is an interesting one. Though he was always an avid music lover, he only started learning how to play music in his late forties, saying “Eight or nine years ago, my son really wanted to learn how to play guitar, so I got him one. The deal was that he had to take a year’s worth of lessons, and he bought me a guitar and challenged me to keep up with him. Well, after nine months he traded in his guitar lessons for a girlfriend. He quit, but I enjoyed doing it so I just kept playing.”
When asked how music was able to bring them closer together, the first answer was simply a resounding “yes”. Todd went on to explain this answer, saying “being here every Wednesday brings us closer together, something we wouldn’t do otherwise”.
Keith continued, saying “this whole thing started off as a bunch of guys just playing music together. Now, me and Rob have become extended family. If I ever need anything, these guys are only a phone call away. D.T.M. has made us a band family”.
D.T.M. is unlike any other band you’ll ever meet. The love, friendship, and comradery shared between them is unbelievable.
Their sound is unique. With musical influences spanning several decades–everything from Elvis, the Beatles, and the Eagles to Depeche Mode, Enigma, and Type O Negative– their style of music is truly ‘Down the Middle’.
They are looking forward to playing at the 12th annual “Papa T” Benefit on Saturday, June 15. Be sure to come out and show them support.
D.T.M. plays private parties, weddings, and special occasions. They also play regularly at Big Dummy’s Pub in Lake Park, Ga. For booking information, check out their website at dtmband.com.
