by Quinten Aames
I had always considered myself a lucky person. It was only later in life that I realized it has a lot more to do with decision making than luck. I’ll use the example of smoking. It’s not accurate to say somebody is lucky because they don’t smoke. That person made a judgment; they didn’t roll a dice and hope for the best. These decisions add up in your favor or they don’t. You won’t know the whole score of some of these choices until it’s said and done. Even then you’re not around to enjoy it. With that said, I’m glad that I’ve made music and the decision to form/join the WayStation a part of my life.
Music has always been important to me, whether I knew it or not. It was a way I bonded with my dad at an early age. His encouraging enthusiastic looks made me feel like I was doing something great, I was. My sister, brother and I used to try to match each others pitch while humming notes and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at the table. We liked the way it made our heads warble.
I got a great feeling from music as far back as I can remember. Some people get that feeling, at an early age, from animals and become zoologists. Others from bending laws, finding loopholes and slipping through formalities, they become attorneys and politicians; I liked music so I became a musician. I was in grade school and junior high band and I liked it but I didn’t really feel in control of music until I broke my ankle the summer before my senior year of high school. Coming down with a rebound, during a pick-up game of basketball, I snapped my ankle, rolling it off another kid’s foot. How unlucky, a broken ankle, I was laid up. The only thing I felt like doing was honing my skills on the guitar. I had learned to play only a week before I temporarily lost my ability to walk unaided. For six weeks straight I played guitar. Little did I know how important breaking my ankle would be.
After high school, I moved to St. Joe where I continued to play. I started working at APAC with my friend Steve-O. That’s where we met Jared Dunning and Todd Long. We used to hang out and exchange ideas on music and a lot of other topics. Somebody normally had a guitar. Why didn’t we start it all then? It would be four years before we all really decided to form a band. By this time we had met and become friends with Jeff Johnson and I understood why we waited. His open-minded approach to music and writing fit in line with everybody else’s.
In the beginning there was no group or band, just a revolving door of about seven musicians. My brother Drew and friend Dionel often showed up to “jam out.” During this time Jared was the only drummer around. He was good, but felt the guitar suited him better. I had been playing guitar for some time, but didn’t know how to play the drums. If we were to have a band we needed a drummer. I volunteered for the job. I knew I could do it. I felt it. All I did was let go, lay back and sit inside the pocket. Soon I was writing parts that actually fit with music that was presented to me. It felt good and drove me.
It wasn’t long and the lineup was set. Todd, Jeff, Jared, Steve-O and I started writing songs and gigging. It was rough at first. Our first concerts were in backyards with horrible sound. Mom’s back garden isn’t exactly Madison Square Gardens. Not to mention there are a lot of egos to get through. You have to find the best way of approaching people without stepping on feelings. It’s sometimes like having three or four girlfriends. You really learn how to deal with people. This idea goes beyond the band. It’s hard to get gigs as well. There are a lot of bands out there and nobody knows who the hell you are. You learn to believe in your product and sell it to people who don’t know you. Over this time our fan base has grown. Due to the Internet we have fans in lots of countries on several continents.
What started out as a jamming every other night soon formed into first The WayStation, then Jake’s WayStation, back to The WayStation and finally WayStation. Throughout this four-year period it hasn’t just been our name that has changed. It has been great to see we have all grown as individuals. Little did I know how much playing music on a regular basis would affect my life. Striving to become a better musician has transcended beyond music. It gave me direction and a sense of being. It has given me confidence in every other area of my life. It’s amazing to see what can happen to you by setting small goals and sticking to them.