Along with lead singer, Darryn, the band also boasts the talents of lead guitar player Anderson Layne; bass player Jerry McFarland; drummer Adam Bilsing and rhythm guitarist David Rogers.
Darryn’s inspiration to be a musician came from witnessing the adulation of a pop icon by the matriarch of his tight-knit clan. “My mom worshipped Elvis Presley, I grew up with Elvis pictures everywhere. At thirteen, I started taking guitar lessons; at age sixteen, I started singing in my first garage band. When your mom worships a rock star like that, it makes you think, ‘Hey maybe I could be one.’”
“I started a band out in LA, then I moved to St. Louis. We opened for a bunch of national acts and we made videos, which look good on a resume, but it just wasn’t the band I was looking for. I hand picked the guys I have now, it took me several months, but this is the best band I’ve ever had. I am so excited about this lineup in Nashville. I moved here and the band is all here. It’s kinda been a crazy journey, but it’s what I’ve been working toward for years.”
“Someone once told me, ‘All your songs are about dreams, dude.’ I’m going through job drama, relationship crap, and family stuff. I had a great job in St. Louis and I quit it to move to Nashville. A lot of my songs, now, are about persevering through tough times and following your dreams and sticking to what makes you happy. Just going against what society tells you, you need to do and follow your heart, do what you love to do. Say what you want said. I don’t need anyone to tell me how to live my life. It’s the blood in my veins. It’s everything to me. My soul is happy. Even if I get rich or don't, the important thing to me is that I pursued and lived the dream that made me happy. Darryn to Dream is tattooed on my left arm.”
“On Tracy Lane has never tried to have any certain kind of style, we just always do what we feel. I can pursue my life and make my journey however I want to do it. You can spend your life making other people happy, but if you’re not happy, then what’s the point. Once you persevere in what people tell you not to do, then people say, oh, I knew you could do it.”
They have also just released their new 5-song EP, “Pretend the Thing with Charlie Never Happened”. “This band has the passion, the desire, the talent; we’re all ready to give up everything job wise, or whatever, to get on the road. This band is a brotherhood. We adore our fans and we never forget who truly believed in us.”
The band will be traveling to Greenland to play for the troops overseas this holiday season. They will be leaving Dec. 28 and come back Jan. 10. “We’re totally excited about that. We’re trying to double our song list because, every time we play, we’ll play a two-hour set.”
Staying true to himself is a point of pride for Darryn, “It’s an important part of growing up, just to be your own person and to be able to laugh at a lot of things in life you could take too seriously. You know you could have a heart attack or stress out too much; you need to just laugh it off.” On Tracy Lane is determined to be around for the long haul, bringing their special brand of 80’s pop rock with a modern spin.
| written by Debbie DuBois Miller
