Allan Paquette

You probably don’t remember me, but to this day I remember you. Well, I remember a few things about you. Your name’s Matt and you decided to spend a week with me and a bunch of other young nerds at Space Camp in Cape Canaveral, Florida back in the summer of 1995.

This won’t help you much, but I had just finished 5th grade and I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I was going to be an astronaut when I grew up. I was part of the Young Astronauts club in elementary school, I was an expert model rocket builder, and I had even watched Flight of the Navigator. I was positive that if there wasn’t an age restriction I would’ve gone up in the next shuttle launch. No joke.

Truth is, I never became an astronaut and I will probably never man a space flight. But I did learn about something even better than space travel and why people don’t throw up in one of these — the world of Dave Matthews Band. I remember those afternoons spent listening to your copy of Under The Table And Dreaming on my Discman and being blown away by it. That album marked a huge shift in my appreciation of music and musicians.

You’re probably wondering why I’m writing this to you some 15 years later. Well, here’s the deal. I married an amazing woman and it turns out that she really enjoys DMB
too. We are going to our first ever DMB concert tonight and I wanted to express to you my gratitude for sharing DMB with me. Know that there was one little kid who was grateful for the time you spent with them that week and that it is one of the most memorable parts of his childhood.

Sincerely,
Allan

P.S. – Thanks Mom & Dad for making Space Camp a reality for your young astronaut!

Warning: This song will get stuck in your head.

I feel like I may be a little late to the John Mark McMillan fan pool, but better late than never. First caught wind of this singer/songwriter after learning about David Crowder‘s cover of his song “How He Loves” but never spent the money on buying his album, The Medicine. After 6 months, I finally caved and it’s been in pretty heavy rotation ever since. Definitely a worthwhile purchase and welcomed addition to the music library. His raw and honest lyrics are a welcomed change from some of the cliched stuff floating around these days. I really enjoy the recent music video version of “Skeleton Bones” (seen above). It has an incredible intimacy and warmth to it. Props to the Calnin Brothers for doing such a great job capturing a memorable moment in the studio.