Countless rock bands have spent hours rehearsing in garages and basements, dreaming of the chance to perform at a music festival.
A young drummer who grew up in Loudoun County, Virginia, found a more direct route — he went to college, with the goal of becoming a professional musician. And this summer Dylan Brooks is performing on the Vans Warped Tour, which began earlier this month in D.C.
“I went to Berklee to focus on business and performance,” Brooks said in a WTOP interview. While in Boston, he joined the band Ringpop!
Last year, he and the band competed to win a spot in the Berklee Popular Music Institute. The full-year program guides students from the classroom to preparing for life in the music business, focusing on artist development, marketing, digital presence, budgets and marketing.
“I learned, basically, how to not get screwed over in the music industry,” Brooks said. “A lot of artists and bands see a lot of money on a sheet of paper and they are very quick to sign it, because it’s like, ‘Oh, my God, I’ve never seen that much.'”
Brooks said, as he was growing up, he constantly watched YouTube videos of Warped Tour performances. Founder Kevin Lyman ended the tour in 2018, but brought it back this year, with stops June 13 and 14 on the former site of RFK Stadium in D.C.
“It was awesome — I can’t put it in any other words than just like a dream come true,” said Brooks.
He and the band had played clubs in D.C., including DC9 and Pie Shop, “but Warped Tour is a different beast,” he joked. “It was a little hometown gig.”
“It was a little nerve wracking, jumping from playing in front of 20 or 30 people, and then playing in front of a lot — I can’t count,” he said. “I kept my head down the entire time, because I was freaking out.”
“I have a little stage fright,” he admitted. “That’s why I’m the drummer, in the back, I’m tucked away.”
As part of the BPMI program, the participating students and instructors critique rehearsals and performances, offering suggestions on ways to improve the show. “It was super helpful,” Brooks said.
He’s learned how to not be derailed by technical malfunctions. “You just have to stop for a second and breathe, and just play the show.”
Brooks said Ringpop! will resume the Warped Tour July 26 and 27 in Long Beach, California, and Nov. 15-16, in Orlando, Florida.
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