DAME - CRAZY TOUR STORIES

In this Crazy Tour Stories segment, the rock band, DAME, shares a heartfelt story from lead singer Veronica Swift about a moment on the road that changed everything. You can check out the story below:

From DAME lead singer, songwriter, and creative mastermind Veronica Swift...

There comes a time in every touring artist’s career where we begin to grow road weary and so tired that we question our life choices. Having grown up in a jazz musician family, I was raised on the road with Mom and Dad, late nights, early mornings, having to fit in the backseat of the Subaru among the gear and amps, sleeping in green rooms, even an upright bass case once in Amsterdam. It was just as much a way of life as growing up speaking English, it wasn’t “cool” or “awesome,” it just was. So of course it made sense that at age nine I would start performing with my parents.

I was always a performer, no matter the genre or the stage, but as a young kid, you’re not thinking about how your choices will impact your career decades down the road. Before I knew it, at age eighteen, I already had a growing fan base of older white haired jazz lovers, and the jazz industry had its eyes on me. By twenty three, I was signed to a jazz label, management, booking, and off on a whirlwind jazz career touring with my trio and other jazz legends. It all happened so fast that I didn’t even have a chance to check in with myself. I saw my dreams of singing my own original rock music fading in the rearview mirror.

By 2018, I had all but consigned myself to following the jazz career path, even though it wasn’t who I truly was or what I wanted for myself. I kept my head down, drank most nights, and like a good girl, never questioned the people who were moving my career forward. I was working so much that I was constantly sick, exhausted, depressed, burnt out, and run down. I didn’t know how to say no or draw healthy boundaries for myself or my time. I took every gig that came in.

It got so bad that I recall one instance in 2018. I played a show in San Francisco, and right after the show, I rushed to catch a twelve hour midnight flight to Shanghai, China. On this particular flight, I was in the very back row, middle seat. Upon arrival, we were put on a train and went straight from the airport to the gig, and the gig was a double show night with five nights in a row following that day. As I sat on the train heading into Shanghai, drenched in my sweaty travel clothes, hair a complete mess, muscles aching from a sleepless, no recline flight, surrounded by non English speakers in a country and culture I knew barely anything about, not entirely sure if I was going to make the gig on time, I definitely questioned my life choices. What if I had started a rock and roll band instead? What if I had followed my dreams and left New York City for L.A. sooner? What if I bought that house in Virginia and married my ex? Does what I’m doing mean anything to anyone?

It wasn’t until I heard a voice on that train full of Chinese locals say, “Excuse me, are you Veronica Swift?” that time stopped, and all the alternate realities of my life collided for this one moment. A twenty something Chinese girl came over and sat next to me. She told me she had seen me at Umbria Fest that summer, that she was studying at the Berklee summer program, and that my performance and master class really helped her. She was coming to see me in Shanghai that night. I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears. It was almost as if the powers that be sent her to remind me that what I'm doing does matter, and that I'm on the right track.

Since then, I decided not to let anything hold me back from following my dreams. Now here I am, seven years later, I have my rock band, live in L.A., and have started a new life with my rockstar idol and crush from when I was a kid. Nothing stops this train.

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