You Can't Take Any Of This For Granted

Cris Cohen: You had a post on social media the other day where you said you were in the middle of a show, looked down at your sticks, and thought, “Wow, these two sticks have taken me all over the world.”

What is the lesson from that about the tools of the trade or about how to approach work? 

Jeff Marino, drummer and Music Director for Darius Rucker: Deep question. First and foremost, it is absolutely true. I'm at a phase in my life and my career where you can't take any of this for granted. I don't think I ever have. But you get to where I am in my career arc… I'm 53 years old. I've been on (tour) buses for 28 years. And every once in a while, you (think), “Man, I picked up two drumsticks in middle school and here I am still doing it. This really happened.”

It was a (feeling of) thankfulness and an awareness of how fortunate I am to still be doing this. 
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I actually took that picture during the show. Don't tell the band leader [he is the band leader]. But I had to grab that. I had to get that picture. It sounds corny, but it was a bit of a deep moment for me. I've been able to raise a family. We have a pretty decent house. My kids are grown. They're 23 and 19. I've been able to do all of these things as a result of two drumsticks.