I knew Drew primarily through our church, St. Peter’s. He was one of the first people I remember meeting through the church because for one Christmas mass, we did a performance of Little Drummer Boy together. I remember him being a great vocalist and just having an all around great attitude. Fast forward to my time with “The Thing”. I was a shy and quiet kid who never really knew how to interact or what to say around the kids in The Thing. I never went to any meetups outside of the church, and I rarely even went to meetups inside the church. But I always remember Drew lighting the room up every time the group met. He was a very important puzzle piece in that collective. One time at The Thing, I remember vividly being asked what high school I was going to as an icebreaker. At the time, I planned on going to CBHS (I ended up going somewhere else) and when I said CBHS, Drew got excited and said “ah man, you’re gonna love it!”

Being a fellow musician in the Memphis scene I always looked up to the bands that were “older” and more experienced than I was. I remember Drew and I talking a ton about of local bands and he was always so excited about them, always so supportive. Once Belvedere dropped their first singles I listened to them and really enjoyed them. I was planning to see them live in August of this year, but the show got canceled because of covid-related reasons. I DM’d Drew and told him I was planning on coming, and that I was disappointed that it got canceled. He said “oh it’s all good, we’re gonna reschedule it for next week”. I ended up not going, and I will forever regret it.

Not being a 100% Memphis native, I still knew how important Drew was to the community. I knew the lasting impact he would leave, and I knew how big the hole in everyone’s hearts would be without him. Friends of mine were unaware that I even knew him, but that just goes to show you how much of an impact he could make on a passerby. He loved everyone even just for a split second. And his love for the community and the Memphis music scene is something I will always remember and look up to.

Rest easy Drew. You and your music will live on forever.