Here is one week in June for Dekar Justus.
Saturday night: Arrive in Des Moines, Iowa, at the Val Air Ballroom to drum for 17-year-old blues guitar prodigy Grace Bowers. Sunday: get back home in Evansville to perform at Mo’s House in Haynie’s Corner Arts District. Monday: Prepare materials for a show (and answer questions from Evansville Living). Wednesday: Rehearse for a show being staged later that night in Nashville, Tennessee. Thursday: Get to Greensboro, North Carolina, to drum for Walker Burroughs, a top 8 finalist in season 17 of “American Idol.” And then what?
“And then back home for whatever the weekend brings here in town,” Justus says.
It’s nothing new for the 29-year-old percussionist, singer, and songwriter. His entire time on this Earth has been consumed by drums and music. He got his first drum set at age 2 and played his first non-church gig at 11. He was performing in bars years before his 21st birthday.
“It was electrifying,” Justus says of his first shows. “I just fell in love with the feeling that people are enjoying music, and I realized how powerful music was for me.”
Justus can play as well around the beat as he can to it. His skills lie in his ability to improvise phrases and backbeats with a band to keep the groove organic and reflective of each musical moment on stage.
The best way to see Justus in action is at Mo’s House, where he often band-leads on the first, second, and third Sundays of the month. The first is open mic night, the second is Loops & Rhythms (featuring multi-talented musician Monte Skelton), and the third is a spotlight night on a specific artist.
His drive and competitive nature love the huge crowds he’s played to lately, including 30,000-plus attendees at a May music festival in Napa, California. (After this article went to press, Justus drummed for guitarist Grace Bowers on the Aug. 12 episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”) But the pared-down shows at Mo’s are just as fulfilling.
“No matter the scale, I could play in front of five people and still give the same amount of energy and love to what I do,” Justus says.
Part of his motivation to make one person or 10,000 people dance along with his drums is something his father taught him at a young age: save a life.
“He ingrained in me anytime I’m playing, I have the opportunity to save somebody’s life. And I know music has done more than that for me over the years,” Justus says. “… And you never know who’s listening. You never know who needs it.”
