Conversations with Tedd and Trey Caldwell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tedd and Trey Caldwell. They and their team share their story with us below:

No doubt, if you stroll through downtown Nashville, you’ll hear the music pumping out of Broadway’s Honkey Tonks. And the odds are that as you walk, you’ll hear the smooth and powerful drum groove laid down by twenty-three-year-old percussion prodigy and former Lost and Found drummer, Trey Caldwell, as he’s been known to play 3 or 4 shows a day with two or three different bands. But like most success stories, especially those rooted in the arts, the road to success and realized dreams had its share of bumps as well as good fortune, and helpful nudges from those who share the vision…and the dream continues to evolve.

Growing up in Tacoma, WA, Trey’s father had a small, amateur music studio in the basement that included an electronic drum set. By the age of 5, Trey had learned how to turn on the drum set, pick up some sticks, and start banging away. Trey, being a lefty, developed his own style of drumming, as the studio drums were set up for his right-handed father, who was truly, no drummer at all, but more of a guitar player.

It didn’t take long for banging to evolve into recognizable, if not unique, drum grooves. It became enjoyable to listen to Trey play the drums and in first grade, Trey’s mother submitted a recording of Trey Caldwell’s first known drum solo, titled I Wonder Why There’s Rock and Roll, to a Tacoma-wide art competition, and it brought home the Blue Ribbon.

In 5th grade, Trey was able to join the Meeker Middle School Jazz Band under the direction of Micah Haven. Mr. Haven quickly realized that he had a gifted student in his midst and immediately began to incorporate drum solos into the jazz pieces that the band would play. For the next four years gymnasiums full of locals would cheer on Mr. Haven, Trey, and their jazz band.

Mr. Haven remembers, “When we did our first playing test in 6th grade, Trey didn’t realize he didn’t need to play both parts, so while everyone else played just the melody line, Trey played the melody in one hand and the harmony in the other. He didn’t know any better and I didn’t tell him any different and it was at that moment I realized that I wasn’t going to tell Trey that anything was difficult! He started a ball rolling at Meeker (Middle School) that legitimately continues to this day. He was so humble and hard-working and the younger kids just wanted to play like Trey. And then the next group wanted to play like the previous. One of the reasons I’ve had great drummers for 12 years is because of Trey.”

Trey also landed the position of drummer for a Christian rock group at the local church, St Vincent de Paul. There, under the direction of his father, Trey mastered the techniques of touch and finesse that are required in a church setting.

Trey’s drumming took a bit of a back seat during his high school years as he was also a three-sport athlete competing in baseball, football, and wrestling. Many thought that maybe Trey had given up on drumming, but those living with him knew better as the basement was rocking most every night and the drumming at the church gig continued every Sunday.

At age 17, Trey became the drummer in The Lost and Found, a Tacoma-based cover band fronted by his father. The local bar scene would allow underage drummers, but Trey would have to stand outside the establishment during breaks as state law would not allow him to loiter while not actually drumming. During Trey’s high school and college years, Trey was involved in many live performances with The Lost and Found (as well as other bands, such as The Sam Parker Trio) and 1000s of recording sessions in the basement and other studios. Trey became a proficient music producer as an added skill to his drumming prowess.

Then all of a sudden the pandemic hit. Live music came to a screeching halt. Studios full of musicians became a super-spreader event. It seemed to Trey and many other musicians that the world of music had suddenly stopped. But Trey was able to take the opportunity to finish his business degree from the University of Washington.

Meanwhile, Trey’s father’s work would take him to Nashville where he noticed the recovery from the pandemic seemed to be progressing much faster than the Pacific Northwest. If Trey wanted to resume his pursuit of music, bold steps, indeed a bold move would be required.

In August of 2021, Trey, his friend Dakota, and one very lucky cat loaded up and started their journey from Tacoma, WA to Nashville, TN. One question that loomed large was, would Trey’s drumming skills that landed him accolades in Tacoma, WA, translate to the stages of Nashville? Trey would soon find out that the answer was yes, but only with a large amount of hard work in the mix. While Trey had the skills he had two mountains to climb. One was a social mountain where he had moved to a new city and would need to build relationships with musicians in hopes that he could land gigs as a substitute, even if for just a song or two while a drummer grabbed a quick break.

The other mountain was the large and varied repertoire of music a Nashville drummer was expected to know. Nashville cover bands play request after request and the list of most requested songs is known as The 300 Songs. It is pretty amazing to watch a good Nashville cover band on Broadway. The musicians are famous for playing ANY requested song from any era or genre. Usually those requests land within The 300 Songs list, but frequently they are more obscure. The band will huddle and come up with a quick game plan, then it’s “one, two, three…” and the song kicks off and crowds erupt as their favorite tunes are being expertly played, even if unrehearsed. So, Trey had the better part of 300 songs to learn and learn quickly if he was going to be able to pay his rent and eat, making it as a drummer in Nashville.

This need to meet musicians and learn a lot of music, combined with Trey’s generous and straightforward spirit, landed him a major setback. The setback took form in a musician that Trey met that seemed helpful but ended up being more of the user, and a poor example. He moved in with Trey and Dakota, failed to pay rent, borrowed money from Trey, and after being asked to move out, just disappeared. Hard lesson learned. Everyone in Nashville had seemed so friendly, but Trey realized he had to be more careful in his friend selection.

Trey spent the majority of his time visiting the honkey tonks on Broadway with drumsticks in his back pocket, meeting musicians and offering to give them a break, so he could show off his skills. In his time at home, he was trying to learn the 300 Songs, but it was challenging living in an apartment and not disturbing the neighbors with loud drumming. But patience and persistence paid off when Trey landed his first paying gigs after about 90 days of networking and practicing.

One of Trey’s first experiences was going on a band van tour playing at bars outside of Nashville and traveling to Iowa, Ohio, and North Carolina. The pay was minimal and the hours on the road were long. Not really living the dream, but about the same time, Trey was starting to get calls to sub in for drummers in the Broadway honkey tonk bars. And with that, Trey had accomplished his first goal of becoming a paid professional drummer in Nashville.

Today, Trey is the regular drummer in three Nashville cover bands and still subs in for other drummers if they have a conflict in their schedule. Additionally, Trey’s guitar-picking father still travels frequently to Nashville for work, and they often play together on Nashville stages, a dream neither of them dared to dream.

So, if you’re walking down Broadway and you see a drummer playing a right-handed kit, left-handed, stop in and say “hello” to Trey and his bandmates. Don’t forget to put a little something in the tip jar and then request a song you believe might not be one of The 300 Songs that are most requested. You know, keep them on their toes!!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The obstacles and challenges are outlined in the Your Story portion of the interview.

Though it’s worth mentioning that some obstacles are in our minds and our unwillingness to try something new. Trey was willing to leave the only city he’d ever lived in to try to follow his dream, leaving behind family, friends, and bandmates. It takes a certain courage of character to be able to see the opportunity and the risks, and then take that leap.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Mainly to try not to worry about things that you can’t control and focus on the things that you do have some control over. During the pandemic, the music scene was limited or shut completely down. But the universities remained open via remote learning. So Trey was able to really focus on finishing school during this time.

Contact Info:

• Website: lostandfoundrevisited.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/lostandfoundrevisited and Instagram.com/treycaldwellmusic
• Facebook: Facebook.com/lostandfoundrevisited
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lostandfoundrevisited