Staying On Beat: David Chiverton Shares The Hidden Battles of Being a Successful Musician

What's the TRUE cost of being a top creative? And what untold struggles are you going to face as you achieve your God-given dreams?  

In this episode, renowned drummer and educator David Chiverton returns to The God and Gigs Show to share why being a successful musician is sometimes overrated, and why he prioritizes family and personal growth more than major musical opportunities. 

With honesty and transparency, this top drummer who has worked with Sheila E., Leslie Odom, Jr. , Jon Secada, Maxwell and dozens of other A-list artists explains how he's kept his faith and family foremost so that he never misaligns his vision or mission as a musician.

Listen to see how a successful creative keeps his roles in the proper perspective. 

CONNECT WITH DAVE CHIVERTON
 Website
Instagram
YouTube (Chivertone Sessions)
The Smoogies Band Website

Listen to David's 1st interview on The God and Gigs Show

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Chapters

• 1:34 The Unspoken Struggles of Top Musicians and Creatives
• 2:48 Balancing Creativity with Everyday Life and Faith
• 7:26 Reunion with David Chiverton
• 14:19 Dealing with Imposter Syndrome
• 18:21 The Story Behind the Band Name
• 22:23 Taking Risks and Differentiation in the Music Industry
• 27:14 Balancing Family and Music Career
• 41:17 The Power of Remembering God's Faithfulness
• 52:39 Reflecting on the Journey
• 53:33 Closing Thoughts

Transcript

[00:00:01 - 00:01:14]
What are the things that the top musicians and creatives in the world rarely tell you? What are those things that they struggle with, that give them pause, that make them have to think twice even though they are at the top of their game? Well, my friends, the reason that you probably don't know what those things are is because they really don't have a safe place to share them in the limelight or whether they are teaching or doing workshops or anything like that. Sometimes they're looked at as they've all got it together, but none of us do. So I'm going to give you guys a window into one of my best friend's life as a musician, as a creative who has been on the top level stages, but also is super authentic and transparent about those things that are helping him to keep his balance and his focus on the right things. And here's a quick hint. It's probably not just being an amazing musician, my friend. We're about to talk to David Shiverton for the second time after he was one of our first interviews on the guiding gig show. So this is an amazing reunion and I can't wait for you to hear it. But first, give me just a moment to welcome those of you who are new to our show and then we'll get right into this fascinating and super important conversation.

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Artists, musicians and creatives of all kinds looking for help balancing your passion to create with your everyday life?

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Not sure if your faith can coexist.

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With your professional fashion? Welcome to a place where real artists discuss real life. You're listening to the God and gig show. Visit godandgigs.com for show notes, links and more information.

[00:01:42 - 00:05:44]
Hello and welcome to our show. Thank you so much for making this podcast a part of your creative day. And if you're new to our show, I think you're in the perfect place at the perfect time. And let me tell you why quickly. My name is Allen C. Paul. I'm a musician, I'm an author, speaker and creative coach. And we are here at guiding gigs to help you to transform your creative life from the inside out by applying timeless spiritual principles to temporary creative problems. We do that through our podcast. We have a membership, we have a free Facebook group, and we have all these things where this community has united for over eight years now, as I'm recording, to make sure that we are becoming everything God wants us to be, no matter where we create. And I'll just put in a quick plug. We're also proud to now be on youversion. If you have the Bible app, the Youversion app. You can also find our new devotional, the creator's craft. They're on a youversion plan, a three day devotional to God's creative process. You can find that on that app. Just look for plans and put in God and gigs and you'll see our page. And hopefully, as I'm recording, we're going to have more devotionals available on that very cool platform where Bible reading is paramount. And we're just so glad to be there as a part of that amazing resource. But speaking of amazing resources, no one could be a better speaking of amazing resources, no one could be better than my friend, my brother, Dave Shiverton, who helped kick off the got and gig show so many years ago. I remember when we first started this podcast, I was just trying to get my feet wet and figure out this whole what do I hold? Where's the mic go? What do you record? And Dave was so kind to come in and talk about the real life that musicians live. It came from. Well, you're going to hear when you go back. I don't really want you to go back because that was one of our very, very technically challenged episodes. But it also shows Dave's heart over the years. Now he's getting ready to come back and speak to you about what musicians rarely share. The things that make us able to do what we do at a high level are also the things that can actually damage or jeopardize our lives, our faith and our families. And usually you don't hear that from top musicians. They don't get a chance to share the nitty gritty and the things that sometimes go wrong, the things that sometimes challenge us, the things that make us feel insecure even when we're at a high level, like Dave Sheverton is. Now. If you don't know who Dave is, let me quickly tell you some of his bio. You probably already read it, but he is a nationally recognized drummer, musician, producer. He is currently teaching at the University of Miami as a lecturer in drums and percussion. He has also played with all kinds of musicians and artists all over the world. Like Sheila E, like John Cicada, like Lauryn Hill. Every single person you can think of who has been around Dave Chiverton would call him a top drummer in the world. He is endorsed by several companies and as I mentioned, he also has an amazing band. His starting out, not starting out, he's actually been around. And he also has an amazing band project called the Smoogies, which I am learning to say correctly. And you'll see in the interview how I have to work on that, but I just want to get to this interview so you can hear his heart for his family, for how he is adjusting to this new level of success and how he's had to have some challenges to remind him what's really important so that you can also remember what's important as you grow as a creative, as a musician, as a faith focused believer who wants to excel in your craft but never compromising your principles or your character. My friend, if you ever had a feeling that you were kind of losing that balance, this is the interview that's going to help you get it back, my friend. Let's listen in to this amazing discussion with my friend and brother, David Shepperton.

[00:05:53 - 00:06:24]
Ladies and gentlemen. There would be no guiding gigs if it wasn't for the man that is sitting across from me, around me, whatever you want to call it, virtually. Honestly, he was one of the guys that motivated me to do this project, to start this kind of thing, because the people like him have had the character, the talent, and just the christian character that I emulate, that I want to be like. So that's all the introduction he needs. Dave Sherviton, welcome to the guiding geek show. How you doing, bro?

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Thanks for having me, man. It's a pleasure to be here. It's been too long, man.

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Yeah, we were just talking. Okay, so let's go ahead. Be the old man for a second. We work really hard as dads and husbands to be the person that can say stuff like this and not care. Okay? So we live.

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Okay.

[00:06:41 - 00:07:19]
I'm working really hard on earning that badge of being able to say whatever I want with no filter. Right? So we can go back to 2000. Jesus, this is going to age me. 2017, Doc. 2017. A certain man was in the studio talking about going to Japan to talk to a certain. Yes. See, this is where we're starting this interview. You literally started my goddess Geeks podcast, bro, with the bomb drop of the century, saying that you had just gone off to Japan and proposed to a certain young lady.

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All right, that's crazy.

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That's how we're gonna kick this off.

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Oh, my goodness. That's amazing. So, so full circle, man. It's full circle.

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So now you get to do. Starting from there, I'm just gonna be quiet and let you fill in all the gaps for the last seven years. Not for real, bro. Like, that's how amazing this has been. So everybody go back if you want. I really don't want them to go back to listen to my craziness because that was when I didn't know how to hold a microphone. I think I had a Dell PC, something recording on some crazy, you know, SM 50.

[00:07:54 - 00:07:56]
That was a great interview, man. It was really cool.

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Thank you, man.

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So much has happened since then. So, I mean, married and so much, man. I'm trying to process everything since then. Okay, if we're meeting for the first time. David Shiverson. Born and raised Miami, Florida, musician. Attended Florida International University, got my bachelor's in jazz performance. Currently adjunct professor at the University of Miami. I've been doing that for four years. Fast forward. I've toured with people such as Sheila E. And currently Leslie Odom Junior. I've done shows with Marcus Miller and Maxwell, different people like that. So Nicole Henry, new drive, the Smoojis. Yeah. So now I'm still doing all of that really cool stuff, and God's been amazing. So I'm married. Married dad, all that great stuff. Yeah. I'm just extremely, extremely blessed, man. So I just thank God for where I am in my life and the little things that are actually huge things that I don't take for granted. So I'm blessed, man.

[00:09:16 - 00:10:38]
I hear it, brother. And this is the part I know I set you up there with all that, but it really is hard for us to put all of our experiences, and I'm saying, I'm not saying this to be like high horse, but I realize you, I myself, it's hard to put all those things into words. I mean, you know, because back when we talked, I do remember, we talked a lot about your upbringing. We talked about your folks. We talked about how you started in church. We talked about how you developed the discipline. Right? So the hard part about the second interview is how do you now talk about all the lessons since then, since you make it to teaching, since you go into a new level of building your band, building your own brand. Like, see? So we got to pick one. That's why even before I started the interview, I'm like, we're going to have to focus on something. So I think I'm going to focus. What actually intrigues me is your entry into education. So we're going to go there for a second because our last interview, we kind of left off with, here's what I learned. Here's why I feel now I've gotten these opportunities. So now you are literally in a classroom with other musicians who are got to be extremely talented. So tell me, how is that experience now being on the academic side? And what kind of lessons that you learned. Are you trying to impart to these students in the.

[00:10:38 - 00:10:39]
In.

[00:10:39 - 00:10:41]
As an adjunct professor?

[00:10:41 - 00:12:46]
To be honest with you, it's a whole different beast, mainly because you have to continue to keep a mirror on yourself while you're pouring into other people. It shows you your communication skills. It shows you your empathy level. It shows you your willingness to adjust because every student is different. You know what? This person. Person can take, that person can't. You know? So I learned a lot about just kind of being super. I don't know, man. Just being able to. Being able to pivot and adjust at the drop of a habit, because every semester is so different. Every semester is so different. You. You could think, you got to figure it out with this group. Like, oh, I got it. And then the next semester, it's a whole different group of people that you're dealing with a lot of different things that you've never dealt with before. So even teaching on a college level can be super intimidating because you have all these amazing teachers and professors that this is like, these are lifetime professors. They've been doing this for 30 plus years, and you're coming in like, hi, my name is Dave Seyverte. I want to teach. This is how you play the drums, you know? But, you know, I'm just learning more than ever to just continue to walk in the path that God pushed before me, because it's not by chance that I have this opportunity to be able to impart wisdom or knowledge or whatever experiences I've had into other people, especially younger people, it's been pretty rewarding, because even when you think you're not making a dent or making, you know, any impact, someone will let you know, like, yo, man, I was great. I needed that, you know? So it's just. It's a great path to be on. It's scary, but it is. It is a great path to be on.

[00:12:46 - 00:13:48]
See, I love the fact that it still puts you in that humble position of a student. When I mention the other teachers, the other professors, and I recently did a live stream on imposter syndrome, and this is. I'm not gonna rehash it. They can go listen to it. But I want to quickly, which I've dealt with. Yeah, I wanted to bring it up to you because I feel like you just hit on it, which is, you're clearly a master of your craft, and yet you know what? You don't know. And that's the first. Yeah, that's the first thing about imposter syndrome, is that you're not an imposter, but you feel like one because, you know, you're. You're aware of your. I'll just put quote unquote deficiencies. Right. You're aware of the weaknesses so well because you actually practiced and gotten so good at getting strong and working on your deficiencies. So it's like, it's like. It's like a double edged sword. And I love that, that, that humility in terms of that area. Your students, I'm sure, gravitate to that. Like, I. If I were in your classroom, I would gravitate to somebody that says, hey, I'm still learning, even though he's clearly mastered some things.

[00:13:48 - 00:15:28]
Yeah. Yeah, I think. And that's. That's kind of been a tough thing with me as well. Like, because there are moments I'll be transparent where, you know, there. There's some flexing that has. Has to happen where there may be a student that challenges you to say, oh, okay. And then you have to sit down. But that's why I say it keeps a mirror on you. Because I'm like, I can't continue to communicate something to a student, and I can't sit down and play it right. You know, I mean, so a lot of, lot of that was. I'm doing a lot of that as well, you know, so it's keeping me sharp. I'm in the shed making sure that I'm, you know, whatever. But like I said, back to the whole teacher thing. Yeah, it's true. Like the imposter syndrome. Like, sometimes I would look around and be like, I don't belong here. Like, what am I doing? Because, again, you have these people that have 35, 40 years plus of a career, and it's such a prestigious university or on a university level in general, and you just want to make sure that you're making just as much of an impact as they are. And. But the more I teach there and the more the years, you know, this is my fourth year. I just finished. I'm understanding how important it is that I share my experiences with these students versus me feeling or constantly being reminded of my limitations. I have to continue to focus on what I do have to give because to somebody out there, even if it's not 2000 people, like maybe four people that I reach that say, man, that really helped me, you know, and that's. That's. That's what it's about, you know?

[00:15:28 - 00:15:35]
So, 100%, man, I love it. Now let's talk about the shirt you're wearing, man. Let's talk about yeah. Now, first of all, shameless plug.

[00:15:36 - 00:15:36]
Shameless.

[00:15:36 - 00:16:17]
No, it's not shame. There's no shame. There's no shame, especially in this, bro. Let's not go right into the marketing part, like, where we. We shy away from it and yet, like, it is number one. Like, what musicians. Look, I'll go ahead and say it. I love, um. I love university, but one thing that I think they've done better at, um, I'll go ahead and give them a plug for that. But most schools, other than maybe Berkeley, never talk about is the business of music, the business of making a living as a musician. So I don't mind going there, because half of God and gigs is that, but I just want to talk about specifically the band itself. And the first thing I get in trouble with is pronouncing the name Smoojis. I always. I put.

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I put.

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I put it. I put an h in it every time.

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Say, I don't want to say it.

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Out loud, cuz they're gonna mess it up. So I just. See, I say. I want to say smooth, and I say something like, smooth. So I do, like a smooch. I say.

[00:16:36 - 00:16:48]
That'S better than, oh, man, how many gigs we've been on, y'all? Give it up for the smoogies. Give it up for the smokies. Or the smokies. He's like smokey, the smoke smokies.

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Okay, okay, wait, let's just stop there. Where did the name come from? I literally do not know.

[00:16:52 - 00:17:37]
The answer, honestly came from my good brother Harvel, who's the. The other incredible drummer in the band. I don't know if he came from Harville and Dion. I don't know how it came about, but it's basically the way it sounds. It's supposed to be a blend of. Of influences, of experiences in terms of culture. Like, Harvel's haitian, like, Vaughn is jamaican. Like, you know, all. We got all these different blends. So it's supposed to be like a smoothie. We just call it the smoojies. So that's the. That's the quick explanation of it. But Harvel can give you more of a.

[00:17:39 - 00:17:47]
But that would be a very different less. I'm trying to let not do the whole behind the scenes thing, but let's just say that would be a totally different interview. I know this.

[00:17:47 - 00:17:50]
I know it would be hilarious.

[00:17:52 - 00:18:00]
I need to prepare for that. I'm not ready for that yet. You already know. We both know what we're saying is a hundred percent.

[00:18:01 - 00:18:01]
Right.

[00:18:02 - 00:18:09]
So, so let's talk about the development in terms of. Again, I want to think always in terms of the person that's listening.

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They're.

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They're going to follow. Right. They're going to go down the rabbit hole. They're going to listen to the band. They're going to go, okay, what is actually happening? How is this happening? That's the thing that usually they say. They're like, oh, they just want to jump from a to z, and they don't go from b to y.

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Right.

[00:18:25 - 00:18:46]
They don't. They don't follow all the things in between. So tell me one of the big lessons you've learned in terms of releasing music, in terms of writing music, in terms of developing this sound. Just give me a couple of lessons you learned from, like, say, the debut album to now. Just give me. Because I know you can't do them. All right. But just give me a couple things that have really impacted you as an artist.

[00:18:46 - 00:20:50]
Well, specifically in this band. Like, it's because I kind of experienced it a little bit with the other band I'm a part of called Troy Roberts New Jive. Right. I kind of got to see Troy dealing specific things in terms of marketing, but this is cool because I kind of get to see a little bit more firsthand. And Harvell and Dion are like, man, they just push and do everything they can to make sure that they're constantly pushing the band. But I've learned a lot about putting yourself out there, you know, not just being the cool guy and, you know, we dope, so y'all gotta let us play. Nah, it's nothing like that. It's such a humbling experience to see, you know, like I said, harvell and Dion reaching out to people and constantly communicating in terms of, like, the business side, being very clear about what you expect in every situation that you're walking into, from venues to, you know, door deals to, you know, backline all these different. Different aspects of what it. What it means to have a great show, from recording artwork to, you know, distribution, all these different things that, you know, honestly, being a sideman for so many years, I hadn't even me put, like, putting out my own single last year. I was just like, I had no idea. You hear people talk about these things, but you're just like, what is a distro kid? Or what is. What is all of this stuff that people talk about that you have to now really think about, where's your music going? Who's gonna hear you music. How do you put yourself out there? So I answer your question. I've learned so many different things that we learn it every day. Every single day. We just had a meeting a couple days ago about the future. You know, what's. What's the deal for the next couple months? What are we doing, where we hit and what city we go on to? What grants are we trying to get? You know, things like that. So, yeah, it's a constant daily learning experience.

[00:20:50 - 00:21:39]
Yeah, man. I have to, once again, make sure that people who aren't familiar with it, because, again, we kind of jump in. I mean, your band is number one. The big thing that immediately puts it apart if you're just not familiar with jazz or bands in general is the two drummers, that two drummers on the same band. And so one of the things I think we want to immediately kind of hit on for those who are like, okay, how do I make it in this industry? How do I differentiate myself? Just talk about the risk of that. Just talk about the risk of doing something where it's not been seen before. I'm sorry. I've been. I've been around a lot of bands. I've been around just like you, a lot of. A lot of music. Never saw that setup ever. So just talk about the risk of, hey, we're going to try something that something hasn't been done, and we're going to commit to it. So tell me just about the level, I guess courage. Did you have to mess up any courage to actually just go there?

[00:21:40 - 00:22:24]
If I'm being honest with you, man, it was. It wasn't as difficult as people would think, because me, personally, I can speak for myself, not the other guys, but I've always been into pushing the envelope and not doing the norm, you know? So when we kind of. I was the last person to join the band, pretty much like Harvel, Dion, and Vaughan. They were playing, like, almost weekly together around town. And I think, you know, of course I know all of them. I play, you know, work with them, with different artists, whatever. And then one week, I think either I mentioned it or somebody reached out. It's like, yo, man, let's. Let's do double drums. And we did it, and it was just like, this is kind of cool, you know?

[00:22:24 - 00:22:25]
Kind of cool.

[00:22:25 - 00:23:01]
Yeah, it was just like. Would recommend this could be special, especially playing with Harvilla. Like, he's just. Man, he's just an incredible musician. Like, not just a drummer, he's an incredible musician. So to be able to play with him and really make music and play parts, understand how to finish each other's sentences musically. Like, it's something that's beautiful, man. The more we do it, it's like it's just turning into its own thing, you know? Yeah, we've seen it done before. Like, no, mess up the light. Almond brothers. Is that the name of the group?

[00:23:01 - 00:23:05]
Yes. Yeah. See? Steve Almond. Yeah. I haven't seen them, so, yeah, now.

[00:23:05 - 00:23:06]
You'Re.

[00:23:08 - 00:23:11]
Doing at this level, honestly, I appreciate that.

[00:23:11 - 00:24:22]
Yeah, but, like, people like them, or you see tedesky trucks. Like, the band. Like, they have two drummers, so. But it's a very specific thing, I think, what we're doing. My objective, when I realized this was a major or this is where we were headed, I was just like, I want people to forget their two drummers in, like, the first two minutes. Like, once we start playing, like, I want. I want that to be disregarded, like, immediately. So I understand that it's just four musicians on stage, and we all play a major part. Most times we walk in a room, everybody sees two drummers. They're like, oh, crap, this is gonna be loud. But. But to see. But it's also rewarding, because when we start playing, you see people's faces kind of transform, like, oh, shoot, this is dope. You know what I mean? Like, being musical and being dynamic, playing together, playing as a unit, has been super rewarding, so. And we haven't even. To me, we haven't even touched, you know, where it is we're supposed to be going. We got. We're about to start working on new music soon. Just stay tuned, man. You dry. As a matter of fact, Seamus plug again. We drop a new single tomorrow.

[00:24:23 - 00:24:23]
Oh.

[00:24:23 - 00:24:26]
So when you. When you release, I'm gonna say, no, it's out.

[00:24:26 - 00:24:27]
It's out.

[00:24:27 - 00:24:28]
This is out for sure.

[00:24:28 - 00:24:28]
It's out.

[00:24:29 - 00:24:40]
Yeah, it's out. So, yeah, that's. You're gone live at the bridge. And, yeah, we got a little 305 thing happening at the end, so y'all go check it out.

[00:24:40 - 00:25:37]
Okay. I was at one, at least one of those shows, and I can. I can tell you that this was, number one, blowing my mind all the time. And then number two, it was repeat listening, because you said the musicianship things I didn't notice, and seamless plug. For God and gigs, Vaughn has already been on the show. He dropped an amazing interview talking about just his, you know, obviously his move and his family. So you're just a blessing to me. Let's talk about family. Since I pivoted right there. I started off the interview kind of putting you on the spot. We're trying to remember your proposal. So let's talk about you again. You're talking about the band. You're talking about being a professor. You talk about touring all over the country. Now, you got to help some of us that are trying to balance this thing about being a family man, being a person of character, being a Christian that takes care of home first, managing this industry. So give me, you know, again, can't do them all. But pick one major lesson you've learned in the last seven years about being able to prioritize your family.

[00:25:41 - 00:25:43]
Balance is everything.

[00:25:44 - 00:25:53]
I know. I saw the side. If you're. If you're just listening, you just have to see his face. You got to get it onto YouTube, because that. That said everything.

[00:25:53 - 00:27:54]
It's real, man. Because it's just. I think for me, and I would just be totally transparent. It's constantly putting the effort toward balancing what it is that you're doing in life in general. Like, we've. Like, you just talked about, you work so hard to get to a certain level as a musician, as an artist, as a businessman. Like, you work to get to a certain level. And then when you start to kind of see the fruits of your labor, you're just like, all right, cool. You just want to go full gusto in that direction. But you also have to consider the fact that now you have a family. Now I have a beautiful wife who's amazing and super supportive. Now I have a beautiful son who's, like, incredible. And it's tough every time I have to leave him. It's a lot of things that you got to think about. So the only thing that helps me is just faith in God, faith in the fact that he's constantly steering my path. There are gonna be tough days where you want to be home. Like, I just got a tour schedule for this year, and it's a possibility that I won't be home for my son's birthday, which is heartbreaking. You know what I mean? Like, already just like. And this. He's turning three this year, so I'm just like, okay. But I also have to understand that these opportunities come from God and that he'll make sure that my family is okay, that will get through those tough moments. So, it's like I said, to answer your question, balance. Trying your best to ask God for the ability to balance all this stuff. When you're home, be home. You know what I mean? Like, and that's the tough thing within itself. Like, when I'm home, it's like I got my drunk, my drum studio in the garage or whatever. I try to spend the least amount of time in there. Like, I like to hang out with my son, you know, during the day while mommy's at work, me and him hanging out. You know what I mean? Like, I. I get to chill with him. Um, so you just try your best on a daily basis just to create that balance so that it doesn't feel like such a void when you're gone.

[00:27:55 - 00:29:49]
Yeah, man, I can equate this again. I'm on the other side. I'm being the old man now. Having sin, literally sitting in the room of my daughter. Used to, you know, was living up to 25. Done. Moved on out to, uh, with her husband, which I say, with all due respect to my son in law, I can tell you honestly, and again, here's where we can just have the conversation, right? Because I think what creators musicians don't understand, and what I almost missed was what you said about the. Why. Why am I doing all this? Why? It's so much about the passion of being an artist that tries to make everything about the artist. And yet, I've said this several times at my church, and I'm not trying to be preachy, but I've tried to live this out, and I want you to. I want you to pine on. This is not me. Be the preacher. I want you to answer me. Ask me if. Tell me if I'm crazy. I started telling the church, look, I refuse to be the old man up here on the stage, on the platform. If God, if I lose my fingers tomorrow, if these things just shrivel up, I want to be the same person. I want to be just as energized. I refuse to make my entire identity about what I do up here, because I've seen what happens when people put all of their eggs into that identity of being a musician and creative and gain the whole world and lose their soul. Right? So, am I crazy in saying that being a musician and even being a gifted musician at the end of the day is not the goal, is not, like, what we should be aspiring to? Because I see so many guys, like, trying to do what we do, and yet I'm at the. I'm at this road, and I honestly, if you gave me another job right now that paid me well enough and I could still be fulfilled as a podcaster or whatever, and I could do just fun stuff with people I like and just play for fun, I'd be cool. I really would. I don't know. How do you feel about that?

[00:29:49 - 00:31:25]
Well, yeah, I would say your. Your perspective changes. The more your life changes and the more things come into your life or people come into your life that. That. I said it to my wife the other day. I said, it's so interesting how you work so hard to get to a certain level, or you work so hard to get to a place in your career, and now it's no longer the most important thing in your life anymore. That's what, you know, and that. That's like an epiphany I had, you know, a little while ago. But, like, especially when I got married and then when my son came into the world, he's just like, my objective is to make sure they're okay and to make sure that my family is okay. It's not to be the craziest drummer and all this. Nah, that is not the objective anymore. When we were younger, you know, it's never been the objective, but to us, that's the goal. That's the pinnacle. Like, that's like, all right, cool. You want to get there, but my main objective now is my family. You know, make sure they good, man. And I'm thankful to God for the great opportunities and accolades or whatever, you know, the opportunities that I've had, experiences I've had, but nothing compares to the blessing of, you know, God. God giving me my family, you know, and I want to make sure that every day I'm showing that to God, like, you know, goddess. It's not about these gigs. So whatever he has that comes my way, I'm like, alright, cool. That's what he wants me to do.

[00:31:25 - 00:31:26]
Yeah.

[00:31:26 - 00:32:50]
Versus where. And I'll be transparent again. Like, sometimes you do put yourself out there. You're like, ah, I got to do this to get on this gig. It's just like, God be sitting there looking at you. No, that's not what I've been on, bro. I've been on a lot of situations where I'm like, I know this one, God. Because I wouldn't be going through the stuff I'm going through right now. This was God. There's this permissive will, his permissive will, and then his perfect will. So sometimes God be like, alright, cool, I had this for you, but go ahead. I'll let you go ahead and get that out of your system. So more than anything, you know, I'm just trying my best to just lock you into whatever it is he wants me to do. So whatever gig passes me by that I'm like, man, I know I could have got that or could have done well like that, guys. Like, no, but if you'd have done that, you'd have missed this, you know? Or your son just learned how to walk yesterday. You didn't miss that, you know? I mean, like, I got homies, man. They've been on the road with the biggest artists in the world for years, and they tell me all the time the major things that they've missed. And that's, like, heartbreaking to me because I'm just like, how? Show me how to balance that, man. Show me. Show me. Or you do it for me. You know? You. You take over my calendar. Show me how this whole thing is supposed to work, you know?

[00:32:51 - 00:34:35]
I'm taking. No, no. What you just said. I'm writing that down. I hope people that are saving this interview remember that line, God, take over my calendar? Like, that's why. That's why you don't. I don't think you heard yourself that this is why I do what I do, brother. I do this because things like that can save a marriage. Things like that phrase could save a life. I saw somebody post something that's going to get kind of. Try not to go dark, but we got to talk about the positive, the negative and the positive, right? The positive is what you do. If you balance. The negative is what you don't balance. I saw a post on Twitter where somebody reposted somebody that said, I'm going for my fourth degree in music. I don't know how I can get a job. I think I might end it all. This was a literal post either on Reddit or Twitter or someplace. We're talking about a dude that clearly is gifted. If you go and get three degrees, I don't know why you go back for that many degrees, right? But clearly, he was either scared of the real world or just thought more degrees equaled more prestige and did what we just talked about. He threw everything at just being good at something, music, art, whatever, and didn't realize there was a point was to make a life. It's not to make a living and be this whatever that he was trying to do. And he's literally to the point where he was thinking about ending it all. So that's why I think it's so important we say stuff like, God, take care of my calendar. God, take my gig calendar. God, tell me if this is right, because it can't be. I mean, again, I didn't mean to go so deep, bro, but you went there. We've been there where it. You. You're looking at it, like, did I just mess up? Like, way more than I think I could even gain back because of some decision just for some gig or performance that could have.

[00:34:35 - 00:35:21]
And I've done it. I've done it. That's why I said I speak transparently. Like, I've done it where I've put myself out there. And my wife is constantly my accountability partner, and it pertains to that. She's constantly like, you don't need to be doing that anymore. You know, just like, nah, this person, bro. She's like, yeah, no, God. God has more for you. Or, you can't ask God to continue to open new doors. Or, you know, like I said, take over my calendar. And then you constantly like, yeah, I'm do this. You know what I mean? So every day. Every day, I'm learning. And again, sometimes I still make. You know, I'm like. I make decisions based off of false loyalty to people that I've worked with for years. And the truth is, I should have walked away from a lot of situations.

[00:35:21 - 00:35:23]
Oh, don't get me started, bro.

[00:35:24 - 00:35:25]
I don't like talking to you.

[00:35:25 - 00:35:28]
When you start walking down my street. I don't like it. I don't like it.

[00:35:28 - 00:36:16]
So it's a tough thing, man. But you can't. Again, these are like. It's almost like pulling away. Like, you know that at that onion where you just like, are you really trusting God, or are you legit still trying to, like, help him do what he needs to do in your life? And I'm trying. Every day, I'm trying my best to pull away more and more. More and more, like, all right, God. Cool. You stare. That gig got canceled. Cool. You got something else. My family is sustained. We in the home. We ain't go hungry today. Like. And people look at those things like they're very minute, but they're major. Like, I'm. I haven't played at a church consistently in five years. So when I. When I had. When I did that, I was like, what am I gonna do?

[00:36:16 - 00:37:02]
It's a paradigm shift, right? It's a paradigm shift. It's like, yeah, and again, I'm talking about it, and I'm still an every Sunday guy. And yet that's kind of what I'm saying, is that you can't. You have to hold on to this. The old preacher would say, hold on to this world loosely. You have to hold on to these titles, these positions, these things. Like, loosely, like, at any point, God pulls it out of your hands. It's like, hey, okay, what's next? I'm gonna do something different. Cool. But, yeah, like, if you hold on tight, that's where I think that that tension comes. And our family feels it. We feel it internally. We're like, am I even the same person anymore? Am I. Am I. Do I have value to God? Do I have value? Because I'm not playing every Sunday or whatever, you know, whatever. You name your thing, right?

[00:37:02 - 00:39:44]
The other thing is, too, like, especially with us, like, you. It's also walking into what the phrase that everybody uses. Excuse me. They call it the fear of the unknown. And the truth is, once you get rid of that phrase and understand that there is no unknown, there's just what God wants for you. And if you start to walk into that, whatever is the unknown, God has already gone before you and taking care of it, you know, I mean, so the more you get rid of, like, that was my thing. Ah, just the fear, the unknown. Like, I don't know what I'm gonna do. You know, I got. Now I'm talking about marrying. Getting married. And, you know, I left, like, the year before I got married. The church I was part of. And it was just like, okay, God, what am I gonna do? But like I said, every day is a renewing of my mind where I'm just like, all right, God, I know you gotta take me care of. I know you gone before me. That's the tough thing. I told my wife, God revealed a word to me that was like a slap in the face, but it was also amazing. He just whispered a word to me, remember. And remember means for me. It's like the Holy Spirit said to me, remember where I've taken you from. Like, remember where I brought you through. Remember who I am in every situation. Remember that I've gone before you. Like, it was just like that word, remember. Just like, it messed me up for, like, a couple days that I told my wife. I was just like, God been beating me up the last couple days, most seriously. Because what happens to you, man? Like, you can attest to this. Being the father and the leader in your home. You get. Sometimes we get down, man. We don't know what to do. We don't know what the right answer is. But that word, it was like God knew I needed to hear that specific word. And then he gave me context when he. When he. When he did that, the holy spirit down downloaded that into me, and I was just like, whoa. So now I'm living on that. Remember anytime I get frustrated, God, I got $60 in my account. Remember, remember he provides. Remember what he got you through. Remember that he's already gone ahead of you. Continue to remember. And every day, that's all I'm doing. Remember I got. All right, a lot. That gig ain't happening no more. But okay, I gotta remember that you already went ahead of me. You know, you. You know what? I wasn't supposed to be there. The reason why I wasn't supposed to be a part of that or whatever, you know? So, yeah, yeah.

[00:39:44 - 00:39:48]
Remember, Pastor David, I appreciate you coming on the.

[00:39:48 - 00:39:51]
Come on, man. Relax, relax, relax, relax.

[00:39:52 - 00:42:07]
You know, with a decor bishop or something. I say the lightning because it's such a serious and a deep revelation. You just dropped in the. And I don't mind going to that's. Again, sometimes I question why this platform exists, to be honest with you. Sometimes I go back and it sounds crazy to say that because here I am saying how important this is, and yet I'll do the same thing. I'll turn on social media, I'll look at somebody else's influence, I'll look at somebody else's, I'll be like, oh, I don't know if this is really doing what it's supposed to do because people don't really understand what we're sharing. It might be for a select few, but like you said, the beginning, if it's one, if it's four, if it's five, who cares? That person needed to hear what you just said, and this is worth it. And it doesn't matter how many, you know, likes or comments or whatever, you know, stupid social media metrics that we get caught up in, what matters is that the word does not return void. Right. And so what you just said about, remember, the thing I just popped into my head was when he talks to two Timothy, I think Paul says, remember Jesus Christ. And I'm like, paul, you're talking to your biggest, most important pastor, you know, Minty. And you got to remind him to remember Jesus. Like, that's what I just felt when you said that. It's so easy, no matter how long we've been doing this. And we might be talking to some of the. We might be talking to some veterans right now, is what I'm saying. Sometimes some of these podcasts go to people who are beginners. This might be more for the veterans who are right. In that season of wait, I've been pushing so hard and it didn't quite work out, and what did I do this for? And should I, should I, like you said, should I take this position? Should I take this? Should I go back home and be more of a parent to my kids and maybe do something more stable like you understand what I'm saying? So we might be talking, I don't know where God's going to send this podcast, but we might be talking to that person versus the beginner. And so for us that have been in it for a little while, I think that word is for me too. Remember why you do this? Remember why I was called in this verses, trying to look ahead. Like I said, fear of the unknown. What pops into my head, bro, is that there is no unknown. If God knows it, it's just fear.

[00:42:07 - 00:42:08]
Thank you.

[00:42:08 - 00:42:22]
It's not fear of unknown, it's just fear, period. Like unknown. Like, what is that? God knows it all, so it's just fear. And God says, God is not giving us a spirit of fear, but a love power and a sound mind so we could. Yo, man. All right, we got. How we gonna pull this out?

[00:42:22 - 00:42:25]
Okay, come on, come on, come on, bishop, bring, bring it up.

[00:42:27 - 00:43:08]
I'll say this, and I've said this, and again, we're gonna pull it back into all the music talk, but I did say this to everybody that has asked me before about my position in churches and so on, about whether, you know, music pastor, worship pastor, all this, all these terms. God said this just like God said clearly to you. But remember when I started this, God said this clearly to me because I was coming out of a music minister position at the time I was leaving my church, right. And it was stepping into the next one because he told me to. I did not want to leave. He was, he was very clear, it's time to transition. So I gave my resignation letter to my assistant pastor as he was giving me my promotion. Like, I literally exchanged resignation for promotion. I thought I told you this.

[00:43:09 - 00:43:10]
I think you did.

[00:43:10 - 00:43:24]
I think I told. But I might. Yeah, but. So that story to me is, what I need to remember is that God took care of me then, and he told me then, I'm not going to make you a worship pastor. I'm going to make you a pastor of worshipers.

[00:43:25 - 00:43:26]
There you go.

[00:43:26 - 00:43:33]
That's. I don't know what that means. It don't come with no title, but that's what you and I are doing right now.

[00:43:33 - 00:44:30]
But it's for you to walk, though. That's the, that's why I said even me walking into the university thing, I was just like, man, I ain't no professor like, I ain't, what? The college level. And then on the, on top of that, like, just how it happened, like, I got hired during a pandemic, which is, which is crazy, you know what I mean? So, like, the way God did it was just like he clearly said to me, just walk through the door. There's something like I need you to do. Why? There's somebody you need to, you know, tend to while you're there. And I'm just like, okay, all right, guy, well, I'm gonna just walk through the door. So there's a certain level of just like, moving that just has to happen that we don't need to know the logistical side of, you know, what it is he has planned. We just, he just needs us to be the legs. Like, just move. Just move. When I tell you to move, just go.

[00:44:30 - 00:45:05]
That's just, hey, look, I'm last one. And then all the bishop talk is going to end, all right? Because this is your fault. Because two or three are gathered. I was promised myself once, it was two, it was your fault. So you said, just move. And so that's an assignment, right? God gives you an assignment. The problem is, a lot of us are looking for a sign before we take the assignment. We're supposed to do the assignment and then you get the sign. Like, like, I'm just saying, you said it because you said, go through the door and a sign popped in my head, so.

[00:45:06 - 00:45:20]
And there are a lot of people that are stuck, bro. A lot of people that are like, literally, I not being funny, but they're like stuck in a purgatory where they just like, what am I supposed to be doing?

[00:45:20 - 00:45:22]
Yeah, show me a sign. Show me a sign. Right?

[00:45:22 - 00:46:23]
And a lot of it is guys, like, yeah, I just needed you to move. And a matter of fact, the moment you took, you would take a step. It's literally right there waiting on you. I just needed that. I just needed you. That's where that faith comes in, man, where it's like, alright, guy, I got faith that you are gonna take care of me. First of all, I have faith that I'm your child and that you always have me in mind. So if God is your father and you're his child, your father's always going to make sure you good. Yeah, you know, it's just us wanting to have control and say, okay, cool, I want to do this. And, well, God, if I, if I let this go, then you got something else waiting on me. That's not how it works. Like, there's, there's literally letting go. That has to happen mentally, spiritually, emotionally, in order for God to really be who he's supposed to be in your life. There's no way around it. You can't just be like, yeah, I'm gonna hold on to this just in case God, don't. Don't really. You know, I'm saying, that's just not how.

[00:46:23 - 00:46:26]
Exactly. Yeah, we want to try to plan b for God.

[00:46:26 - 00:48:17]
Yeah, yeah, no, yeah, you gotta. You gotta do one or the other. And to be honest with you, some people, they very cool with, like, having the ultimate control. Cool. See each his own. But I'm just telling you, in my life, the more I continue to let go of the control and the knowing of what's next, the more God is just like, I'm like, man, if I would have done this guy, I would have done this this way sooner, you know? And then you. I'm so glad, like, I didn't. I'm so glad I could hear his voice or I can hear his instruction or discern, you know, when. When certain situations. I've been in a lot of situations just recently, man, where will feel, like, just a spiritual tug of war, and these are godly opportunities, or these are huge opportunities that some people would never have. I'm just like, God, this ain't feeling like the way I thought it was going to feel, you know, and a lot of it is because I feel like, in hindsight of 2020, and even in a spiritual sense, like, I felt like God was like, this ain't what you thought it was. You're thinking, this is the pinnacle. This is the. And I need you to see certain things where it ain't always cracked up to be. You know, I mean, and I need you to understand that he showed me that there are no gatekeepers because there. I've heard people say that they're gatekeepers. And, you know, you got to know this person, like, ain't no gatekeepers. There's the opportunities that God have, has for you, and then there are opportunities that you supposed to be a part of. That's it. Plain and simple. You work hard, work diligently to make sure that you're prepared when the calls come in. But there are certain situations that you were just never destined to be a part of. Be okay with that. It's okay. Like, if you don't play with Beyonce, it's not the end of the world. It's all good.

[00:48:17 - 00:48:17]
It's all good.

[00:48:17 - 00:48:37]
You know what I'm saying? But you might miss that car. That's coming in for you to play for Anita Baker or whoever, or the next Beyonce. Like, you're not, you know, you have to continue to just stay focused on what God has for you. That's the truth. It's the truth. What God has for you is for you. Shout out to pastor Cooper and lady Joy Cooper. That's true.

[00:48:37 - 00:48:50]
There you go, Zach. Hey, we brought it right. Right back to the. To the core, to the beginning, to the corner, which I was just telling my musicians about, by the way, and trying to explain to them. So they're going to do some research on you a little bit as a homework assignment for my younger musician.

[00:48:50 - 00:48:51]
Wow. Okay.

[00:48:51 - 00:49:26]
But they had no idea, man. They still, you know, again, we've been around too long, dude. Like, we've been around. That was the beginnings of YouTube, but we'll let them do the rabbit hole for that, bro. I was going to ask you a last question, but I don't think I can do better than what you just shared. Like, literally, like, you gave the benediction right there. With what? With what the advice is, right? Because I always try to leave it with some type of advice or something that somebody can take on, but if they listened all the way through, they got all of the nuggets they need to make the right decisions about their career. Again, whether you're starting, whether you're in the middle, or whether you feel like.

[00:49:26 - 00:49:27]
Like us.

[00:49:27 - 00:49:45]
Like, hey, you used to kind of, you know, fork in a road, go here, go there. And you said it all too perfectly, man. So I'm going to let that close off right there and let them follow you directly so that they can hear more from you. Your music, your teaching, your YouTube, the smoogies. That's it, right?

[00:49:45 - 00:49:58]
No smoochies. Smooth, g. Just this out. How to let everybody know.

[00:49:58 - 00:50:01]
Okay, well, okay, so that's the band that shall not be named.

[00:50:05 - 00:50:07]
Smugglers. Like, no, no, no.

[00:50:09 - 00:50:20]
I'm gonna make sure this clip is, like, the first clip they see is us just, like, debating on how to say the name of the band, but tell them how to follow you and everything else you're doing, brother, because this is. We got to make sure they can stay connected.

[00:50:20 - 00:51:06]
You can go to IG and on IG on Facebook. You just type in my name. David Shiverson YouTube. You can type in dshive music, dchiv music, and my page should pop up. Also, check out the Shivertone sessions. Shivertone is Chivertone. The shiver tone sessions. Some really cool things I've done over the years, which I'm praying that I could get going again really soon. But life has been happening, daddy and husband and mo. But I'm gonna get it going again. But yeah, those are the ways you can. You can find me. Check out my actual website. It's dshivmusic.com dash I v music.com.

[00:51:06 - 00:51:09]
So yeah, man, this was everything that.

[00:51:09 - 00:51:15]
We thought it was in more seven years was too long. But obviously God's timing was perfect for us to share.

[00:51:15 - 00:51:16]
Are we leaving already?

[00:51:18 - 00:51:24]
We gotta do a part three. That's all there is to it, man. We can't get them all at the same time. We make an encore.

[00:51:24 - 00:51:26]
Let's do it, brother.

[00:51:26 - 00:51:27]
Thank you. God bless you, brother.

[00:51:28 - 00:51:29]
Pleasure, man.

[00:51:35 - 00:54:41]
My friend, I am beyond words when it comes to how transparent and authentic my friend Dave Shiverton was with you, with all of us about the things that professional musicians often don't say, aren't able to say because they don't just have the context or the place, the safe place to kind of tell you these things and really open up about why it's so much more to being a musician than just getting the gig, being prestigious, getting known for your talent. And I'm so glad that David was once again able to come in and share things like this on the gotten gig show after he did so again so many episodes ago, almost 280 episodes ago, that he was able to share that when we first started and now he's coming back and shared the very same thing. So, my friend, I don't have to tell you again, make sure you're following him. His band, the smoo geese. Right? I said it right? You saw that I fixed it. I did not say G's anymore. So the Smoogies, as well as all of his things that he's doing with other bands, with his teaching and with his music on his own regard, he's just an amazing follower, an amazing man, an amazing friend. Well, my friend, if you want to stay connected with other people who are just as character driven and talented and committed to their God given identity as Dave is, then you're going to have to connect with us every single place that we present our God and gigs community. That includes our free Facebook group, which is always available to you. The creatives checkup is where you find that on Facebook. But I would suggest, especially if you've listened this far, that you join our true tribe. That's the ones that join in and invest in themselves. And that's Guidingigs 360 gold. As a matter of fact, there's actually a free way that you can join in and just see what it's like to be in guiding Gates 360. And then you can decide if you want to jump in and join our mastermind level group where we share these tips, tactics, strategies, the accountability, the community, the training and support that spells out acts, if you haven't noticed, so that you can become the creative that you were created to be in every area of your life. This is like college for christian creatives, okay? This is what it really is. If you want to find out, then go to guidengix.com 360. That's 360 guest. That link is in the show notes to become a guest member, but you can always jump in line and go ahead and join us@godandgigs.com. gold and go ahead and join our mastermind level membership. Well, my friend, that's all I have for you today. But you have been inspired, I know you have. So make sure you stay connected like this particular post, if you're watching on Instagram or on Facebook or wherever, if you found it on a social media network, make sure you subscribe to the podcast. And most of all, make sure that you stay connected with this community because we are here, as always, to help you become the creative that you were created to be. God bless and I'll see you next episode.