Hello dear reader! It’s been a busy few weeks for me! Hope you’ve been doing well.

After playing shows with Kolton Moore & the Clever Few at the Tumbleweed Dance Hall in Stillwater, OK on February 6, we headed down to Austin to play at the Sagebrush February 7th. Kolton and Ryan and I stayed in Austin a few extra days to record a few songs at Jonathan Tyler’s home studio.

I was planning to head home Tuesday afternoon, then I got a call Tuesday morning from my friend Lucas Cote, lead singer of the band Laredo. He had an emergency situation and needed my help.

Side note: Lucas and I started the band Laredo in Granbury back in 2021, but I haven’t been the primary drummer for a couple years since I was working full time for Chartable / Spotify and playing a lot with Kolton Moore & the Clever Few.

Anyways, Lucas told me that they were on their way up to Baltimore to play three arena shows opening for Treaty Oak Revival (a west Texas rock band that has been selling out huge venues recently), but their drummer Tony’s wife was going into labor and he had to fly back to Dallas. He asked me if I was free that weekend and if I could fly up to Baltimore to possibly fill in for Tony and play the shows Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night. He said there was a chance that Tony could make it back in time for the show, but I really didn’t mind either way—it would be less stressful for me if Tony made it back in time to play the shows, then I’d just be able to film the shows and enjoy the ride.

Naturally I said yes, I’d love to fly up to Baltimore to join them for the shows, and I drove home from Austin to Fort Worth Tuesday night, bought a ticket for a flight to Baltimore the next morning, practiced the set list a few times, and packed my bag. I arrived at the airbnb in Baltimore just a few minutes before the band did Wednesday evening.

The rest of the photos in this post were taken by Austin Marc Graf.

The next few days were a wild ride. Tony ended up catching a flight from Dallas to Baltimore around the same time I did, so he ended up playing the shows. That was fine with me, since they had practiced together as a band and had the set down, and I would have been going into the shows not having practiced the set with them at all. I was just happy to be there and set up my cameras and film everything and celebrate the band’s success.

The shows were incredible: Three sold out nights in arenas in Baltimore MD, Charleston WV, and Columbia SC. The crowds were stoked for all three bands and having a great time. The boys even let me play the last song of the set the last two nights which was super fun for me.

It was an unforgettable weekend for sure. We made so many new friends and great memories, and I’m so thankful for the Treaty Oak crew for giving the Band Laredo the opportunity to be a part of that weekend.

All in all, I ended up shooting about 300 gbs of video and photos, and got the front of house audio recording from the sound guys to use for the videos. I’m excited to see what comes next for these guys.

Reflecting on the Death of Tim Very (Drummer for Manchester Orchestra)

The news of the death of Manchester Orchestra’s drummer Tim Very last week hit me pretty hard. I first saw Manchester Orchestra play live with their original drummer Jeremiah Edmond when they opened for Brand New at the Ridglea Theater in Fort Worth in 2007. I’d never heard of them before and I was blown away by the songs from their first album (I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child), especially “Where Have You Been?”. I was a fan for life after that. I still wish I had some photos from that show.

Tim Very replaced Jeremiah as the band’s drummer a few years later, and while it took me a couple albums to fully appreciate the change (I really loved Jeremiah’s drumming in that band), Tim made incredible music with the band, and was a perfect fit for their music. Steady, heavy, and tasteful drumming depending on what the song needed. I loved played along to all their records and many of his parts frequently tripped me up, his ease of playing hiding the complexity and skill of what he was doing with his drums.

Here’s the official statement from the band on his death:

The entire Manchester Orchestra family has been devastated by the sudden passing of our brother, Timothy Very. The most beloved human being any of us were lucky enough to know in this life. We’ve all been dreading sharing this news as we are all still in absolute disbelief.

Tim was instantly likable and interacted with everyone he met with kindness and warmth. His laugh was infectious and he immediately made people feel invited and encouraged. His humor and energy were the very foundation that held together the entire MO universe. Strangers quickly became friends and friends became family.

He had an undeniable light that was only matched by his dedication and love for the craft that he was clearly put on earth to do. No words can ever do him justice. Please know, if you are someone who loved Tim, he loved you too.

The only thing that Tim loved more than creating music was being with his family. You’d be pressed to find a more joyful dad.

We love you Tim, thank you for loving us. You are a force of positivity that will be a constant presence in the rest of our days.

Tim was only 2 years older than me. Of course I’ve always been aware of my own mortality, but it’s made me reflective this week about how quickly time passes and how soon we’ll all be gone. It’s an easy thing to get sad about, but I think using the awareness for focus and gratitude is a better response.

There’s always going to be things to work on and fret about, but there’s also so much to be grateful for. I’ve been thinking about how lucky I’ve been so far to get to live out so many of my dreams and reach so many of the goals I set as a teenager and young adult. I’m feeling thankful for everything I’ve been a part of so far, and I’m thankful for all my friends who have been there with me.

While I hope we all get many more decades to go on adventures and enjoy life, I don’t want to wait to appreciate where I am and where we are right now.



Every once in awhile, stop to take a moment and ask yourself and your friends, “dude, how fucking cool is it that we get to do this?”. Because it really is.

Thanks for reading.

Aaron Dowd

Fort Worth, Texas

Saturday, February 21, 2026

Read More Blog Posts