About Lance Tilton
Music fans always knew they were at the happening show if Atlanta drummer Lance Tilton was on stage, grinning and gigging.
Atlanta musicians, fans and friends are mourning the sudden loss of Tilton, who died in a car crash in 2010 returning from a Cinco de mayo gig at Fox and Hound in Chattanooga. He was 29.
Throughout his all too brief music career, Tilton blissfully bashed the Cardinal Rule for drummers: Never upstage the boss. Your eyes couldn’t resist wandering past the frontman and toward Tilton when he played live. The grin was too wide. The hypnotic funk being beaten into submission on the skins was too addictive. The joy and the sweat pouring from the kid was too intense. 
Tilton, a 1999 graduate of Meadowcreek High School in Norcross, first got noticed on local stages a decade ago as a founding member of the popular Dave Matthews Cover Band. The musical homage to all things Dave toured the country constantly, nightly banging through the DMB hit “Two Step” (pictured below). 
Recalled Tilton on his MySpace page: “I play the drums. They consume me. More often than not, it’s all I can think about. When I was 19, I stumbled into a band that toured the country for four years straight. It was exciting, challenging, surreal. I played places I dreamed of and met good people from all over. It gave me the confidence and belief that making drumming my life was actually attainable.”
While the seemingly omnipresent Tilton routinely sat in with countless musical friends in the city, his musical soul mate became Atlanta singer-songwriter Ben Deignan. The two young men bonded instantly over a mutual love of soul music and the artistry of Prince, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Arrested Development, Chaka Khan and Miles Davis.
From Philadelphia where she’s working with singers Justin Bieber and Jill Scott, Atlanta vocal coach and Deignan mentorJan Smith told Intel: “That groove of Lance’s, that funk, that became the sound for Ben. He was the absolute perfect drummer for what Ben was doing. Lance was the young drummer Ben had his eye on when we were putting the band together. Ben even stepped up his game to get Lance in the band.” But it was Tilton’s kindness off stage that resulted in his ever-expanding flock of friends.
Remembering his pal and former bandmate, Atlanta singer-songwriter Sam Thacker told us: “Lance was a fan of everybody’s. He always came out to support you. He was completely sincere.”
Tilton was the type of guy who would email a thank you note after you cropped his sweat-soaked T-shirt out of a newspaper photograph snapped backstage at Smith’s Olde Bar with fans actress Katherine Heigl and her husband, singer Josh Kelley (pictured below).
Reflecting on Tilton’s musicality, Sam Thacker told us: “At gigs, Lance was an in-the-moment player. He let things come to him. At rehearsal, we would play things a certain way. I would always want to get it locked in. Lance didn’t. There were times when it would make me crazy. But Lance taught me that live music is best when it’s not planned out all the way. That’s what will stick with me about Lance.”
Tilton, Deignan and bassist Chris Price beat out five other acts to win the Atlanta Ambassadors of Rock Hard Rock Cafe Battle of the Bands at the Hard Rock Cafe downtown. They were scheduled to go onto the national competition in June of 2010. Tilton stayed behind with Deignan to celebrate with friends and fans. Pictured below with Ben and band.
We had closed up our notebook for the night and were quietly making for the exit when Tilton spotted us and made a beeline for the door. Enveloping us in his trademark bear hug, Tilton said: “Thanks for coming out, man.”
Recalling Tilton’s warmth, Jan Smith added: “He had such a sweet heart. As heartsick as I am, I’m glad that Lance was doing what he loved most in life when he was taken from us. God bless him, he’s home.”
On the drummer’s Facebook page, Deignan wrote two sentences that reduced many to tears Thursday: “I love you Lance. I’m sorry I never said it…”
Contributed by: Richard Eldredge | AtlantaMagazine.com
