Good News York by Growth Mode Content - GNY EP. 45 | Feat. Tracy Dando & Lauryn!

Episode Date: May 29, 2025

Good News York: Mental Health Awareness with Tracy Dando & Dave Matthews Band Fan Experience In this episode of Good News York, solo host Mike Brindisi kicks off the show without his usual co-host Matt. Mike welcomes Tracy Dando, founder of SafeSpace CNY and Root to Rise, to discuss her journey with mental health struggles and how her experiences led to the creation of SafeSpace CNY. Tracy talks in-depth about SafeSpace’s supportive environment, its various group activities, and the importance of community in mental health recovery. The conversation also highlights the stigma around mental health, different coping mechanisms, and the benefits of peer support groups. Later, the focus shifts to the Mental Health Tattoo fundraiser event organized by SafeSpace CNY. Additionally, Mike shares his exhilarating experience at a Dave Matthews Band concert, where he connected with a fellow first-time pit attendee, Lauren. They discuss their love for the band, special concert moments, and the unfortunate incident where Lauren's sister was assaulted for a setlist. The episode wraps up with Lauren offering her extra concert tickets and reflecting on the memorable experience. 00:00 Introduction and Host's Monologue 00:36 Special Guest Introduction: Tracy Dando 02:13 Tracy's Journey and SafeSpace CNY 04:23 The Importance of Safe Spaces 06:06 How SafeSpace CNY Differs from Traditional Therapy 08:44 Men's Group and Community Impact 20:03 Navigating Mental Health Post-Pandemic 21:38 Root to Rise: Seasonal Retreats 24:43 Mental Health Tattoo Fundraiser 27:36 Event Details and Social Media Links 28:02 Personal Stories and Mental Health 29:17 Upcoming Events and Community Involvement 30:10 Heartfelt Appreciation and Closing Remarks 31:49 Dave Matthews Band Concert Experience 33:19 Meeting Lauren and Her Family 34:40 Dave Matthews Band Fan Stories 41:38 Getting a Signed Hat from Dave 44:18 Set List Incident and Appeal to Warehouse 47:22 Final Thoughts and Ticket Giveaway 50:43 Conclusion and Next Guest Introduction

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your sign. Start free at RSS.com. You're listening to a podcast right now, driving, working out, walking the dog. If you're into podcasts, chances are you have something to say too. With RSS.com, starting your own podcast is free and easy. Upload an episode and we distribute it to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and more. Track your listeners, see where they're from, and start earning from ads just like this. If you've been thinking about starting a podcast, this is your sign. Start your new podcast for free today at RSS.com.

All right, good afternoon, morning, night. Welcome to another episode of Good News, York. Mike Brindisi, your solo host today. Matt is off feeding children somewhere, or maybe he's bullying them. I don't know. He does one or the other. I can't remember. Either way, it's just me for this special segment.

I'm very excited. First of all, it's Thursday. this is our Friday here so getting ready for the weekend but more importantly I have a very special guest remote I'd like to welcome to the show founder of Safe Space

CNY and Root I'm sorry Route to Rise a very special person Tracy Dando well thank you welcome listen it's a little underwhelming because it's one clap

but I felt it it's a full crowd inside of my I had, I promise. How are you this morning? You know, I'm good. I'm good. I'm bearing this rain like the rest of us are. I don't know what's going on, but suddenly I wake up and I feel like I'm in Seattle, Washington every day. But I'm glad you're braving the weather. I am so glad you're on the show. We talked a little bit before we went on air. At this point, if anyone's been listening or watching and following Good News York, they know I'm a lot of things. But one thing for sure, is I'm a big advocate for mental health and mental health awareness. It's something that's still affects me daily, something I struggle with and I work,

I work through, and it has affected friends and family of mine. So I always said, you know, throughout the years, I've always used my platforms to advocate for that. So thank you so much for coming on here. If you go to your Facebook or your website, I mean, you do. so much in the world of mental health. So I guess I want to start with, you're such a passionate person too about it and full of energy. What was the inspiration? Was there something in your personal life or was there that like special moment where you went, this is what I want to do?

How did safe space, CNY and route to rise come about? Wow. I mean, it was built out of survival. tell you the honest truth. So no, mental health was nothing that I ever, ever wanted to get into. It was something that consumed my life behind the scenes. It was something that was incredibly shameful for a long time. And it was something I hid. And so for the first probably two decades of my life, I struggle with anxiety, depression, PTSD, and a pretty bad eating disorder.

that had me in and out of treatment facilities. And the reoccurring thoughts in my head were always what is wrong with. Like, why can't I do what everybody else is doing? Why it looks so effortlessly for everybody just to be out there living and doing and dreaming and building? Why is it so hard for me to just be in my body? And so safe space was created because enough had happened to me here in Syracuse that when, I came back in my early 30s, I needed someplace that I felt safe. I had two young children at that time. And what a treatment facility did for me was it created this external safety, which was

sort of a bubble, but it made me feel safe. And so the other big part of a facility was that we had these incredible vulnerable conversations. We were real. We were honest. We were open. We were we were our true celled. And I had never experienced a type of connection like that in my day-to-day life. Like as a teacher and as a mom and as a friend, I didn't know how to do that. And so I created safe space out of a selfish need that I needed to feel safe and survive here in Syracuse. That is absolutely inspiring. And you're giving me goosebumps because I remember that feeling of,

of, you know, the first time I had my first panic attack. And as you know, when it had, first of all, this was in the late 90s. And there was not a lot of mental health. I mean, there was mental health awareness, but nothing like there is now. And so I remember just explaining to my parents that I just feel sick. I feel like I'm dying all the time. Or I feel like I'm having a heart attack. And then finally someone said,

I think you're having anxiety. And at that time, which is funny to think now with all the transparency, I went anxiety. I'm like, isn't that when you're just like excited to go to a birthday party or say? I didn't even know what that meant. And, you know, fast forward, you know, I too have lived with anxiety and depression and PTSD from childhood trauma and who knows what else. But my point is, just the word safe space when you're in, when you're going through something like that.

It's such a beacon of hope. Like, wait a minute, there's others that feel like me. There's, you know, because let's be honest, it's like going to the gym, right? You hear about talk therapy and people say you should go. But it's very scary if you don't know what therapy is about and you think, am I going to lay on a couch and they have a clipboard? I'm not comfortable. And then when you go, you find out, oh, my God, this is one of the greatest things you could do for yourself.

But let's be honest, it's not always accessible as far as finances go and health insurance. What is the difference between Safe Space CNY and like a traditional therapist? What are some of the differences? Great question. It's meant to be the first step in because like you said, a lot of people do struggle with the stigma of going to see a therapist. Or it just might not be their jam. And that's okay, right? like mental health is a spectrum and it's a and we have a toolbox and that toolbox was very

different for each and every one of us so the things that work for you might not necessarily work for me and so I know talk therapy is one of my things something I do every two weeks it's just like a refresh it's a reboot for me but that's not everybody's thing and so I also realized like you just said that I had spent two decades going to support groups and so it became normalized for me to sit in a group and talk to strangers about my feeling where the basic world doesn't do that, right? And so I knew we were going to struggle with that portion of safe space, normalizing coming together during the need. And so the goal is for safe space. It's meant to be that dip your toe into this type of work. So you're struggling with anxiety, depression. It could be,

you don't even know what you're struggling with. It might just be that you know you're not happy and that it's coming out. You might be using drinking or drugs or scrolling endlessly or whatever. You're coping in all these ways and you know you're not okay. Safe space is meant to be that first step in the door. So it's meant to be the walk in, just start, sit down and let's see what happened. But for a lot of people, there's so much fear and there's so many stories that we tell ourselves about doing something like that. Sure. And I think that's absolutely amazing because along my mental health journey, it got to a point where I realized how much I was self-medicating with alcohol. And I came to a point in 2020, I finally quit drinking. Thank you. And a lot of people said you should go to AA. And at that time, I went, I'm not going. I don't need AA. I quit. I went through the withdrawals, the mental, physical withdrawals. And I did it on my own.

And what someone made me realize, a friend of mine said, I don't think you understand. A.A. is not to keep you from drinking. It's just about meeting other people who are going through some of the things that you're going through and just finding that commonality. And it brings you this peace of mind. And I feel like it's kind of the same case with safe space. Am I correct? Yeah, absolutely. It's finding your community that understands because that was such a big thing.

Yeah. That there was nobody here in Syracuse that understood what I was going through with the eating disorder. and you feel so isolated and you feel so alone. And so when you've got people around you that are going through divorce or experiencing postpartum or is a man that's just trying to figure out his own mental health. And you're surrounded by people that are like-minded that are going through that with you. There's just this feeling of not being alone. Like it doesn't matter that their story is different. It doesn't matter that their addiction might look different or they're coping modalities,

it looks different, but they're with you in it and they just say to you like, I get it, dude, like you're not alone. Yeah. Just to hear those words. I have goosebumps. Yeah. So comforting. It is, it is everything.

When you are living in sheer terror, you know, if you're going through some sort of mental health crisis, just the, I've never forget the first time someone said, yeah, you know, I too go through this and I had this thought once about blah, blah, blah. I went, wait a minute. I go, you had that thought too? Like, for example, this is kind of left field, but it's relevant. For example, I saw a funny meme the other night that said something to like regards of who else goes through airport security and thinks, oh God, what if I accidentally have a gun?

Which is, and I was like, that's me. And I was like, holy shit. Like, you know what I mean? You know what I'm saying? Like, that's the kind of stuff that you'll find in these. peer groups where you're like, oh my God, I'm not crazy. Yes. Yes.

And those are the holy shit moments where you're like, oh, my God, I'm not crazy. Because as you said, you do feel alone sometimes, all the time in these situations. And you also feel like I'm crazy. No one else is thinking this stuff. And it just gives you that peace of mind that you know what? I'm okay. Like, this is going to be okay. So that's wonderful.

So if I was to walk into safe space, what can I expect? Is it something that you lead or? is it more of like everyone shares stories? What is a normal day at Safe Space like? Great question because I think this will be helpful for people. Absolutely. The same space is set up like a home. If you head to our website, we have a yellow ceiling.

It's supposed to be so different from any mental health facility you've ever thought of. We actually had a trauma designer come in and design the space. And so it's couches and blankets and like it's meant to create safety for your service is what it meant. And so you come in and each group is led a little different based on the facilitator. So our sober women's group, they do a lot of excursions. They go out. If it's nice out, they go walk the lakes. They, you know, they need a coffee shop. They go get knocktails. That's more about building a community and helping create people, create a sober lifestyle. But our men's group, they have a topic once a week that they are challenging. They are challenging. They are

challenging their ideas of masculinity and why they do what they do and why they believe what they believe and they actually are like working on deep-seated things. And so you take whatever you need from these groups. You walk in there and if you need to sit there in silence for the first three week, go for it. But I promise you the second that you sit down and you start to be around these types of conversations and hear the type of like vulnerability that's getting passed around, it usually takes people minutes to start to open up themselves because they're finally finding a place where they can kind of shed a mask or shed these, the person that they have to be in the outside world. And they can just show up as they are and say, hey, I'm kind of a hot mess right now.

Yeah. And I need help. And so you're listening to a podcast right now. Driving, working out, walking the dog. If you're into podcasts, chances are you have something to say too. With RSS.com, starting your own is free and easy. Upload an episode, and we distribute it to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and hundreds more. Track your listeners, see where they're from, and start earning from ads like this. Even with just 10 listeners a month. If you've been thinking about starting a podcast, this is your sign.

Start free at RSS. com. You're listening to a podcast right now, driving, working out, walking the dog. If you're in the podcasts, chances are you have something to say too. With RSS.com, starting your own podcast is free and easy. Upload an episode and we distribute it to Apple Podcasts,

Spotify, Amazon Music, and more. Track your listeners, see where they're from, and start earning from ads just like this. If you've been thinking about starting a podcast, this is your sign. Start your new podcast for free today at RSS. We have a variety, a range, and people come and get what they need. And then the goal is for them to move on.

Like we don't watch you stay in a safe space and probably the worst marketing strategy. Get out of here. The goal is like move on. Like as you're going through a divorce, as you're going through these things and you need extra support, let us help you. And then you're going to find your footing again. You're going to get through it. You're going to be okay.

And then you're not going to. need us as much. And like that's the goal. We're going to give you the tools. Now you go use them. That's what I tell people about talk therapy. I remember the first time going to talk therapy and not knowing what to expect. And I remember, and it's a legitimate thought.

I thought, how is talking about what I'm feeling going to help me? Like you don't understand the hell that I'm feeling physically and mentally. But then you go and you talk about it. And suddenly you do feel better. But on top of it, you start realizing. Oh, wait a minute. They're not going to wave a magic wand and I'm going to be okay in here. What they're doing is they're giving me feedback and telling me why I'm having these thoughts

and what the brain does to cause that. And they're giving me these tools. The work is done outside of the office. And yes, I mean, there is work that's done inside there, of course. But people don't understand that the work comes outside. And I am such an advocate for what you're doing. And I think it's wonderful. And I especially love that you said the men's group.

Because let's be honest. And I don't think I'm speaking out of school here. You know, I think women have always been a little bit more, what's the word I'm looking for? Just more able to speak about feelings. 100%. And there's been more of a stigma for men with masculinity and society to be, you know. So I love that there's a men's group. group.

Do you have a strong, a male population at Safe Space? Yeah. It's actually our strong guest. That's amazing. That's amazing. And I will give our facilitator all the props for that. Matt, he's a, he is a teacher in the Syracuse City Schools. And for the first, probably two months of the men's group, he would show up every week

and there might be one person trickle in or maybe two or nobody. And he was like, I am determined because he would. he's like, I know how much men are struggling out there right now and how scary it is to walk into this door. And so we've probably had over 150 men walk through the door now. Absolutely. And some stay for a couple months. We've had some that have stayed for over a year because they've met their friends there. And they're on this track of getting better and healing things and becoming better men.

And they're like, I'm not leaving this group behind, you know. And so, yeah, our men's group is our most popular group. That makes me so happy. That makes me so happy. Because, you know, this is, it's not just for the people that are suffering. You know, as a society, if you zoom out on a, on a, I guess, a macro level, you know, the more that we feel better ourselves, the more we're going to treat others well. And it just, it's a whole trickle down of how much this, this.

helps, you know, the people involved, but also society as a whole. And it sounds dramatic, but I think you and you and I both agree. It's true. It is so true. It is so true. I, uh, so where, I mean, we have all your information, which we're going to post websites and stuff like that. But let's say someone's interested to go to, to be a part of safe space, CNY.

Where should, what's the first step? I would think head to the website and head to the website and check us out. And then our socials are probably our biggest when it comes to upcoming events and ways to get involved. And really, you can take a look at the branding behind it. It's really, it's all inclusive. Our brand is all inclusive because mental health hits every single one of us. And it does not discriminate, right? We are all on this journey together.

And I think we like to look at other people and create these stories of, no, but they're doing it. They're okay. I mean, I did that for years, right? But COVID was a very clear indicator that nobody's okay. Everybody is dealing with their own demons. Everybody is dealing with their own work. And it just looks different for each and every one of us. And so anyway, TNJ, head to our website, head to our socials.

And message, email, like, reach out if you have specific questions, because most people do. Like, just signing up and showing up is scary for some people. So if you have specific questions, like, please reach out and we can answer or make it as safe as possible for you to do so. That's amazing, Tracy. I absolutely love that. You know, it's funny. I feel like the pandemic, there was like this little part of me that, you know, and I'm not making light of the pandemic, but I think you know what I mean. I was like, you know, everyday people that I knew that never understood what I was going through with anxiety and depression.

suddenly it was like they understood because now they were feeling it. There was something tangible that happened in this world. And I'm like, right, what you're going through with the pandemic, imagine going through that on a Tuesday on your way to the grocery store. Oh, my God. No, you spot on. You were spot on. I remember living, I lived in Korea.

I lived in Asia for like six years. And that's when my panic attack started. And I remember being like, okay, so if I die, I just need to go into the most crowded area. So I would go into like the middle of the subway station and just stand there. And I'd be like, imagine trying to explain this to somebody that you are so terrified that you're not going to survive, whatever is going on inside of you, that like the extremes you go to. Like it's just it doesn't make sense to people who have an experience. It doesn't, and I don't wish that on them. And I envy people that don't feel that.

But I think people don't realize, like when you say, I have anxiety and depression, some people think, well, just calm down. Nothing's wrong. And what are you sad about? And I try to tell people that I don't think you understand that it's not tangible. It's a complete physical and mental mind. It's a, it's not like I'm sad about something. I'm just sad and it feels dread. I feel dread.

Imagine when you're someone jumps out and scares you and you're like, now just imagine feeling that again on a Tuesday in your car for zero reasons, you know? So there's so much and I'm not going to get into it, but this is something that people can share that you would talk about at SafeSpace CNY. It's absolutely wonderful. have you seen or have you noticed kind of an uptick post-pandemic? Did you see more people coming to you? But let's think about it.

So the pandemic forced people to have to sit in their discomfort, right? So they sat in unhappy marriages. They sat in unhappy jobs. They sat with their stuff that they hadn't worked on or processed. They were forced because the world shut down. right? So during that time, we saw like it definitely an influx of groups and participation because people got to like a breaking point. Now the world is open back up, right? There's plenty of distraction. There's plenty of things to keep you busy. And so there is definitely been like some

of our groups kind of dissolved on their own. And there's been a molding of the mission. Like we definitely attract certain people. But now what we're trying to do is, do is really partner with other organizations out there that are that are doing similar things businesses that are working on their mental wellness of their companies and there's ways that I mean mental health is ingrained and all of that you know so the the organization is molding post-pandemic but I think it needs to because the world is changing to Syracuse is changing right and it was built off of Syracuse so I wouldn't say it's just growing in different ways.

Yeah, I couldn't agree more. I could talk to you about safe space for another two hours, but I want to move on so that I don't keep you here too long. I want to talk about root to rise. That's also kind of, it's a separate thing, but this is all kind of involved together. Root to rise from what I've read is a, is it a yearly retreat that you do?

I know it just happened on May 3rd. Talk about root to rise of what that's all about, if you don't mind. Absolutely. So Root to Rise was created with two other providers and great friends here in the community, Meg Thomas and Jamie Weisberg. And they both at that time have their own spaces. So Meg is definitely more of our spiritual part. She is a yoga instructor and meditation facilitator, a breathwork facilitator, a sound healer. And then Janie studies and works in positive psychology and works one-on-one with business. and create corporate culture in a more positive psychology way. And then there was me with safe space. And so what we wanted to do was to create another container for people to start to work

on themselves, to start to feel safe. And so we now know that all of this is nervous system work. Like you said, like the body, the brain, it's all connected. And so you have to deal with it sort of in a safe space because they have to feel external safety to start to do the internal work. And so we had been introduced to this property vander camp, which is just like heaven on earth up in C&Y, which so many people have still yet to visit. It's on the other side.

It's in Cleveland, New York. Okay. And they're turning it into a retreat center. And we were like, we're just going to like run a local retreat. And we dreamed up this idea of creating a retreat every season where people come for a day. they can they there's time for them to get child care come after work like we tried to make it really manageable for individuals here in Syracuse and central New York and we take them on this full day journey um that would take days to do if you were in like if you went to a retreat say in the

Caribbean or Pennsylvania like we we create one day that really like create significant change and And so we've done that. We did it five times last year. We've done, we're doing three this year. And so, yeah, it's just one more. It sort of builds off what the three of us are trying to do on our own communities. You know, I love that because there's kind of, I try to find comedy and everything. The comedic irony about that is I love that you do, I'm assuming you do this locally, correct?

Yeah. Yeah. And see, I love that because for a long time, part of my anxiety was being far away from home. You know, because you're afraid to be away from home. So ironically, I think it's great that you're doing these retreats because there might be some people that struggle thinking, oh, God, I don't want to go away for three days or how am I going to get child care? So I think it just, it all makes sense.

And I think that's just absolutely wonderful. Now, we've got safe space CNY. We've talked about route to rise. We're not going to stop there because there's one more thing I want to talk about, which is how I ended up finding you was, I'm a tattoo guy. I've got a handful of tattoos and when I saw that there was a mental health

tattoo fundraiser, I thought two things. I love tattoos and I love, you know, mental health awareness. And to marry those together, I think is absolutely brilliant. So this is an event going on. It is the mental health tattoo fundraiser at the Artisan Tattoo in Liverpool on May 31st. It's this Saturday. Talk about that.

What do we got going on? How's that working? No, I love that you connected that because I, too, am fairly heavily tattooed. And there's something about individuals that have experienced either. You're listening to a podcast right now. Driving, working out, walking the dog. If you're into podcasts, chances are you have something to say too. With RSS.com, starting your own is free and easy. upload an episode and we distribute it to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and hundreds more.

Track your listeners, see where they're from, and start earning from ads like this, even with just 10 listeners a month. If you've been thinking about starting a podcast, this is your sign. Start free at RSS.com. It's a way of like, I feel like it's a creative outlet for individuals and they go hands in hand for some. reason. And so artist is actually the one that did my full arm. And I love these guys. I just, Matt is a fantastic human and he attached on to this idea right from the get-go. And last year, we started it. And we probably had 400 people show up. And we were like, oh, my God. And we could only get through like a quarter of the line. And these guys, we had five tattooed artists going

nonstop drop a hold. Wow. And so we were like, yeah. So this year we were like, we got to think up another way. And so we started we're doing a raffle. So we've been selling raffle tickets. That's now ended where you could get a tattoo for 30 bucks. And so we've sold all of those. Now we've got 30 spots left. Individuals can show up between 10 to 4 on Saturday, put their name in the raffle. We're going to pick 30 people from that raffle. They will then get at the last remaining spots. And we have two, so we, last year, we just had one sheet to choose from this year.

We have two sheets. There's like over 25 tattoos to pick from. I mean, it is insane. You can't get a tattoo for that amount, especially from artists. Like, they're insanely talented. Yeah. So it's just not fun.

We have massage therapists coming out. We have food tracks. We have, we'll have music. Well, it's going to be more. of an event this year because we found that last year people just stood in line for hours and we were like okay we have to make this little more so that's yeah and this is i'm assuming this is outdoor event they'll tattoo in the shop but the rest of the stuff will be outdoors yeah amazing and where can people go to find out about this uh tattoo fundraiser yeah so it's on our website under our event page um and

And it's also all over our Facebook and our Instagram social media. So there's an event link with all the information. If you've got questions, please reach out. Check out the tattoos that are available. I recommend if you want one of the one of the remaining 30 spots. I'd get there by 10. So you can get your Apple ticket. And then, yeah, it should be just a, it should be just a fun day.

You know, it's funny you were talking about tattoos. and I never talk about this stuff. Since I got on this show, I have opened up so much about my personal mental health just by design because I've been having a lot of guests on where we talk about it. You're talking about how tattoos and people who have struggled, they go hand in hand.

I actually got a tattoo. You're not going to be able to see it, but it's a semi-colon. And I don't know if you are aware there was kind of a trend a few years ago for people who lost someone who died by suicide or struggled with suicidal thoughts, you got a tattoo of the semicolon

because, as you know, in grammatically, a semicolon, you can choose to end the sentence or if you use the semicolon, you choose to keep the sentence going. So it's kind of like, you know, a, you know, suicide awareness kind of tattoo. And I have that on my wrist, and it's very special to me.

And so you couldn't. Thank you. Thank you for sharing that. Well, hey, listen, I mean, the more we share this stuff, the more, you know, there's people out there watching or listening that might do what we were talking about earlier. They might say, oh, my gosh, these people understand what I'm going through. And that's so important.

Tracy, before we go, is there anything else that you want to, any events, anything else you want to plug? What do you got? Oh, goodness. No, we just got through May. So May of Mental Health Month, it was one heck of a month. We jam-packed that puppy. So we will be around throughout the summer for sure.

Also, time for our organization to take care of ourselves just for a little bit over the next few months. Sure. But if anybody is interested in being apart, in joining, and supporting, like, I just encourage you to reach out. Like, this is our goal is to be so filtered throughout the community in so many ways. And it's by going into businesses and into community organizations, it's just like, coming together. Like that is the goal coming together. And so I just encourage anybody to reach out if they're,

if they're feeling a poll. Well, Tracy, listen, I mean this wholeheartedly. I've expressed how much, you know, I'm an advocate for people struggling with mental health, mental health awareness. What you're doing, I don't know if there's a God, but if there is, you are doing God's work.

You and the people that you work with and are, you really are because this is something you can't put a price tag on. It's the same way as if someone is physically ill, you go to the doctor and hopefully they can fix you. And it's harder to explain when the sickness is going on inside your brain. And it's people like you in organizations like Safe Space, CNY and the route to rise. You know, it's you guys that are out there, you know, on the front lines doing things for people that are saving lives. And I can't thank you enough for that. Thank you. So I appreciate you. that. Tracy Dando, founder of SafeSpaceCNY, SafeSpaceCNY.org.

Route to Rise. Check that out. And the Mental Health Tattoo fundraiser at Artisan, the Artisan Tattoo in Liverpool this Saturday. Get there early 10 a.m. It's this Saturday, May 31st. Tracy, thank you so much for your time. And thank you for all you do for everybody. Yeah. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so greatly appreciated. You're so welcome. All right, guys, we will be back. We've got two more guests today on this jam-packed GNY on a Thursday. All right, welcome back to Good News York, jam-packed day. A great interview with Tracy Dando.

And for the first time ever, we have not two guests, three guests. Now, originally I had two-guests book. And this next guest, well, it was on a whim. If you watched or listened to the show yesterday, I was talking about how I went to the Dave Matthews Band concert. Dave Matthews, one of my favorite bands of all time. I'm a super fan. And I got to experience something different this time. Now, I've been to dozens of Dave concerts,

and I've always either been on the grass or sometimes I've been in the amphitheater. One time I snuck down into the pit for a couple songs, but I'd never officially been that close to Dave. Well, that changed this past week, when I threw the Warehouse fan club, I was able to get first dibs on pit tickets, which were affordable for once.

And on top of that, what I didn't know is once you buy a pit ticket, warehouse will email you and say, hey, sign up for a raffle of about 125 people. And if you're picked, you get a VIP escort down to the pit before anyone else comes in, you and 124 others.

Well, I must have had a leprechaun up my ass because I won that lot. lottery too. And along the way, it was a bit confusing. There was a little bit of confusion between the venue and the band and the fan club on where to meet, what time to meet, when we're going in, and that can be kind of scary, especially when you're an anxious chihuahua like me. And I happened to meet up with a girl named Lauren and her mother and her sister, who were super nice. We met in line. I thought it was we exchanged pleasantries. It would be cool.

Oh, it's your first time in the pit, my first time in the pit too. Turned out, we spent the entire day together. We were escorted down together. We stood next to each other. We kept each other's spots. And if you know, if you've ever been on a road trip with people that maybe you don't know very well, or you've been through an experience with people you don't know very well, when you come out on the other side, you kind of have a bond.

because you went through something so cool together or something so big. And that's what happened with Lauren and her family. So at the end of the show, after our entire day together, we said, yo, we should exchange info. They have tickets for sale for an upcoming Dave show. And then it dawned on me. Now that I'm part of Good News York, wait a minute,

I can go a step further. I'll have them on the damn show. So without further ado, enough of my rambling. Everybody, it's Lauren. Let's give it up for Lauren. I know. Uneventful. We only have one person clapping.

Lauren, my buddy. How are you? You're the best. So, Lauren, now, first of all, for obvious reasons, I had you on the show because I love you. We had such a great time together. But you're not just any Dave fan. You came decked out in, you know, you had your Dave gear on, but you had a captain's hat on because of the song Captain. and you were just full of energy.

You are a Dave super fan like myself. I'm so happy you're on the show. How are you? I'm good. I'm happy to be here. Thank you so much for having me. You're so welcome. So you were at the show.

Tell us who you came with. So I came with my mom who is a diehard Dave fan. She's been to over 150 shows. She raised me on Dave, me and my sister. And we just, we go whenever we can. It's our favorite thing to do as mom and daughters. It's the best. Can I tell you how cool that, like my parents, I love them, nowhere near that cool.

I have been a Dave fan since 1995. I don't know what age you are, but I know you're younger than me. I can just tell. I'm an old man. How the hell do you squeeze in a, I've only been to maybe 10 to 15 date, well, 12 to 15 Dave shows? 150. 50. That is mind-blowing. How does that even, how do you or your mom find time? Do you go, do you tour with the band all summer? How does that work? So we, I mean, I don't know how anybody has the

funds to even afford things like that. But my mom was into them when they first really started. Her and her best friend would like follow them basically anywhere that they could go that they could access where it was affordable and easy to get to. They'd go. So those first like beginning years, Dave, they were following their trail in Vegas, you know, anywhere around New York, down south, they were there. That's amazing. Yeah. That is absolutely amazing.

Now, how many shows have you been to personally? So this one in Syracuse was my 16th show with the band and I've seen Dave and Tim perform once at Far Made. Beautiful. I knew that right off the top of your head. So you and I are kind of in the same boat in that I've been, I've been to about the same amount of shows and I've seen Dave and Tim a couple times. Right.

Um, that's, first of all, I love your fanhood. You got Dave to sign your hat, which we'll talk about all that. But the thing that you and I bonded on the most was, as many shows as we've been to, we had never been in the pit, let alone, you and I were front row. I mean, we're talking against the rail, baby. And we were very excited and everything was great. But then you and I both realized at the same time, like, where the hell do we go from here? Like, once you experience Dave front row, how the hell are we ever going to go into seats again?

We don't. A little simple answer, we don't. We don't. We're going to go broke. Yeah. So, you know, I feel like Dave Matthews and the Dave Matthews band, they're one of those few bands that either you're all in or you're all out. I've never met a casual Dave fan, you know, it's kind of like Springsteen is the same way. Everyone has a story of how they got hooked on Dave because, like I said, it's either all or nothing.

Tell me, if you can recall, what was the moment or the day or the thing? What made you become a Dave fan? So my biggest flex is when I didn't like Dave, actually. My mom, when I was born, I came into the world to the song Halloween by Dave Matthews band. That's what was playing in the hospital. And my mom was screaming to turn it off because she was, you know, going nuts. So, but that's the first song that I heard starting my life. And as a child growing up, I would always tell her to turn it off because for some reason I just, I wasn't into it as a kid.

And then maybe when I was like 20, something just clicked, like some cosmic thing happened where I was like, this is the best thing I've ever heard. And I've been hooked ever since. You know, that's a. So wait, was Halloween on per request by your mother? Or did you just, okay. I was like, what hospital is that awesome that they're playing Halloween? Yeah. Wow. It was just, it was going and then screamed at my dad to turn it off.

Well, you know, that's a high tense moment. Yes. Yeah, I, you know, my story's kind of similar in that I actually, so it was 1995. I was a teenager and Crash had just, or, yeah, Crash had just come out. And a bunch of my friends like Dave, and I'll be honest, I was like, dude, this. guy's weird like his voice is I don't know I was like you know I'm busy listening Nirvana and you know all the other

stuff going on and I'm like this guy's weird like it's a sound I've never heard and he's got this nasally voice like why do you guys listen to him fast forward it's the weekend we wanted to go to my buddy Brett's house and we remembered that he was up at Vernon Downs watching Dave Matthews this was

1997 actually and we're like back then there were no cell phone and stuff like that so we're like hey you know what fuck it let's go let's drive to Vernon Downs and sneak in and find Brett. Fast forward, we did. We distracted the security guard and we ran, we climbed a fence and ran in and they were yelling at us.

And I got in, this was right when before these crowded streets came out, I got in for the last four songs, and I remember it was the last stop was like the first song I heard, and then they don't drink the water and Rapunzel, and then they closed with Trippin'Billies. And as you know, Carter Buford, who I think is the greatest drummer of all time, just goes fucking ham wild, especially in 1997. And I never looked back. I was completely addicted.

Do you remember your, so for me, getting addicted to Dave took me going to a live show. Do you remember your first live show and where was it? Yeah. So my first one was in 2018. It was really late in my life, but it was 2018 and it was in Albany. during their fall tour. I think it was probably like November-ish December.

If I'm remembering correctly, I really don't know. But 2018 was the first time I went and then like COVID happened. So we weren't really able to like go in that in-between span. Sure. But as soon as 2021 hit and they started going again, it was like, okay, let's go, follow them wherever we can until they stop playing.

Yeah. And you had the whole pandemic to catch up on his catalog and get pumped up. Yeah. There's something about that man. that I can't explain to people that aren't. He's just the right mixture of charming but mysterious. And as a musician myself, you know,

he is so original in the style that he plays. Even the chords he plays on the guitar are unlike other people. I just, I absolutely, I love that man. Let's talk about, so during the show, you were prepared. You had your marker. with papers and signs. You had your hat.

Dave ended up signing your hat. Talk to me about take the listeners through that, what happened. So it's end of the show. Yeah, so the end of the show. I know, like at the beginning of the show, we made like brief eye contact. I felt that. I watched it. I stole. He would. I can count twice

that where I legit watched Dave lock eyes with you. And I was just in the middle awkwardly feeling jealous. Like, man, this is what an amazing moment. It was incredible. So that I was like, in that moment, I was like, this could happen. So that entire time I had my sign, like, please, please, please sign my hat. Just hoping, like holding it the entire time that was going to make a difference.

And as the show ended, they finished their encore, incredible. Like, the energy was great. He went around, you know, he did his selfie. He signed a poster for a girl. And then, like, he's slow. I thought he was going to walk away. So did I. So did I.

And then he just, he meanders over and he looks at me again. And our buddy Jay, our security buddy. Yeah. Shout out to Jay. Shout out to Jay. We love them. Grab my hat. I handed Dave my pen and I took everything to just keep my composure and he couldn't figure out how to, you know, do the Sharpie because it was a click one. Yeah. And then he just signed it and it's like part of my, I put it. There is. I was hoping. I was hoping. My pins, like my Dave Finn, Carter and then now it's going to go in like some case because I can't wear. I can't risk me. No. I'm going to have to get a new one for the shows.

I would say, I would say, etiquette-wise, I would say I think the only time I think it would be proper to wear it is at another Dave show. Other than that, you got to shelf it.

Yes. And I'll tell you, I had some pressure on me because I kept telling you during the show, I'm like, oh, he's definitely going to sign it. There's no way. And so when I thought he was going to walk away,

I'm like, oh, my God, I'm going to feel like a real asshole if he doesn't sign this thing. You know, I had a funny moment where while he was signing your hat, he gives you back the hat and he looked at me. And I'm just looking up at him and I didn't, like, that moment felt like it was an hour

but it was a split second. And I'm like, how do I capitalize on this moment? Do I ask him something? Do I say something? And then by the time I thought of it, he turned around and walked away. But I was living vicarious through you. Before we go, I've got to,

this is the most important part of this interview as far as I'm concerned. So you get your hat signed, everything's great, the band leaves, and then the crew comes out, and we start noticing that the crew is giving away, like, picks on the stage and particularly set lists. And something happened that ended up pissing me off. I had no idea what was going on. It involved your sister. I want Warehouse to hear this, because I want to help your sister.

Tell us what happened. So I was just kind of like beside myself with what had just happened. And as the crew is coming on stage, they're, you know, pulling stuff apart. Security is getting their hands on set lists. And a couple of them are handing them out individually. And then a couple of them are throwing because, you know, they don't want to, you know, just show favoritism or they don't want to get in trouble type stuff. But I'm not sure if somebody handed one to her or if it was thrown up. She had it in her hands.

I physically saw it in her hands. there's no doubt in my mind that it was there. Next thing I see is my sister's on the ground. Some chick that is in pictures with us, you can see her right behind my mom and my sister. She'd been shoving them. She'd been pushing them up against the rail. My sister is on the ground because she was put,

she went to go grab the set list because this girl grabbed it. She went to go grab it back. She is pushed into the rail. She's like pushed to the ground and the girl still takes it from her. And so from my point of view, I'm still reeling from your hat being signed and I'm looking at you like I can't pop. And I turn around and I see her sister pop up

and she looks really frazzled and she's got tears in her eyes and I turn and that woman that you're speaking of is like standing there like this, clenching this piece of paper and I could just feel like a bad energy but I didn't know what had happened and then fast forward

we say our goodbyes and then we all ran into each other walking out again And then you had told me what happened. And it all clicked. I'm like, I remember now seeing like there was some sort of scuffle. So this woman just ripped the set list out of your hands. And this. Take it straight.

Yeah. And here's one thing that you and I both know. We knew right away she wasn't a Dave fan because Dave fans would never do that. No. So I have a little platform here. I can't guarantee anything. But Warehouse, if you're listening, you obviously can see how sweet. Lauren is. Her sister is just as sweet. And her sister was, I could say, attacked to get a set list.

Assaulted is the word that I used for sure. She was goddamn assaulted. No. Warehouse. Lauren's sister was essentially assaulted for this set list. What can we do to get Lauren and her mom and her sister a set list? Can we do that? I'm not asking for anything. I'm a lifelong Dave fan. I love you, Dave Matthews. I love you. Dave Matthews. I love you Dave Matthews band, but this isn't about me. This is about me helping Lauren, who is an incredible Dave Matthews fan and her family. Warehouse, if you're listening, Dave Matthews band, if you're listening, can we get them a set list? Contact us. All right. With that being said, Lauren, before I get you out of here, I'm going to ask you the most impossible question, but I love doing it because it makes for good podcasting. Dave Matthews shows up.

Hey Lauren What song you want to hear? He's going to sit there And he's going to play for you One song on guitar I don't know what I would pick But I'm not the one that has to answer What song are you picking?

I know it's not Halloween Like I don't think it would be It's not my favorite song But something that I've been dying to hear With my sister is the song's sister That's why we continue to go to his shows We've been chasing that song Since we started going together

That is the song I would pick A thousand percent, it's sister. God damn it, Lauren. Just when I thought you couldn't be any sweeter, you go and do that. I have goosebumps. All the more reason warehouse to get her a set list. That's so beautiful.

Well, listen, are you going to any more shows this summer? Yeah, so I have tickets to go to Saratoga. They're night two lawns. They're yours if you want them. I will send them to you right now. I'll tell you what. Why don't we use this platform? I don't know how to safely do this.

How can someone get a hold of you to get those tickets? Let's think about that. There is a Dave Matthews band SPAC Facebook crew that I'm heavily part of. There are a lot of different Dave Matthews band groups on Facebook. I'm part of a majority of them. But if you also, like if you guys just tag my Instagram, I'd be happy to sell them to whoever wants them. But you might, if I don't get any takers, they're yours. You know what?

I will take them just because I love you. and I'll do it. So your Instagram tag is It's L-R-R-R. It's L-A-T-S-L-A-U-R-R-R. Is there a dot in there? There is a dot in there. Okay. So if you want lawn tickets for SPAC, Saratoga, Dave Matthews Band,

coming up, tag Lauren on Instagram, it's dot lore. So it's ITS dot L-A-U-R-R-S-E-R. We'll throw it up on the screen when we edit it in post-production. But yeah, I'm sure we'll get those tickets sold for you. Anything else you want to promote or talk about? No, I'm just, I'm happy that I got to meet you. It was one of the best experiences in the pit.

I couldn't have asked for a better pit neighbor. You made it fun for us. You, Jay, we made friends. We had a great time. And I hope I get to see you again in another show. You know what? Well, we've connected on social media, which is what's beautiful about social media. There's a lot of bad about social media.

but one of the great things is that you can meet somebody, have a connection, and stay connected with them. And I'm really thankful that we met. You know, even though I'm a grown-ass man, you know, I was nervous being against the rail. You know, I didn't know what I was picturing. I didn't know if I'd get squished. I didn't know if there'd be annoying drunk people next to me.

And I met you and your family. And I had the best time. And that's what Dave Matthews and the Dave Matthews band is all about. So, Lauren, I love you. I hope you get those tickets sold. and we'll be in touch and thanks for coming on Good News York Awesome, thank you so much for having me

I appreciate it. Of course. All right, we love you. All right, we're back. That was Lauren. We will be back with Doug Levine from the State Theater of Ithaca. Going to talk to him about the State Theater and all the amazing events coming up

in my neck of the woods. So stay tuned right here on Good News York.