Key Percussion
Steven Kopacz
Steven Kopacz is best known for being the drummer of Go Radio. I saw them in the summer of 2013 at Warped Tour, right before their disbandment that Fall. They were very interactive and eager to meet all their fans. I got in touch with Steven and he was more than willing to do an interview with us.
The break-up of Go Radio caught me completely off guard, especially considering I had seen you guys together at Warped Tour that summer and there was no hint that it was going to end. What sparked the break-up and is there any talk of you guys possibly getting back together?
It did come very abruptly but it was something the band knew was happening for a while. We had planned on a farewell tour after warped tour and actually had offers for winter over seas touring in counties we had never been, but by that point Jason was over touring and declined every tour we were offered.
You were in a band prior to Go Radio called "Don't Die Cindy", how did you start in that and why did you leave?
Don't Die Cindy was a band I was in with some friends from my home town of Panama City. It started after my first band Embraced parted ways. After 5 years of touring and not seeing much results, Patrick (Go Radio's first guitar player and lead singer of DDC) moved to Tallahassee where he met Jason and became good friends with them. It was perfect timing because Jason was starting a new band and was looking for a drummer which I soon after moved to Tallahassee to join.
Is it nerve-wracking to put all your faith in a music career with no guarantee of success? And how satisfying is it when you finally do succeed?
Its not nerve-wracking so to say, but it does take a toll on you after a while. I have been a drummer since I was 15 years old and have been in numerous touring bands and have traveled all over and we didn't do it cause we wanted to be rich but because we enjoyed doing something that most could only dream of. But as time goes on and you go from being a teen to a young adult, your priorities change and it makes touring small circuits very hard. When Go Radio started we did small tours we booked ourselves and made $0 personally. It was only until the last 3-4 years that I was able to make a paycheck from the band and even then, it was only $500 a month (that's including our music royalty checks.) We made it work because we loved what we were doing and everyone knew that the sacrifices we made then would pay off in the future. In 2013 while on The Summer Set "Wake Up and Be Awesome Tour" that toll was just too much for Jason and he felt that the band had run its course and that we peaked, we all disagreed but he felt it was time for him to be home and start a family with his new wife. Go Radio was a young band with I feel, tons of potential but even being in a band that has good songs, management, & label support, if everyone isn't on the same page, you wont be able to succeed.
What is your choice drink from Starbucks?
Mocha Cookie Crumble Frap.
What plans do you have for the future? Perhaps starting your own band?
Its not an easy avenue to start a new band and I have been filling in for other bands but right now im focusing on my brand Smooth Sailing Co.
If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be?
Right now, I would want to be a Koala. Just sleep 21 hours a day.
Given how far you've come with your music, what would you tell your younger self when you were just starting out?
Im not sure If I would change anything from when I started out. I made a lot of mistakes but I have also learned a lot from those mistakes. My musical career has taken me in a path who has made me who I am today... but if I had to tell myself something, it would be to try and learn some more complicated styles of drumming instead of just jamming ska and punk rock.
Have you/ Do you play any other instruments and was there an instrument that almost claimed your attention over the drums?
I have always been intrigued by the piano and am looking to get one to learn on, but the drums have always been my #1.