By Lauren Whitaker
Dillon Kruppa, a sophomore at Volunteer State Community College, is a multifaceted person whose identity exceeds the realms of a normal college student.
Kruppa’s long, blonde hair cascaded past his shoulders in waves as he spoke about his life outside Vol State.
“I write music. I work a photo booth gig. I drink coffee. I read books sometimes, and I talk to chicks,” Kruppa said.
Kruppa’s vibrant clothing, down to his four-leaf-clover belt buckle, and silent confidence emphasizes the creative character he is.
“I have been playing music since 2007. I have done a number of gigs at night around here. I have performed at Café Coco, Family Wash, I have played some stuff out in Chattanooga and plenty of stuff at Vol State like the Christmas concerts and the spring concerts,” Kruppa said.
Kruppa’s talents go beyond simply strumming a guitar or mastering the keys on a piano. His musical skills are dexterous.
“Mainly, I play guitar, piano and voice. Beyond that, I play alto, tenor, bari sax, clarinet, trumpet, French horn, ukulele and whatever I can get my hands on,” said Kruppa.
Kruppa is drawn indie folk music. He is a solo artist, and he markets his music by means of social media.
“My stuff is on Instagram under Dillon Kruppa. There is a video out on YouTube of a live session done out on top of a parking garage in downtown Nashville,” said Kruppa. “There’s a beautiful cotton candy sky backdrop in the video.”
Kruppa spent a period of his life driving a pedicab in downtown Nashville. His stories driving pedicab are adventurous.
“I was chased by a homeless man, presumably on drugs, because a drunk passenger kept yelling obscenities at him. He bolted after us down dark streets, and I ended up kicking the intoxicated passenger out of the cab,” Kruppa said.
Kruppa drove pedicab from July to September. During this time, his biggest event was taking passengers from Justin Timberlake’s Pilgrimage Festival in Franklin.
“I made a bunch of money. Somebody even paid me in very important person tickets,” said Kruppa. “By the last day, I was like forget pedaling. I’m just going to enjoy the festival.”
Kruppa commutes to Vol State from south Nashville. His major is entertainment media production with a concentration in music business.
“In my major, we divide up into teams and try to balance out the concentration the best we can. Then, we select an artist. It could be anything from a painter to a musician. It’s usually a musician, so right now we are recording an extended play for the website,” said Kruppa. “We are recording a music video, developing a business plan, coordinating the social media stuff and pretty much the whole package.”
After all of this project is completed, the students involved, including Kruppa, will venture out into Nashville and present their project to record labels.
After Kruppa finishes at Vol State, he plans to optimally be recognized by the projects Vol State has allowed him to do and use them to get a job.
In the meantime, Kruppa plans to pursue his endeavors in music.
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