When Matt Chandik told his parents he wanted to play the drums, they made him learn all the rudiments on a snare before letting him buy a kit. That discipline paid off, and Matt still maintains a rigorous practice schedule and his playing provides a rock-solid backbone for the DYB. Matt’s first kit came from a pawn shop and cost him $80. He immediately stripped off the sparkle laminate and painted them flat black (way cool).
Throughout high school Matt played in marching, jazz, and concert bands, and was awarded Best Musician for the band program his senior year. He also played in a multitude of garage bands during this time, and won Battle of the Bands with a group called Caravan. After high school Matt spent a few years in the Army, where he played in the pit orchestra for several musicals and jammed with a variety of musicians on the Army post in Berlin.
Matt came to Christ in the mid-80’s and he has been using his gifts to serve the Lord ever since, playing with church worship bands in Southern California, Dallas, State College, PA, and Chicago. In the early 90s while living in Dallas he was a member of the alternative Christian rock band Beyond the Blue. Matt currently serves on the worship team at First Baptist Church of Geneva, Illinois. He and his wife Janet have two great kids, Rachel and Ryan.
