by Meghan Mikulski, Collingswood, NJ

I didn’t know when I got the job at Arby’s my senior year of high school in 1995 that there I would meet the love of my life. Brian was a free spirit who loved practical jokes, movies and music. He was very impressed that I could recite dialog from “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Jaws.” We spent the summer developing a great friendship and then I was off to the University of Scranton for four years. During that time he was going to the Hussian School of Art in Center City and we remained long-distance close friends to the point where everyone on my campus knew we were meant to be together except the two of us.

Long story short, on Thanksgiving of 1998, while hanging out with friends in Atlantic City, we couldn’t deny our feelings any longer and we’ve been together ever since. When I arrived back on campus that Monday, Brian called me and played me a song I’d not yet heard. Dave Matthews Band’s “Before These Crowded Streets” had just come out and Brian said that the song “Crush” made him think of me. I still remember sitting in the kitchen of my off-campus apartment listening to him play that song over the phone. We were both already huge DMB fans, but now the band’s music took on a whole new meaning for us.

Their music was played at our wedding. We’ve gone to their summer concerts together for the past nine years. We’ll buy any song that has a member of the band contributing. Their music is on in our house constantly. We relish the subtle differences between the many live versions of the same song. I play “Don’t Drink the Water” to my high school students when I’m teaching about the plight of the Native Americans. And I swear our 15-month-old son recognizes their music from hearing it so much in utero!

This past August 8th, Brian and I made our yearly trek to the Tweeter Center in the 97 degree heat to hear a band whose music defines our relationship. And as we danced on the lawn in our bare feet, we didn’t have bills or a mortgage or hectic work schedules or any of those other adult responsibilities. We were just two kids madly in love, singing along with Dave. I’m so grateful to the band for giving us their music!!