David Elijah Brandon AKA Young Loony

Long Live Loon
Son
Father
Brother
Friend
...Dreamer
7/29/88 - 2/24/19

"Truly Great Friends Are Hard To Find, Difficult To Leave And Impossible To Forget"
-G. Randolph
More Than Meets the Eye

If you would have bumped into David and I back in 2008 you almost certainly would have one of two thoughts; "Look at these goofballs", or maybe "Knuckleheads!" I can admit now that at 20 and 18 years old respectfully, David and I weren't the most mature young men in the world. Im sure most would assume that I'm the older of us from the pictures, but David was actually older and filled the "big brother" role in my life in most respects. He was a true friend. His loyalty was unmatched. He was a great communicator. One of a kind sense of humor. Radiant confidence that was contagious. He encouraged me to follow my dreams and listen to my heart. I tried my best to reciprocate but in the end I always felt like I received way more than could give. He was a friend like no other and we were like two peas in a pod. We shared a passion for music and a dream to make it big. We slowly built up the basics for a small studio and began to work. It wasn't long before the cost of fame became more than we could afford. We went back to the drawing board together and started to discuss small business ideas for producing capital that we could then funnel back into the music. Literally, from the beginning of our relationship through the duration, it was all about chasing our dreams and building a future for ourselves. That's where our journeys really overlapped. We were both dreamers...

June 22, 2009
Takoma - Fort Totten
Deadly Metro Crash
This was one of my life's most defining moments.
9 Innocent people died this day
God spared my life
When I got home from the hospital David was at my front door
He saw me on the news, jumping from the backdoor of the wrecked train and walked off of his job to check on me
I was Physically, Mentally and Emotionally Scarred
I felt lost. I almost lost hope.
The Road to Recovery was long, difficult, and painful
I couldn't ask people to go with me
But there was one person I didn't have to ask.....
He showed up for me like few friends would
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
The Light At The End Of The Tunnel?
My life during this time was generally ruled by fear, paranoia, and anxiety. There were few people or places where I felt comfort and the distraction of looming death kept me from focusing well on anything. It's like David didn't even notice. "You're gonna be alright fool. God kept you here for a reason, dog. Just keep working." And that's what I did. His confidence radiated to me when I needed it most. He 100% believed that I was going to bounce back and that God was using all of this to put me in position. "Im telling you bruh, stuff like this doesn't just happen for no reason." He threw his arm around me and carried me through the battle when I wasn't strong enough to carry myself. So for the next 10 years we fought together. We made strides in music and made a few good small business attempts along the way too. One of the small businesses was a junk removal company called Project 29. Stepping stones to the life I would soon find myself living in its fullest.
David was at my house one Friday night as usual. We were in the basement studio working on a few new compositions. He told me about how one of the artists that we worked with was having a performance at a small club in NW Washington D.C. the next day. All of our music associates were planning to attend and support. I decided not to go but David was excited to show up for a good friend as he always does. I'd expect nothing less. I just wish he would have came to the studio THAT DAY instead.

"As long as I can I will look at this world for both of us. As long as I can I will laugh with the birds. I will sing with the flowers. I will pray to the stars for both of us"
Forever

"You have to do everything you can, you have to work your hardest, and if you do, if you stay positive, you have a shot at a silver lining."
- Silver Linings Playbook
The passing of David hit me hard. Obviously the grieving was hard and I had to spend time seeking answers in the tragedy, but the feeling I felt the most was redemption. All fears, doubts, paranoia, fear, anxiety and anger slowly pushed out of focus as my desire to carry David through the battlefield became overwhelming. I couldn't save him the way he saved me but I honestly felt like I could carry both of us to our dream. I was never able to take music seriously again, but one of those small businesses began to flourish as I began to fuel it with my pain and passion. So I LLC'd the business and named it after its co-founder.
David Elijah Brandon aka Young Loony...
