Some might worry about taking an extra year to get into UC Davis, but not Matt Hall.

Hall, 20, who came to DVC in 2007, has interests that go beyond standard school fare.

The drummer for Until Your Heart Stops started playing drums in the sixth-grade and has never stopped.  

“It’s a part of my life now,” he said.

After listening to the punk band Terror in seventh-grade, Hall moved on to alternative rock and punk standouts Nirvana and The Ramones.  

He played in a number of small-time, local bands until joining Until Your Heart Stops in the summer of 2007, right after graduating from Clayton Valley High School.  

While a lot of punk and hardcore bands focus on politics and religion, Until Your Heart Stops prefers less volatile issues.

“[I’m] not avid about pressing my views onto someone else,” Hall said.

The group is purely punk and not one of the many groups with a subgenre that appeals to only a small niche, he said.  

“It’s not about the name of a band’s style,” he said. “It’s about playing the music and enjoying it when you do.”

Hall loves touring and playing gigs as far away as Albuquerque, N.M.

He described touring as a non-stop party, going from city to city to play music, eat and sleep at strangers’ houses.  

“It’s a lot of fun,” he said.

Beyond music, Hall has pondered his future for hours on end.  

As a psychology major, he’s thought about becoming a therapist, or owning a record store or restaurant. At this point, however, he is sure about only one thing: his love for music.

“I want to be involved in music for the rest of my life,” he said.

Matt’s parents support his decision to play in a band.

“Music is a very important part of his life,” said Matt’s father, Mark, in an e-mail interview. “We feel that he should pursue it enthusiastically and whole heartedly for as long as he wants.”

Upon completion of his transfer admission guarantee agreement, he will finally leave DVC for UC Davis in the fall.

“Touring is so much more fun than going to school,” he said. “I’d rather do it now while I have the chance, [rather] than look back later in life and regret never doing it at all.”

Contact Jonathan Roisman at [email protected]