Draylen Mason was known as an accomplished musician who was heading to college, but he could also make you laugh before he even opened his mouth.
"You just expect to laugh with him. That boy was hilarious," said Sharrel Prince, who has known him since pre-K. "What made Draylen funny is that he says the things everyone else is scared to say."
The 17-year-old East Austin College Prep student by a package bomb left outside his house in East Austin. His mother was also injured in the bombing, one of three in the city since March 2.
When Draylen was first learning to play the double bass, teachers noticed his passion and talent right away. It was the first thing Patrick Slevin heard about Draylen, when he attended a music summer camp in 2012.
鈥淸Another teacher] came to me ... saying, 鈥榃ow, this kid is incredible,鈥欌�� said Slevin, the CEO of Austin Soundwaves. 鈥淗e had just started bass or maybe he had been playing a little bit already. [The other teacher said,] 鈥楬e can play everything by ear; he鈥檚 just so hungry to learn.鈥欌��
Once Draylen was in the Soundwaves program, he almost immediately began working with Dana Wygmans.
鈥淗e was just such a wonderful musician,鈥� said Wygmans, who taught him for five years. 鈥淚 think that he did have a lot of natural talent, but I don鈥檛 want to underplay or understate how hard he worked and how passionate he was about it.鈥�
His passion, talent and hard work was known to people outside Austin, too. Over the years, Draylen attended summer camps and workshops around the country.
Slevin said he has received texts and emails all week from people remembering Draylen, even if they met him for just a few minutes.
鈥淚 just don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 the norm, for every person to have had such an impact on all these people,鈥� Slevin said. 鈥淐olleagues that maybe visited five years ago for a day have these vivid memories of a conversation or a funny thing Draylen said. Also, just how they knew he was really good.鈥�
Draylen's friends and teachers all agreed he was just really kind. Wygmans remembers a time when she was teaching three bass players at once, all with different levels of experience.
鈥淛ust watching him be very encouraging of the other two and never really feeling like in any way was he putting them down or anything like that,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e wanted them to feel successful, and he wanted it to feel positive for them.鈥�
Wygmans also said he made everyone feel loved. One year on her birthday, she came into her office and found a Tupperware of spaghetti on her desk; Draylen had made her a meal so they could have lunch together to celebrate. Those little acts made him special to her. He was such an integral part of the Austin Soundwaves community, she said.
鈥淗e just always radiated positivity,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e was such a leader and people listened to him.鈥�
Those are some of the qualities Prince admired about Draylen.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important for people to remember Draylen as the true definition of a friend,鈥� said Prince, who had been close friends with him for most of their lives. 鈥淭here for you, like really there for you. Maybe not sometimes physically, but he鈥檚 there to listen to you, there to see you cry, there when you need advice, there when you just need a laugh.鈥�
She says he was often her voice of reason: He talked her through frustrations with friends, her parents and classmates.
鈥淗e was my wisdom and my comfort,鈥� Prince said. 鈥淗e was my comfort person. He always made me feel like everything would be OK.鈥�
Prince says that makes it especially hard now that she鈥檚 grieving. She says she's never gone through a difficult time in her life without his support.
Both she and Draylen were seniors and starting to think about their lives after high school. She said one of the last times they hung out was taking a walk around their neighborhood, something they did a lot.
鈥淲e were just asking each other like, 鈥極h, where do you see yourself in 10 years? What kind of house do you want?鈥欌�� She said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what he asked me, what kind of house did I want and I asked him the same.鈥�
Lately, Draylen had been thinking about his more immediate future. He had been auditioning for music programs at universities, and had been accepted at the University of Texas and the University of North Texas.
He explained the importance of music education in a promotional video for Austin Soundwaves.
鈥淔rom my personal experience, it has benefited me to become a better person,鈥� he says in the video. 鈥淭o develop discipline, to develop social skills, to develop mental skills in a sense.鈥�
While many mourn the loss of Draylen as a musician, Prince says the more impactful loss is his loving nature.
鈥淗e was the true definition of love,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ecause even though he鈥檚 not here, he鈥檚 able to bring so many people together. I鈥檝e been with my friends literally all week. I鈥檝e gotten so much support from teachers and friends, and it鈥檚 like he鈥檚 still impacting people.鈥�
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