MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW)- Dustin Chapman, a singer from Whiteville, North Carolina, will take the stage at Carolina Country Music Fest after winning a battle of the bands.
Dustin Chapman and his guitarist Angel Paez are both overcoming physical limitations to play for thousands of people.
By the sounds of it you would never know Dustin Chapman is battling Achalasia, a rare disease that affects the muscles in the esophagus.
“It’s terrifying because they told me there was a chance I could lose my voice eventually. It hasn’t played into that yet so im still 100 percent as of right now,” said Chapman.
It only affects 1 in 100,000 people and is the 4th most painful disease without a cure. The pain is equivalent to that of a heart attack
“I have a lot of trouble eating and drinking. I lost 50 pounds in eight months. It was very sudden,” said Chapman.
The 20 year old country crooner is hoping his voice will raise awareness, and be a voice for the voiceless. He’s not the only one in the band battling the odds his guitarist is blind.
“My parents would tell me that id go to church and listen to what the choir is doing and id go home and noodle around until I figured out the melodies and stuff and I just figured it out from there,” said Angel Paez.
Angel Paez has been using his ear to figure it out ever since and can play 9 different instruments
“Every instrument I’ve learned I’ve picked up and worked on by ear so no formal training. Each genre of music sounds different and I hear so much possibility,” said Paez.
The two twenty year olds said they’re ready to take the big stage
“I haven’t gotten nerves yet. We have one last rehearsal tomorrow morning so I feel like once we get there they’ll start kicking in a little bit, but once we get to the festival it’s just going to turn into adrenaline,” said Chapman.
“Things like this were always the goal, but I never imagined it would happen as quick as it did,” said Paez.
The full band will play at 1 p.m. on Saturday, and will have a meet and greet at 2 p.m.
