Spotlight: Destiny Pivonka

Q&A with our Saxophone Lady

1. What’s your name, your instrument, and how long have you been with Sneezy?
   Destiny “TK” Pivonka, sax/vox, 5 years

2. How did you first end up in this band?

   Long story short, the OG sax player couldn’t tour during the school year as a teacher, so I got the call.

3. Describe the Sneezy sound to someone who’s never heard us — but you can’t use the word “funky.”
   Musical gumbo.

4. What song in the set do you look forward to playing the most, and why?
   I just look forward to playing. Every song makes me happy. If I have to choose… I like the big sax intro I get on “Not Sorry.” I get to play pretty stuff and grab the audience out the gate.

5. What was your toughest gig with Sneezy?
   Our first time playing Philly. The neck of my sax collapsed in on itself and my sax was essentially broken. I powered through, but I don’t even remember playing, I just remember the frustration. I DO remember our Boogies showing up in crowns and being so supportive, and they were all smiles every time I made eyes with them.

6. What was your favorite gig with Sneezy?
   There’s too many amazing ones. Every gig gets exponentially better as we go. The first gigs are pretty seared in my mind. I fell in love with these guys every single show during that run for different reasons. I knew they were really something special and I wanted to be part of that.

7. Who is the artist who most inspired you to pursue music?
   I don’t have one. I wanted a sax for as long as I can remember and my dad bought me one. He told me he’d take it back to the shop if it ever sat in a corner getting dusty. I taught myself to play and sat in my room for years just reading books and practicing.

8. What’s a skill, hobby, or obsession you have that has absolutely nothing to do with music?
   Sailing, storm chasing, cooking (replicating foods I find when I’m out, specifically), and motorcycles. I also had a hyperfixation about the cheese caves in Missouri after going down a rabbit hole questioning the origins of government cheese. You wanna talk conspiracies about quantum immortality and alternate universes, we can go there, too.

9. Who in the band would you call if you had a flat tire? Who would you call if you had an extra ticket to a show?
   Jack and Tom for either.

10. The van is gone but Boogie Nation showed up. What does that mean to you?
    I feel beyond fortunate to have so many people who believe in us, our music, and our goofy muppet pirate circus of a band. I haven’t ever been in a band that has such an amazing community of real friends and family. I have never been locked into something with this kind of support. It’s absolutely unreal. The gratitude and love I have for our little nation is immeasurable and I feel it is honestly reciprocated at every show.

We’re all feeling the love, Boogie Nation. Help us keep cooking that magical musical gumbo. As of today, the gofundme is over 14k. 17 days and 26k to go. Donate, share and spread the word about our goofy muppet pirate circus!