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Cary bass player's heart condition inspires suburban band Pulsebeat

For the young members of the band Pulsebeat, the thrill of playing onstage is not just about getting lost in the music while crowds cheer them on. There's also the reward of doing it for a great cause.

“Everything we do is for charity,” said singer Sarah Cullen, 16, of Barrington Hills. “We wouldn't do it otherwise.”

“It brings our gift of music into something that's worth it,” adds bass player Matt Jazwinski, 12, of Cary.

For Matt, it's also personal. For years he's been a heart patient at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, the main charity the band benefits. Pulsebeat's motto — “Music with a beat that comes from the heart” — is a tribute to Matt's condition.

“When Pulsebeat came together, it opened a whole other world of the music universe for me,” says Matt, who has played bass since age 8. “It totally opened my life all around. It made me happier.”

Pulsebeat, which formed about a year ago, has played nearly 20 charity events throughout the Chicago area, benefiting mostly Lurie Hospital, along with other nonprofits that help people with disabilities, autism and more.

The band, a regular at dance marathons, is always a hit with the crowd, said Julie Troyer, development officer for Lurie Hospital.

“They're a really talented group, and it's just an added benefit that they come and put on an awesome show,” she said.

Their commitment to the cause is exemplary, she said.

“The fact that they are all as young as they are and they are already prioritizing and utilizing their talents to give back at such a young age, I think it speaks volumes about their character,” she said.

The band formed around Matt, who knew the other four members through family or programs at Consolidated Music in Barrington. Matt's been an inspiration, his bandmates say.

“He has not let his condition slow anything down,” said rhythm guitarist Liz Holzknecht, 16, of Barrington.

“It's how he takes every situation and makes the best of it,” Sarah agreed.

Matt's simply impressive, said lead guitarist Drew Stolz, 14, of Chesterton, Indiana.

“Everything he's gone through and the fact that he's still putting in the dedication to play in a band, that's an inspiration to many,” Drew said.

Matt, who's had a pacemaker since he was 2½, can't play contact sports like football and soccer, and can't do things like jump on trampolines or ride roller coasters. At one point, he was interested in ski jumping, but that was a no-go as well.

None of that is easy to accept, Matt admits. “It kind of gets me down because a lot of my friends are huge into sports,” he said.

But he found his life's passion in music and also enjoys longboarding and BMX biking.

His mother, Tamara Jazwinski, said she and her husband, Gregory, won't prevent Matt from doing what he loves as long as it's OK with his doctors.

“Do I worry that he is going to fall the wrong way and fracture his pacemaker? Yes. You live that way,” she said. “It's incredibly unsettling, but I will never stop Matthew from doing what he wants to do.”

Matt was born with a condition called Tetralogy of Fallot and had his first open-heart surgery at just 2 months old. Later he was diagnosed with Sick Sinus Syndrome and went through years of occupational, physical and speech therapy due to complications from surgery, his mother said.

He's now mostly healthy, but he needs to monitor himself and be monitored regularly.

“We work with the doctors for fine-tuning him and keeping him healthy,” Tamara Jazwinski said.

Pulsebeat plays cover hits from bands like Led Zeppelin, The Black Keys and Fall Out Boy. The band members said they'll eventually tackle writing original music, but for now they're more than happy with crowd pleasers.

Matt, who uses a special bass strap that doesn't press on his pacemaker, has to contend with getting fatigued at times. He's mostly OK on stage, but he recently had a bad migraine during a concert.

“The music buried everything, but right when I put my bass down it was like, ‘OK. Not good,'” Matt said.

Drummer Joe Cangelosa, 13, of McHenry said that episode really made him worry about his bandmate. “After that experience it's always like, ‘Are you OK? Are you good?'” Joe said.

The band members may be young, but they are dedicated to their music with a seriousness beyond their age, Consolidated Music instructor Daniel Kosycarz said. That, along with their talent, makes them stand out among their peers, he said.

“They are musically capable of playing these songs backward and forwards,” he said. “A lot of the time they'll surprise me, and they'll have the song down before I need to do anything.

“It's always cool to see how they take the songs and transform them into their own,” Kosycarz said. “Their ideas and creative energy — they do that on their own.”

The band members admitted that their age differences — they range from 12 to 16 — were odd at first, but they quickly realized they clicked well.

“Music surpasses time and age,” Liz said. “It's really fun. We can all laugh together.”

With the exception of Liz, who wants to become an astrophysicist, the others hope to make it as professional musicians. But if that doesn't happen, they're determined to have a blast with Pulsebeat.

“Matt is the pulse,” Joe said, “and we're the beat.”

• If you know of someone whose story just wows you, please send a note including name, town, email and phone contacts for you and the nominee to standouts@dailyherald.com.

  Liz Holzknecht, 16, of Barrington plays rhythm guitar for the band Pulsebeat, which has played nearly 20 shows benefiting charities in the last year. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
  Sarah Cullen, 16, of Barrington Hills and a sophomore at Barrington High School, is the lead singer for the band Pulsebeat, which practices at Consolidated Music in Barrington. The band frequently performs for charity, including Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
  Sarah Cullen, 16, of Barrington Hills and a sophomore at Barrington High School, is the lead singer for the band Pulsebeat. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
  Matt Jazwinski, 12, of Cary plays bass guitar for the band Pulsebeat. He was born with a heart condition and is a patient at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, the main charity the band benefits. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
  Sarah Cullen, 16, of Barrington Hills and a sophomore at Barrington High School is the lead singer for the band Pulsebeat. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
The suburban band Pulsebeat performed earlier this month at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana. Courtesy of Pulsebeat

Pulsebeat

<b>Joe Cangelosa, drums</b>Age: 13

Hometown: McHenry

School: Parkland Middle School

Who inspires you? The Rev, the late drummer from Avenged Sevenfold, because he does extremely cool stuff on the drums.

What book are you reading? “The Blood of Olympus” by Rick Riordan.

What music are you listening to? I listen to everything, but I am mostly into metal and hard rock. I really do like pop.

The three words that best describe you? Energetic. Funny. Creative.

<b>Sarah Cullen, singer</b>Age: 16

Hometown: Barrington Hills

School: Barrington High School

Who inspires you? Matt, our bass player, who has a heart condition, for how he takes every situation and makes the best of it. Also the Black Keys, because they were offered to be in a commercial but they didn't want to sell out.

What book are you reading? “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee.

What music are you listening to? I hate pop. And no country. I love alternative and indie.

The three words that best describe you? Dedicated. Sincere. Enthusiastic.

<b>Liz Holzknecht, guitar</b>Age: 16

Hometown: Barrington

School: Barrington High School

Who inspires you? Musically, the late guitarist Dimebag Darrell from Pantera and composer Frederic Chopin. Also, a lot of the teachers I've had who've encouraged me and believed in me.

What book are you reading? I just finished “The Pillars of the Earth” by Ken Follett and I am working through (my) math teacher's old college textbook.

What music are you listening to? Mostly metal like Pantera, Amon Amarth, anything that has really intense guitar and drums.

The three words that best describe you? Inquisitive. Focused. Ambitious.

<b>Matt Jazwinski, bass</b>Age: 12

Hometown: Cary

School: Cary Junior High School

Who inspires you? Bass players Marcus Miller — I've seen him in concert and he really inspired me to continue playing — and Victor Wooten, whom I've met lots of times.

What book are you reading? “The Hope” by Herman Wouk and “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley.

What music are you listening to? I like all sorts of music — jazz, funk, alternative rock.

The three words that best describe you? Loving. Energetic. Creative.

<b>Drew Stolz, lead guitar</b>Age: 14

Hometown: Chesterton, Indiana

School: Chesterton High School

Who inspires you? My guitar teacher, Donnie Argostino, because he inspires me to do better.

What book are you reading? I'm not reading anything right now.

What music are you listening to? I'm mostly into classic rock, like Van Halen and Led Zeppelin.

The three words that best describe you? Passionate. Energetic. Easygoing.

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