Father of two, have been living in Germany for nearly 20 years and love meeting people from around the world! Music is my job and my passion and I love to write, perform and I also teach beginners and children and volunteer doing a music class at my daughters kindergarten. I will be doing a lot more work with that age group this year because not only does it bring me closer to my daughter, it is also a LOT of fun! I am definitely 'fun dad', and hope to be in good enough shape to chase my kids around for a long time:)

My wife and I love cooking and eating food from all over the world. The kitchen is probably our favorite place to be, though in recent months it's been hard to cook together because one of us usually has to watch our daughter and son while the other cooks.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am a professional musician and it really helps with the travel costs if I can surf on a couch, and meeting people and learning from them and contributing to their lives and learning things is a BIG plus!

Interests

• music festivals
• cooking
• music
• live music
• teaching
• composing
• acoustic guitar
• live concerts
• songwriting
• teaching music

Music, Movies, and Books

Music:

This is a tough question for me. My musical tastes are all over the spectrum. But some of my favorites are:
Springsteen
A Tribe Called Quest
Tom Waits
Louis Armstrong
Jimi Hendrix
Traditional Irish and American Music
Percussive Fingerstyle guitar (check out Jon Gomm, Thomas Leeb, Mike Dawes and Preston Reed if you would like to find out more)

Movies:

I'm lacking in both knowledge and exposure in this department. The most recent show I've watched is Mr. Robot, and I think that is really cool. I was watching Walking Dead, but had to stop because I just couldn't handle the damn heartbreak. These days If I am watching anything it’s usually something on YouTube that is related to recording, performing or writing. I will say this, I recently got to see a short film called “Franconia” by Jacco Kliesch, and it is 4 minutes and 13 seconds of some of the most captivating film I’ve seen in a long time. It’s really feels like love letter to the region we live in, and you don’t have to speak German to appreciate it.

I really like laughing, so comedies and stand are great, and most recently I’ve seen Ali Wong’s specials, and they are amazing:)

Books

Catch 22, Fahrenheit 451 pop into my head first. Loved Children of God/The Sparrow. I also did Reza Aslan, but haven't been reading as much in the last couple of years.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The most amazing thing I have done is have children. Although my wife did the heavy lifting when it came to actually having the babies, I've never had a more fun/exciting/terrifying/rewarding experience.

Teach, Learn, Share

My strengths regarding teaching are in English, as I have spent several thousand hours doing that since I arrived in Germany, and teaching beginners and children how to play the guitar.

I am also able to cook some decent meals. I make pasta fresh (pasta machine is helpful but not 100% necessary), and have a few other recipes up my sleeve.

I am very interested in learning songs from around the world (particularly children's songs), recipes, yoga, jiu-jitsu and about digital marketing and social media management.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I would be more than happy to play guitar and sing, cook, teach various aspects of communication in English to my hosts. I am also really good with kids, from babies to teenagers, so I would be happy to help out in that department. If any family wanted to host, I know how the day to day tasks can pile up, so I can certainly lighten the load by cooking, cleaning, washing, folding, ironing, etc.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, United States