CURRENT MISSION

Gathering and sharing music and stories, finding rare and unusual instruments

ABOUT ME

I grew up in a very isolated and backwards city (Amarillo) where somehow a very tight-knit, creative community of free-thinkers looked out for each other, and music and other arts have always been a refuge and a way of reaching out to a wider world. I have lived in some very cosmopoltan places since then, such as Austin, where I studied linguistics, and Washington D.C., where I worked for a Food Bank and a fair-trade import shop. This has given me a chance to meet people, and hear live music, from all over the world. After working several years in Austin for the State Library, I decided it was time to travel to some of the places people have been describing to me throughout the years.
Some of my happiest experiences have been performing for people, making music and telling stories, and I want to do this whenever the opportunity presents itself while I'm travelling.

PHILOSOPHY

The things that matter most to me defy words. If you want to understand my "philiosophy" you'll have to hear my music.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Most of the couchsurfing I've done while traveling, so far, has been with people I have known for a while. The exception has been the kind folks who've taken me in on the way to Rainbow Gatherings.

Interests

Traditional and experimental music; Early Music: Mediaeval, Renaissance, Baroque; wooden flutes of all sorts: Irish, bansuri, ney, shakuhachi, Native American; kantele (Finnish lyre-harp); Jaw Harps; Less Commonly Taught Languages; Epic literature; Storytelling traditions; Performance art; Renaissance Faires and other pedestrian festivals; Museums and Libraries; Late-night cafes; vegan recipes; traditions concerning faeries, elves, selkies and other "kinfolk"; forests and mountains

• arts
• literature
• performing arts
• festivals
• dining
• recipes
• vegan
• shopping
• traveling
• socializing
• knitting
• music
• live music
• languages
• hitchhiking
• volunteering
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite Authors: Neil Gaiman, Charles DeLint, Holly Black, Molly Ivins, W.B. Yeats
Epics: Kalevala, Ramayana, Popol Vuh, Beowulf
Favorite musicians (a few of many): Lunasa, Hedningarna, Sequentia, Garmarna, the Kronos Quartet, Istanpitta, Ani diFranco, the Texas Early Music Project
Composers: Turlough O'Carolan, Hildegard von Bingen, DuFay, Anthony Holborne, Martti Pokkela, Beethoven, Edward MacDowell

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I have a lot of serendipitous experiences hearing good music: having people kick down tickets to hear the National Symphony Orchestra, being picked up hitchhiking and ending up working crew at Kerrville Folk Festival, Hitchhiking back from operas in Northern Virginia, being allowed to volunteer to hear music in Maryland and Texas. Other fascinating experiences: hearing the Dalai Lama speak live, playing shakuhachi for a survivor of Nagasaki, being a street-medic for a World Bank protest.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach different repertoire and playing techniques on several instruments, and I am always learning from other people as well: traditional flutes, jaw harps, and other instruments. I have studied different Faery-faith traditions of the world, and enjoy sharing what I know. I have cooked vegan food on a regular basis for 25+ people at a time, and love to swap recipe tips. I am currently taking a course to Teach English as a Foreign Language, and would enjoy helping people who would like to improve their English, and I would enjoy learning their native language along the way. I am always looking for other musicians and performers who could collaborate with me.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Ireland, Mexico, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States