CURRENT MISSION

Would like to play a rolling concert by playing clarinet while I ride my bike. It can be done!

ABOUT ME

I love traveling, I love music, I love helping people. I used to work as an engineer, but I left my job so I can focus on the first three :).
I do a lot of acro yoga and calisthenics, climbing and love training with people.

All about me? Well that I tought for me to put it all here and besides, you don't want to read...you want to travel and Couchsurf. You'll have to ask me when you visit.

Don't get to thinking I'm too serious, I'm pretty sarcastic and laugh all the time. My intonation that gives hilarity to most of my sentences doesn't really come across when I write.

I play music: I previously wrote for, direct, manage, run, and play clarinet in a Berlin-based 7-member klezmer/ska band called Her Golden Whip. Here's one of our videos if you're interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InmFC1cjq5g

I have played the space clarinet (an instrument I got from the future) in a rock band in Colorado. Here's one of our videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJjeIefA9tM.

I started a new group as well, called 2Mass. It's just me and a drummer and we create all of the sounds together. Here is a video from that group. All the scenes were filmed in Colorado.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kdx0TgaA1rs

I founded a company called Power Pay that is solving electricity distribution problems in developing countries as well as energy efficiency in industrial complexes. I have another company, AM Tech where I build electrical automation devices.

I speak to anyone who will listen, and listen to anyone who speaks
I ride: for a long and as far as possible on anything with a seat, a pedal and two wheels. Love the mountains and the outdoors.

PHILOSOPHY

You know when you play music and you see people dancing - you are reaching into their souls and making them move. So when somebody says "Yeah!!!" ...That's a compliment.
-Dizzy Gillespie

It's always nighttime, otherwise we wouldn't need any lights.
-Thelonious Monk

"Namako tsy tia politiki'ny kibo"
- Big Jimda

"Tsy ny adala no adala, fa izay manadala ny adala no adala"
-Fiteny Marina Malagasy

"On joue les funambules sur un cable invisible
On jongle avec des bulles, on défie l'impossible
Dans une main la colombe, dans l'autre le calibre
J'ai beau tendre les bras, je ne trouve pas l'équilibre"
-Oxmo Puccino

"Das Notwendigste und das Härteste und die Hauptsache in der Musik ist das Tempo."
W.A. Mozart

"If you're scared, then you're not pushing yourself hard enough."
-Arielle Gold

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Meeting hosts and travelers for me is a way to experience travel, even when I'm not able to myself.
As a surfer I completely understand that hosts have their own lives (in fact that's why I Couchsurf) - I don't expect people to change their daily routine. If I can do some participating then so much the better but I have no problem going out and exploring on my own with or without direction.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've had the great pleasure of surfing with wonderful hosts throughout the US as well as in Israel, France, Germany, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Moldova, the Czech Republic, Transnistria, Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Portugal, Greece, Finland, Madagascar... I've had a great time with the people who've come by and met some amazing, worldly, and very eclectic people, and I plan to continue doing so. Thanks CouchSurfing!

I've also been able to host whenever I have time (and space).

Interests

I'm pretty big into live music of any kind. If there's a cool spot I can get into it. But I especially love jazz, funk and hip-hop.

I like being active and staying fit. I can bike for days on end, and I also love calisthenics, or body weight fitness - it means I can keep my workout routine no matter where in the world I go, all I need is a floor and sometimes a tree.

I enjoy conceptualizing and building things, making ridiculous original ideas and then figuring them out.

I also love languages and any kind of new sound.
I love hearing music in other languages.If there is something I haven't heard of or tried, then I would like to do it.
Environment and sustainability.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this at the moment but it's certainly a passion which allows me to travel.

• performing arts
• concerts
• festivals
• dancing
• environment
• dining
• fitness
• running
• technology
• traveling
• music
• live music
• jazz
• piano
• cycling
• surfing
• engineering
• languages
• philosophy
• science
• bikes
• bicycles

Music, Movies, and Books

I love jazz, funk, soul, hip-hop. Although I can get into any kind of music, really, but those in particular really tend to get me going. If I'm at a show and everyone is really into whatever music is playing, then I'm into it!

I have previously written and play in a Klezmer/Ska band I started called Her Golden Whip

I like music production and try to do as much as I can. Maybe we can collaborate!

Here are some of my favorite artists from the genres listed above:

Jazz:
Roy Hargrove, Oscar Peterson, Michael Brecker, Michel Camilo, Chick Corea, Dave Weckl,
Joshua Redman, Ray Brown, James Morisson, Marcus Miller, Clifford Brown, Sonny Rollins, Miguel Zenon, Chris Potter, Arturo Sandoval

Rap/Hip-hop:
Hocus Pocus, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Chali 2na/Jurassic 5, Common, Sniper, Caparezza, Hadag Nachash, The Procussions, Saïan Supa Crew, Erci-E, Big Jimdah, Peter Fox, MC Solaar, Classified, Brother Ali, La Fouine, Tairo, Kenyon, Seeed

Books:
Three Cups of Tea, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Pars Vite et Reviens Tard, Le Lièvre de Patagonie, Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs, Measuring the World

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I rode 1200 miles on my bike in one month from Berlin, Germany to Odessa, Ukraine. And couchsurfed the entire way. I could have gone much further.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you as much as I know about music - I have a degree in clarinet performance but I also play piano. I've played in bands from classical to jazz to vaudeville to metal to hip-hop, klezmer to ska.

If you want some linguistic help I can give you useful words and phrases (especially slang) in French, German, English or Malagasy. On the other side, it would be awesome to learn anything in any languages you happen to know.

I'm no philosopher, but if you give me a pen and a piece of paper I'll write you a poem. Also if everybody has a pen and paper we can play telephone pictionary.I'm also an engineer by trade, what's on your mind about science?

"My favorite music is the kind that I wish I had written myself."-Victor Wooten

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm from New Mexico, we are proud of our chilis, spicy food, burritos and guacamole.

And let me show you some calisthenics moves! I'm not super advanced or anything but I love training, so let's do some repz.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Germany, Madagascar, United States

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