I have spent the last 10yrs or so in my home country of New Zealand studying, working and playing in bands. Having spent most of my childhood and teenage years living in S.E. Asia, I seem to have recently caught the travel bug again and plan on spending the next couple of years on the road travelling parts of the world.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

As of late my single biggest passion is writing, performing and recording music, and meeting other like minded people or communities -- as such I'm travelling around the world to do exactly this (plus a whole bunch of other more generic things).

CS I see as a good opportunity to see and experience the 'real' side of as many different cities as possible by meeting some locals (which I may never had been able to do otherwise) !

Interests

MUSIC: apart from the usual, I'm also interested in instrument building/maintenance & luthiery, DiY microphone making and modifying, audio and acoustic electronics, recording etc.

FOOD: apart from er.. eating it, I'm an avid cook and really interested in learning about regional cuisine (and have gotten into some random stuff like charcuterie, smokehouses, gardening, mycology etc), also have a lot of fun home brewing craft beers, and in a past life used to work as a coffee roaster.

SPORTS: sailing, still love to ski/snowboard, splash around in the open water or scuba dive, horse riding, may be persuaded to watch the odd league game...

• cooking
• live music
• guitar
• skiing
• travel
• beer brewing

Music, Movies, and Books

BOOKS:

"On the Road" by Jack Kerouac. Na just kidding, never read it! I can't help but read Sci Fi/Fantasy, Weird and Historical Fiction, although don't get me wrong I do try read some 'classics' as well. To rattle a few authors off my head: China Mieville, Bernard Cornwall, Philip K Dick, Michael Chabon, John Steinbeck, Robin Hobb, Nobokov, Orson Scott Card...

MUSIC:
My favourite! An ever expanding list of appreciated genres.... I'm sure I'm as judgemental as the next guy, but pretty sure I'll give anything a chance! Psychedelic, Funk, Jazz, Blues, Classic Rock, Calypso, Chilean Panpipes, Classical R&B, Soul & Motown, Rap and Hip Hop, Reggae/Rocksteady/Roots, Folk, Americana, Country, a seemingly endless/unnameable variety of heavy metals.

Although it's difficult to keep succinct, maybe to rattle a few favourites off my head if it helps as a non-exhaustive list:

Donald Byrd, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Stan Getz, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Mulatu Atsatke, Muhammed Ahmedt, Chet Baker, Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clarke, Gillian Welch/David Rawlins, Fairport Convention, Hawkwind, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Yes
Ry Cooder, Dr John, Van Morrison, Little Feat, the Band, all Fleetwood Mac, Traffic, and some slightly more obscure old psychedelia and/or hard rock like Ultimate Spinach, Bulbous Creation, Tin House, 3rd Ear Band...
Ariel Pink, Mac DeMarco, Wooden Shjips, Television, the Birthday Party, Sadie, DeAngelo, Tom Waits, Deltron 3030,

Plus all your usual classics/guilty pleasures... Led Zep, Sabbath, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles etc.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I feel incredibly lucky to have been to some of the places I've been. Strangely it's really difficult to think of something amazing I've done, whilst also limit it to ONE thing... Erm, I have hiked in frozen volcanic tunnels beneath/within Mt Fuji, seen a hollowed out Volcano in Izu Peninsula inside of which was a white sand beach, waves etc. Walked massive sand-dunes in the lunar scape of Mangawhai, NZ..

Personal Favourite: I was a child performer on Michael Jackson's Heal the World tour circa 1992..

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach guitar (standard 6-string, lap and pedal steel, bass, open tunings etc.), Cooking, English language, maybe some rusty Japanese

What I Can Share with Hosts

Hopefully my joi de vivre, infectious personality and delightful conversation (just give me half a chance and I can yack your ear off)! But seriously, I am a smangin' cook, or can serenade you with some sultry tunes. Better yet, if you play an instrument we can mesh! I've played in everything from jazz, to hip-hop, psychedlia, to lesbian punk bands -- hit me up!

Countries I’ve Visited

France, Germany, Guam, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Japan, New Zealand, Philippines, Taiwan