I'm a touring musician and a banjo, guitar, mandolin, and ukulele teacher from Chicago. I play folk/rock/bluegrass music in a few bands, teach about 30 students, and write lyrics/jingles/songs for a bunch of clients. I currently live in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago and have been in the city for about 7 years. Along with music, which I can't call a hobby anymore, I like too cook, bake, and mix cocktails. I've also started bouldering and I run a game of DnD for some of my friends. I've been married for 4 years and because my wife is an artist now also visit a lot of art museums, and so I think I know a bit about art (narrator: He does not). Excited to meet some new people!
P.S. You can find my music here: burnsband.com

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

The main reason I'm on Couchsurfing is to find affordable places to stay while touring. But I'm also just interested in meeting new people, learning about the cities I'm in, and having a good conversations with folks I didn't know before. I also think couches are really comfortable.

Interests

• cooking
• cocktails
• baking
• board games
• music
• folk music
• conversation
• bluegrass
• banjo
• tabletop rpgs
• dungeons and dragons
• americana

Music, Movies, and Books

The Punch Brothers, The Blues Brothers, and the Brothers Karamazov (I think I have a type). Overall I'm into most genres of music and books, but especially like any sort of art that is either a little off the beaten path or makes you think.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Composed, arranged for, and played folk music with a 52 piece orchestra

Teach, Learn, Share

I teach banjo, guitar, mandolin, ukulele, and songwriting and I'd be happy to give any tips about it to any prospective instrumentalists out there.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can impart some musical wisdom, a song here and there, and I've been known to bake a pretty good pie or make pizza from scratch. A good conversation is probably my favorite thing to share with people I've stayed with, though. And of course I like to make sure wherever I'm staying is at least as clean as when I left it.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden