CURRENT MISSION

Have fun. Play lots of music

ABOUT ME

I am pretty darned laid back. I love music. Music is my religion, passion and overall drive in life. I live for music. It is always in my head. Always. I love it so much that I want to get other people stoked on the ideas and concepts and unique stories of emotion being told in a very unique language. So, I'm going to teach. Right now I'm just a high school pep band director and substitute teacher. Eventually, to keep a long story short, I'd like to teach at college level. I really don't care what peoples personal beliefs or politics are (as long as they don't force them on other people). In fact, I am very interested, I'd even say more so, with views and opinions that vary from my own. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt and I find there is much wisdom to be gained in at least trying to understand where people are coming from... unless, of course, they're just completely bat shit crazy

PHILOSOPHY

I live life to be happy. Music and traveling are two of best the ways I find happiness....Alcohol would probably be next:) But music has so much uniqueness to offer our brains that we literally start thinking on a different level the more involved we become. Traveling, as I'm sure 99% of people on this website are aware, offers more unuique insight, knowledge and experience that you could ever learn in a classroom. Traveling teaches life! How can you say no?!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

A friend of mine (Mike Nania) told me about this website and since I am going to Europe in May I figured it would be pretty friggin sweet to immerse myself in a new culture by not being in a hotel the whole time or by being around a bunch of other tourists but by hanging out with (preferably cool) people actually from the countries I am going to. As far as hosting goes, the more the merrier! I've got 2 awesome roommates who are very willing to welcome guests. I bartend during the day but am usually off anytime from 4 - 5ish. (If you feel like visiting me at work I can make a mean cocktail and everything in Whitefish is walking distance;) Late nights at my place are no problem as long as no one starts yelling...or singing obscenely loud at like 2 or 3 in the morning(for my sake). I can show people some sights but my car isn't in the best shape or 4WD so most of the sights are limited to 20 or so miles. Probably a bit more than that but I like to play it safe when it comes to cars. And roads can be horrific around here. Especially during the winter.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

None on this website yet. Once, I had a couple dudes biking from western Washington down to the MexiCali border stay at my place while they were passing through Kalaloch. It's in the Hoh Rain Forest on Wahington's west coast.

Interests

Music, Teaching, Halo, Magic (the card game not the disappearing act. nerd alert!) Traveling, School and Sports: Soccer, Football, Extreme Sports, Baseball, Rugby, Hockey, Lacrosse, Basketball, Tennis, the occasional rally car race.

• culture
• singing
• cocktails
• walking
• politics
• traveling
• cars
• magic
• music
• jazz
• cycling
• sports
• baseball
• basketball
• soccer
• hockey
• tennis
• rugby
• lacrosse
• extreme sports
• teaching
• religion

Music, Movies, and Books

MOVIES: Departures, A Clockwork Orange, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying & Love the Bomb, Eyes Wide Shut, Full Metal Jacket, Watchmen, Superbad, Funny People, Knocked Up, 40 Yr. Old Virgin, Pineapple Express, Get Him To The Greek, Forgeting Sarah Marshal, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, Zombies of Mass Destruction, Ip Man...A LOT of movies from all genres.
MUSIC: Jazz - Maynard Ferguson, Buddy Rich, Gordwin Goodwin, Köln WDR Big Band, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Thelonius Monk, Oscar Peterson, Jeff Hamilton, Benny Green.
Classical - Mahler, Bruckner, Beethoven, Debussy, J.S. Bach, Berlioz, Brahms, Sibelius, Schumann, Chopin, Wagner, Schubert, Vladimir Horowitz, Itzhak Perlman, Glenn Gould, Chicago Symphony, New York Phil, Philadelphia Orch, London Symphony, Berlin Phil, ANYTHING with Sir Georg Solti, Daniel Barenboim or Leonard Bernstein conducting.
Rock - System of a Down, Queen, Dropkick Murphys, Muse, Queens of the Stone Age, Rage Against the Machine, Gogol Bordello, Phish, Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
Electronic - Sound Tribe Sector 9, Thievery Corp., Nero, Skrillex, Bass Hunter, Make the Girl Dance, whatever happens to come on Pandora
Hip-Hop - Drapht, Young Blood Brass Band, Aesop Rock, Wu Tang Clan, Notorious B.I.G., also whatever happens to come on Pandora or elswhere.
BOOKS: Dancing Naked In The Mine Field, Starship Troopers, Hunt for Red October, Star Wars: Darksaber, some historical non-fiction

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Played Carnegie Hall in 2005. I was 2nd trombone for Antonin Dvořák's 9th Symphony: "New World Symphony"

Teach, Learn, Share

Want to know some facts about Jazz, Classical, theory, composers, brass instruments, or maybe some tips on how to make jamming a little more easy? I'll challenge anyone to Stargate/Trek knowledge-off. Talking politics and other deep, philosophical, spiritual, theoretical subjects is something I also really enjoy.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States