UW Early Childhood commissioned a bunch of really cool NW artists to write songs (and suggested choreography!) for 0-5 year-olds. These songs will be part of a free curriculum available in Washington State, and I’m honored that three of my songs were accepted! University of Washington owns the rights to the music, so I can’t sell these lovely ditties ~ but they’re available to my Bandcamp subscribers!
I chose this photo for the cover of Tunes for Tots. It was taken by brilliant artist Noel Franklin while we were housemates right when COVID kicked in. She drew the lovely heart too. And yes, that pink dress is made of latex.
What an honor to be teaching artist-in-residence for Jack Straw Production’s Blind Youth Audio Project 2026!
Every summer, this program engages students to create a variety of audio projects, from radio plays to public service announcements to original songs.
Bill Horist and I guided our group of 9 spectacular musicians to craft and record a new song from scratch. Everyone contributed great ideas and lots of energy! The group named themselves The True Ten, and our rap/soul/metal hit “Blood Don’t Fold” came together beautifully.
Deep thanks to Jack Straw Studios, Washington State Department of Services for the Blind, Agostinho Rodrigues Trust, ArtsWA, Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, 4Culture, and individual contributors to make this program possible!
Raven Chronicles produced this podcast featuring a lively conversation between guitarist Bill Horist and myself on our creative perambulations, inspirations and thoughts on improvisation, prompted by writer Natalie Pascale Boisseau.
Looking forward to playing a beautiful collection of Pan-Latin and original music with the brilliant multi-instrumental geniuses in Correo Aereo at the Olympic Sculpture Park on Sunday, August 2 at 1:30pm!
Correo Aereo plays soulfully melodic, richly polyrhythmic pan-Latin and original music to decolonize your mind & celebrate life!
ABEL ROCHA: voice, harp, cuatro, jarana, guitar, etc. MADELEINE SOSIN: voice, violin, jarana, bombo, maracas. AMY DENIO: voice, clarinet, accordion.
Today’s a good day… I just came up with the sequel to my country waltz sing-along hit “Dubya & His Pa”. Originally for accordion, I’ve revised the lyrics, and it sounds great on electric guitar! The sequel is called “45 or 47 (There’s No Way You’ll Get To Heaven). “
The song depicts an imagined work-related presidential stress dream where the setting for a certain American president’s birthday party transforms into a raging sandstorm in the middle of the Arabian desert. The delicious cake is now coated with nasty grit, and everyone there is singing happy birthday out of tune…
You’ve come to the right place ~ and summer’s the perfect time to change the channel. Beginning or advanced, you’ll enjoy my fun, personalized lessons. No matter if you play by ear or with books, I can help your musicality grow.
Our lessons will focus on ear training, reading music, technique, understanding rhythm, music theory, memorization, composing and improvisation! I’ll coach you on breath control, posture and developing your own tone. We’ll sing tongue twisters in many languages and make up melodies together. All styles welcome. Bring me your favorite song, and I’ll teach you to play it!
Choose from any ~ or all ~ of these instruments: 🎤 Voice 🎷 Saxophone 🎹 Piano 🎸 Guitar 🪗 Accordion 🎼 Clarinet 🎸 Bass
Message me to book a trial lesson today. (Click on that link to start an email!)
I teach in person at the Seattle Drum School, or we can meet online, whenever you want. No need to fret about the cost of gas ~ or holding down a rigid schedule.
We did it! From 8 April – 3 May, 2026 Kultur Shock gallivanted through Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, North Makedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Poland and Hungary, playing live shows for our adoring fans ~ with our usual vim and vigor!
There were a more than a few mishaps along the way, but improvisation is the key to survival, right?
A few highlights:
The tour van’s rear window shattered when we (gently) closed the door in Skopje, but we’d packed some folded cardboard boxes “just in case”, and that very evening had grabbed some gaffer’s tape from the stage by mistake, so it all worked out fine
Val’s wife Lana ended up in a Bulgarian hospital a week into the tour ~ and needed Val’s care urgently. The tour teetered on complete cancellation until our pal Stevan “Šarki” Radoičić stepped up to the plate. In one day he managed to arrange his work schedule AND pass the audition, playing almost every song without a second thought. Happily, Lana recuperated quickly, so Val rejoined us in Frankfurt, so we had two guitars for the rest of the tour.
The backline (amps & drums) we rented for the second half of the tour filled the entire van, so we had to improvise another solution ~ and after three valiant attempts everything fit in just fine! We are now Tetrus experts!
And yes, that pink dress is made of latex.
