CURRENT MISSION

to make strange noises with friends old and new

ABOUT ME

I am an overtones-obsessed ethnomusicologist, poet, writer, clown, arts administrator, and aspiring yodeler. I have spent the last several years immersed in the jaw harp, Balinese gamelan, & various forms of mouth music. I'm a musician with the Vancouver-based Balinese performing arts ensemble Gamelan Gita Asmara (www.gitaasmara.ca), and I wrote my Masters thesis on the Balinese jaw harp genggong. I'm currently traveling around Europe attending various jaw harp and overtone music-related festivals and events. You can follow my blog at www.overtonearts.com.

PHILOSOPHY

There is no way to peace. Peace is the way.

My exercise regime is built around daily fits of laughter.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

At the moment, I'm only participating as a surfer as I'm traveling around Europe. Hosting may be possible in the future.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have surfed in Eugene, Oregon, on the way down to Burning Man, and in Prague. It is a fantastic way to meet new people, share interesting conversations and good food together (two of my favourite things).

Interests

Gamelan, Jaw harp/jew's harp/mouth harp, Tumbleweeds, Yurts, Overtones, Clowning, Tea, Lava, Banjo, Anthropology, Documentaries, Laughter, Accents, Dress-Up, Performing, Crafting, Natural building, Permaculture, Folk culture, Pop culture

• arts
• culture
• writing
• singing
• performing arts
• documentaries
• festivals
• dining
• exercise
• traveling
• blogging
• music
• hunting
• jewish
• anthropology

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: The Big Lebowski. Anything with David Attenborough. Red Dwarf (the show). Pretentious art house cinema. Documentaries.

Music: from Balinese gamelan to Baroque to Bluegrass, I love it all.
Some artists that are inspiring me at this particular moment are Tanya Tagaq, Nina Hagen, Stimmhorn, and iPerusSonici, but my iTunes currently contains about a week's worth of music from around the world...

Books: LOTS. Novels, ethnography, sci-fi, whatever whim I happen to be following.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I have traveled to Bali, Oregon, Iowa, Germany, Austria, and Hungary for the sole purpose of hunting the jaw harp.

Teach, Learn, Share

I love to exchange folk songs and music!

Teach: How to play the jaw harp, overtone singing, and several beautiful vocal rounds. Fun facts about just about anything. Clowning exercises, including how to laugh for 15 minutes straight, which will make you feel incredible.

Learn: Whatever you got, especially if it's music. If you happen to know a peculiar vocal technique like Swiss yodeling or Bulgarian harmonizing, I will get very excited. I would also like to learn more about permaculture and natural building. And making documentaries.

Share: Musical instruments, epiphanies, laughter, and deep shit.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Mexico, Slovakia, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada