I have been slowly but consistently working on the Suntalk project for several years, and at times, I need to step back to explore other ideas. While Suntalk was an inward journey, this work looks outward. “Melody for You” is inspired by my parents. They were generous with their time…

Here is a complete run-through of the chapter titled “Breakthrough.” These recent posts have worked like a small trilogy: the loss, the spiral, and now the shift toward the inner voice that helped me steady myself and manage fear from the inside. The inner voice in Suntalk is a creative…

Hi there. A little update on the Suntalk project. The main musical ideas are in place, so it feels like the right moment to figure out how these pieces will work live. I’m testing a format that gives me flexibility onstage so I can extend sections as the moment unfolds….

Some of you are aware that I am creating an experimental live cinema narrative called Suntalk. It is built around spoken word, the jaw harp as the primary instrument, and projection mapping with dance artists. The piece moves through key turning points of loss, grief and acceptance. I have been…

I received this Surge jaw harp tuned to C2 from JH maker Matt Betts of the Boxcar Harp Co. @BoxcarBetts a couple of weeks ago. I recently had some time explore it and I love the music that is coming out of it. It has a beautiful tone and sustain,…

This song reaches back into my memory to those dance parties at our cottage. Everyone danced together on the cabin’s patio deck, the floorboards bending from all the bouncing. The next morning, Dad would sometimes have to crawl underneath to reset the support pillars because they’d shifted from the night…

When I was a kid, we spent a lot of time camping. We had a small trailer parked at a place called Green Bay Cabins. Most evenings ended around a campfire, roasting marshmallows and hot dogs. My aunt, uncle, and cousins, who had a trailer in the same park, would…

To be completely honest, in the past few days, I’ve been struggling with the concept for Suntalk. The poems behind Suntalk are an intimate exploration of the recovery process after the loss of my parents. They are heartfelt and direct. I have planned to weave these words together with jaw…

I got my first drum kit when I was about 9 years old. It was Christmas Eve, and the family was in the living room about to open gifts. My dad asked me to go downstairs to get him a beer out of the beer fridge. I had no idea…

Welcome. Music has permeated my life since I was a kid. My father was a piano and accordion player. Most weekends, he played at socials in Winnipeg and surrounding towns in our province. This helped to make ends meet as he and my mom raised five kids together. The three-piece…