Matt was a student at SoSI years ago and is now working for VIP Kid in China as an ESL educator. He teaches from 1am-6am in the morning and quite frankly is a big inspiration to me. Matt has also been forthcoming about his battle with depression and anxiety (as have I) so it was great to chat with him about that as well. Enjoy.

Abby co-runs LA Percussion Rentals in California with her husband Dan. Abby is a great percussionist and steel drummer and it was great to get to chat with her and get to know her a bit better.

Gloria is a percussionist and improviser and is currently working on a project called Dreamerfly, and Other Stories (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dreamerfly/dreamerfly-and-other-stories).

Hannah is one half of the duo, Kodachrome Babies, hailing from my hometown of Dover, Ohio. Hannah also works for the local radio station (WJER) and is an advocate for racial justice Tuscarawas County, Ohio. Visit “Citizens for Racial Justice—Tuscarawas County” on Facebook for more information.

Dave is the owner and found of Guilford Sound, a state of the art recording studio in Guilford, VT. Dave is the former drummer of the band Ruth Ruth and is an advocate for his local VT community in more ways than one. I hope you enjoy this conversation. https://groundworksvt.org/, https://bgcbrattleboro.org/, https://communityhousevt.org/, https://bmcvt.org/

Sara is a state representative in the VT legislature and was the founder of Vermont Performance Lab. Sara is one of the most thoughtful people I know, so if you are having any doubts about people in government, watch this and you’ll feel better.

Jan was the percussion professor at the University of Buffalo and has worked with Julius Eastman, John Cage and Bobby Previte, among many others…He’s one of the percussion field’s most important contributors.

Dorian is a musician, composer, accompanist and free speech advocate based in NYC. I always enjoy talking politics with Dorian, so I hope you enjoy this as well.

Margarette is a good family friend doing work with LGBTQIA+ in Berkley, California in the clergy.

Josh is the principle percussionist with the Kansas City Symphony.

Travis is the band captain of Casym Steel Orchestra as well as one of the founding members of the Brooklyn Steel Orchestra.

Mekka is a DJ and advocate for Caribbean culture. This is the second time we’ve had a chance to chat and catch up after our meeting on Soca Passion Live. Mekka is someone I really enjoy talking to, so I hope you enjoy these chats.

Kristian is a member of the Philly Pan Stars and is a wonderful musician and educator residing in the Philly area. We’ve crossed paths many times at Brooklyn panorama so it was nice to finally chat in person.

Tim and Jamel work at Blackswamp percussion in Michigan. They are amazing percussionists and are at the forefront of instrument development and building in the percussion world.

Noah is a drummer and musician in Brooklyn who plays with Despers USA as well as other big bands in the steel band world. He played in the Oberlin steelband and is a super nice guy and Cleveland sports fan. You’ll enjoy this conversation.

This is Khuent’s second time on the podcast. He’s an amazing thinker, player, arranger, tuner, and human being in the steel pan community. Im grateful to have him in my life, and you will be as well.

Ayano is a great friend of mine and one of the world’s best teachers and percussionists. She teaches at UMASS Amherst and plays with the Chamber Music Society at Lincoln Center. She and I killed thousands of cockroaches at Yale in the practice rooms.

Dr. Batson is a Trinidadian educator and musician who ran the steel band program at Florida Memorial University, becoming a hub for steel pan education in the US. Many of my Caribbean students at NYU and my friends in Brooklyn worked with her in college. Her composition “Black Holes Do Exist” for Steel Orchestra is mind-bending in all the best ways. She’s a national treasure…

Erin founded and runs the Young Women Composers Camp. It’s a great org for young female and non-binary composers in high-school. Her work with this festival is gonna change the future of composition.

Bill is a good friend of mine and we chat about advocacy and the current state of afairs in the US. He is also involved in the PAS Diversity Alliance and we talk about their great and important work.