tien beat

Was trimming today and this came on the "radio". It's cumbia, but it might be fun to play it as a forro... Colombians have porro, Brazilians have forro.  Wonder what the history is?

 That's right, Leticia and I are five months pregnant with our first child.  We are super excited and oh so happy.  Oh, by the way, we got married: Some important dates for us: Jan 1st 2022: Leticia accepted my marriage proposal on Morro de Atalaia, Itajai, Brasil March 22, 2022: We got married at the 1828 Reunion House in Chester, Vermont, USA November 13, 2022: Cocktail reception at the Sanctuary in Easton, Maryland, USA February 4th, 2023: Wedding Party at Rancho Valentim, Itajai, Brasil Onwards with Love! Tien

Balneario Camboriu, SC, Brazil, Dec. 16th, 2012 Here’s the story: Donovan Frankenreiter was playing a free show today on the beach near where I am living in Southern Brazil. He hit the stage with his guitarist soon after I got there, but they couldn’t get the show started. Apparently there was no sound check, and nothing was working. There was no sound coming out of the guitars, and the microphones were feeding back like crazy. The musicians and sound crew were getting visibly frustrated with the situation and with each other. There was a beach full of people waiting for him to start, and after about 15 minutes of confusion, not to mention some stormy clouds gathering overhead, I went up to the front and offered to help. Some of my friends were backstage, so they let me past the fence. After hearing me speak in English, Donovan called me over and said, “Hey man, do you speak Portuguese?” I said yes, and he said, “Do you know how to run sound? OK. Make it sound good out there.” ...

Week 2 summary: Enjoying Itajai and Balneario, went on a weekend trip to Ibiraquera, wrote some music and learned some more Portuguese Shoutouts: Evandro, Luis, Jota, Paula, Anny, Guilherme, Tulio, Pablo, Fernando, Maria Amalia, Duda, Leonardo, Mariana, Felipe, Heron, Colby, Mamae, Papai Monday, August 27th (Day 7) – Itajai I go for a long walk around downtown Itajai. I hang out at a café for a while. I go to a yoga class, which is great practice for my Portuguese vocabulary of body parts.  I return home, and as I fix myself some dinner, Papai is blasting Hall and Oates in the computer room and taking a nap.  Awesome.  Later, Paula takes me to her gym, where there seems to be a resurgence of 1980’s fashion trends; the female contingent is sporting a significant abundance of such items as leg warmers and/or neon animal print tights. Definitely saw a scrunchie or two. Awesome. Tuesday, August 28th (Day 8) – Itajai It’s a rainy day. I spend the day at home with Ma...

Week 1 Summary: Departed from MD, arrived in Rio de Janeiro. Bus trip south to Itajai, attended Paula's graduation.   Shout-outs: Jose, Felipe, Felipe's mom, Maria Clara, Luiza, Gustavo, Bianca, Leco, Luciene, Studio FUN Training, Paula, Carol, Tiago, Mamae, Papae, Kalen, Vanderson, Anny.   August 20, 2012 (Embarkation) The way that trees are supposed to look, the way that roads are supposed to wind, the way that food should taste - everything is in its most familiar form to me on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Today I depart after a grand summer of family fun, wonderful gigs, and lots of fresh Maryland air. Jose gives me a lift to BWI, where a flight for Rio de Janeiro awaits.  Currently being loaded into the belly of plane are my two checked items: a.)     my Gibson Midtown Custom semi-hollowbody electric guitar, and b.)     a small roller bag filled with clothes. This little red suitcase, which I found abandoned in the h...

Hello my dear friends and family, I hope this message finds you well. It's been a year since the last Tien Beat, and I've spent the last year trying to find some type of balance living and working in L.A. Yesterday marked the fourth anniversary of our loss of Kennedy and Maggie Fitzgerald. As I am reminded of them, I can't help daydreaming about having them here. Maybe Ken would be on Zak's road trip to California and I think Maggie would have been graduating from college. It's just not fair, and it's hard to tell if I am more sad for them or sad for myself and the rest of us. Sometimes it seems so cruel that such joyous people would so consistently be associated with sadness, but I hope you will agree with this sentiment: When you lose the ones you love the most, the ones with whom you've shared countless experiences and emotions, they are a special part of every beautiful landscape, every celebration, every moment of appreciation that you will have f...