Admittedly, I’m not the greatest at capturing the moment while out gigging. I could do better at photo cataloguing, because I always feel like I’m so lucky to play the most interesting variety of shows, performances, and private concerts! But, sometimes just showing up with a big instrument and a bunch of gear to do my job is work enough. And sometimes I luck out and a professional photographer (or two) comes to save the day! Yay.

May was a highlight month for a variety of performances. The West Seattle Mermaid Parade was a hoot. I was asked by Leslie Rosen, leader of Sirens of Serpentine, to lead a troupe of belly dancers in song for a public performance. She gave me less than 7 minutes of Persian beats. My assignment was to loop it, add harp tracks and make it last for 30minutes. I worked on a pre-recording w/my fully-chromatic harp, but didn’t want to bring that nice big one to the beach. So, I played it on my little 22-string lap harp that has limited (chromatic) capabilities, only it sounded full range – pretty sneaky, eh?

The event was super playful and drew a big crowd. Everyone in attendance was encouraged to dress like a mermaid. The event was held on a beautiful late spring day on Alki Beach overlooking Elliott Bay. After the dance, the entire crowd (about 100+ people) walked in a parade. It was a cinematic morning, as you can see. Plus, this event was just old-fashioned fun for the sake of fun. No agenda. Just fun. What a concept!