sungod | Kristine M. Reaume

Happy equinox everyone! You might be asking yourself, what exactly is an equinox? It means both Northern and Southern hemispheres will receive equal amounts of day and nighttime and the Sun is at zenith over the Equator. This kind of balance pleases me.

A bunch of awesome things are happening currently! Life is so cool!

For the next month I’ll be playing 7 shows a week for Zach Scott Theatre as they officially open The King & I this Wednesday! The last couple weeks have been full of rehearsals and preview shows, and I’m super excited for the upcoming champagne opening as I get to drink free champagne after the show! Woo! The set design is incredible, the costumes are out of control glam & glittery, and I’m very pleased to join fearless musical director Allen Robertson in the pit again for this big production.

Austin psych-rock band Sungod played their final live shows this past July and I was super jazzed to join them onstage for some spacey jams. You can check out photos from our show at the North Door at Brooklyn Vegan. The self-titled LP is slated for release in November and you can listen to a track off the new album here–really happy with “fully engrossing flute melodies.” Yay flute jams! These guys work tirelessly recording and I’m super happy with how this record turned out.

Last month I organized a week-long flute camp for incoming beginner students and we had so much fun! Our week together included a lot of basics, some fun activities, introductions to rhythm and note reading, and the kids were left inspired for the new school year and motivated to practice! These kids make me absolutely LOVE what I do. In a world where gratification is instant and everyone is staring endlessly into blank computer and phone screens, getting to truly connect with students and make them excited about music is pure joy. Music is so cool you guys!

As summer sets in and upcoming gigs still seem very far off, I’ve decided to take up saxophone lessons. I recently acquired an instrument and have been messing around at home, it still sounds pretty terrible but it’s exciting learning something new!

My friends in the Austin psych rock band Sungod have been experimenting with delay and tape loops, and recently released a new album of sprawling drone, synth driven space rock, and cosmic beats, all tightly knit around this cool little Sun Ra cover that I played on, Exotic Forest. The other songs are wildly eclectic and evolve unexpectedly, starting with a rambling blues inspired jam, moving through drone, pulsing techno beats, minimalism and tape loops. I had a lot of fun recording with these guys and am way excited for some upcoming shows with them later this summer! Be on the lookout for upcoming dates. Check out our take on Sun Ra: http://ssssssungoddddd.bandcamp.com/track/exotic-forest

I teach for a fantastic non-profit, Anthropos Arts, that funds lessons for at-risk and low-income students across the Austin, Texas area. Through this program students receive private lessons free of charge, and play concerts at venues across Austin alongside other students and with professional performing musicians. My students totally rocked out at Stubb’s and I couldn’t be prouder! Check out pics from our concert below: