Viva La Revolucion!

I met Paul from Rock The Bike randomly over 3 times while busking in the city of San Francisco over 4 years ago. I have heard that once you run into someone over three times it is a good idea to stop and get to know that person and see what magic can come from the meeting. Since then I have been involved in multiple Bicycle Music Festivals of San Francisco, toured Utah by bicycle with Shake Your Peace, and joined the Pleasant Revolution in France and Spain. It didn’t all happen at once. I had to warm up to the idea of working my ass off to get to shows. Once I realized that it was enjoyable and there was time to talk and spend time with friends, I found myself looking forward to rides through the mission district of San Francisco, or looking forward to the next day of climbing the coastal hills by the Mediterranean Sea. Every day can be an adventure and a new chapter can be written. I sit writing this while coming back from a show in the east bay by bart, looking at the orange Mundo 500 Electric bike that has helped me transition to being one step closer to carbon neutral.

I am excited to see the future collaborations of musicians and bike culture, spreading and expanding the web of connections that help foster true health and prosperity in every age, gender, and size of a person. The advantage of using a bike for me is the ease of mobility. I always get front row parking, my overhead is literally 1/10 of an automobile, and it brings like-minded folks together to have a good time.

From the beginning stages of my involvement, being asked to play the first BMF of San Francisco 5 years ago and play the first slot at 9 in the morning at the Alemany farm, as well as doing the bike tour to Utah with Cello Joe and Gabe Dominguez of Shake Your Peace, I soon found myself finding more and more close friends in the community that were genuinely great people. I got broken in with a 50 mile ride in Utah that ended up stopping at a camp-out at 2 a.m. in the morning. I thought I’d hit hell boot camp at that moment. However, it was all gravy from there. As hard as it can get, like those days, most are filled with laughing and having a good time with friends and seeing gorgeous views of mountains, valleys, and nature; so much better then the monotonous freeway you see with cars, traffic, cement, and urban sprawl while driving anywhere in the United States. I’ll say it now: I have a vision to help create touring bike trails that can be as expansive as the automobile roads today. They would take up less room, nature would have a chance to flourish around them, and it would be Epic to enjoy such beauty with friends close by.

I remember a great moment from the Spain portion of the Pleasant Revolution. After riding up the face of the Pyrenees mountains, and then back down the south side, winding through back trails of trees, rivers, rocks, and thick forests with mushrooms growing in every nook and cranny, we came across the valley. It expanded our horizon almost as far as the Mediterranean ocean off in the far distance. The grasslands leading to the coast were here. Then all of a sudden a wooded area would appear and we would be back in the tick of a forest area, this time with a huge river rushing by on our left side. When I got to the river there were already 5 naked revolutionaries laughing and bathing in the fresh water. I quickly parked my bike and joined in the frigid dip in the rushing river. It was so cold I’d have to get out quick, but it felt so good I had to jump in two more times. These are the moments that we forget about. Our ancestors had this freedom that we so rarely experience as a culture. This I will not take for granted and protect. I will put this as a priority in my life to share with others. Viva La Revolucion!




1950 Netherlands - Can we do better?