Like a caterpillar preparing for its radical metamorphosis, I devoured 2018 with zeal. Over four hundred twenty singing telegrams were delivered via my singing telegram agency this year, the majority of which I personally performed (though mad love to my whole roster). I entertained in China for the first time (then returned a mere six months later), visited the Indonesian island of Bali and finalized my upcoming single “Butterflies” at Colorado’s Grammy-winning Airshow Mastering. Below is a smattering of highlights (words and images) cherry-picked from a bliss-filled year of playing dress up, enabling joy through music and hopscotching around Earth's curvaceous body.
Bathing elephants at Thailand elephant sanctuary
Booking world-famous belly dancer Sadie for a holiday samba gig
Carving Godzilla-shaped “Orangami” for fellow performers in Tokyo
Celebrating ten years of performing with world-renowned music promoter Insomniac Events
Character performance at Colorado’s legendary Red Rocks Amphitheater for Seven Lions
Climbing Sticky Waterfall near Chiang Mai, Thailand
Clowning on stilts in China (twice) and Japan
Dancing on stilts at Washington state's stunning Gorge Amphitheatre for Paradiso Festival
Delivering singing resume to iHeartMedia office on behalf of creative job applicant
Driving camper van to California's Lightning in a Bottle festival with Suze Q
Experiencing Fungineers' Ice Cream Truck show with Alexandria Baker
Exploring bioluminescence exhibit at Denver Museum of Nature & Science with my nephew Kai
Filming EDC China trailer on seventh floor balcony of Shanghai's W Hotel
Facilitating 420 plus singing telegrams through my singing telegram agency:)
Finalizing my upcoming single “Butterflies” at Colorado’s Grammy-winning Airshow Mastering
Floating above the heads of Mexico City festival goers as a stilt-elevated fish
Greeting Denver Dia de los Muertos revelers - on stilts - at Los Muertos Fantasticos
Hovering six to eight feet above Bali’s Tanjung Benoa Bay on a water-propelled Flyboard
Impersonating Hunter S. Thompson at Cannabition Cannabis Museum in Vegas
Impressing Insomniac CEO Pasquale Rotella on the dance floor with Angelique
Imbibing bug bites in a cave restaurant near Mexican pyramid complex Teotihuacan
Imbibing dragonfruit in both Bali and China
Insomniac Thanksgiving banquet at China’s Chimelong Ocean Kingdom
Landing the cover of The Vail Daily as a stilt-enhanced Uncle Sam
Meeting Portland singing telegram / stilt performer / kindred spirit Jon Dutch in Aspen
Musically ambushing Fox 21 news anchors as singer Barry Manilow
Musically ambushing 9 News anchor Liz Kotalik as Cupid
Nicknaming Mexico's Chichen Itza Mayan ruins “Chicken Pizza”
Organizing nine singing telegrams in a single night for Colorado chapter of Young Presidents
Parasailing above Patong Beach in Thailand
People watching at Lefthand Brewery's voodoo-themed Nitro Fest
Playing EDM Unplugged in VIP speakeasy at Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas
Practicing AcroYoga with my Flight Club family
Pretending to defecate on the dance floor at Bassnectar with Michelle
Rapping Cypress Hill at AEG Live Rocky Mountain offices as a tutu-clad gorilla
Seeing both Janelle Monae and Lauryn Hill live in concert
Singing Janelle Monae's “Yoga” for Buti yoga teacher Ashton August and her class
Shooting “Butterflies” imagery with longtime photographer friend Jonathan Shoup
Snorkeling in both Bali and Mexico
Taking my four-legged stilt unicorn on the road with Unicorn Whisperer Anastasia
Terrifying Escape Halloween haunted house visitors as faceless giant Slender Man
Three person ukulele jam session on The Great Wall of China
Winning Temple Nightclub's $500 Halloween costume contest with Future
Zip-lining through the jungle at Tarzan Adventure Phuket in Thailand
Follow along with future adventures via Instagram
“Butterflies,” the insect-infused ear worm I recorded with Nigerian producer Daniel Iyere, is coming out soon. Several remixes will accompany the release, including an eclectic banger by Denver-based DJ/producer Joman. Wanna hear Joman’s remix ahead of the actual release? Turn up the second half of Mile High Dance Sessions 086, featuring a guest mix from Joman, via link below.
LISTEN HERE
Would you like to do something special for your lover? Ever considered surprising your special someone with a singing telegram? Custom Singing Telegrams is offering a handful of Denver area lovers the unique opportunity to gift their significant others a singing telegram, free of charge. What's the catch? Singing telegram recipients would be filmed for the purposes of an Orange peel moses music video. If you think your lover would be thrilled about being ambushed for the purposes of a music video, send an email to yello@orangepeelmoses.com describing the nature of your relationship (including 3-5 pictures), amount of time you've been together, specific locations (office, park, workplace, house, hospital, restaurant, etc.) where you would want to surprise your lover (getting permission to film there would be essential), along with a link to expressive video footage of the proposed recipient with “Music Video Casting” in the subject field by Monday, October 29.
Let’s make something worth sharing:)
My music producer is a recording studio stud. Some of you know I've got an insect-infused single coming out soon called “Butterflies.” Daniel Iyere, the Nigeria-born producer who helmed “Butterflies,” is the mastermind behind a Denver-based future R&B project called HVN. For anyone familiar with kid astronaut, the recent Westword award winner and onetime Air Dubai vocalist is featured on HVN's upcoming single “Fighter.” Its accompanying music video, directed by Jasmine McGee, was shot in nearby Nederland and right here in The Mile High. The short film-caliber clip took three days to make, and stars Kaylee Carey, the beautiful young actress featured in the photo above. It’s an impressive cinematic achievement, especially considering the act’s lack of label backing.
Curiosity piqued yet? Join me for the premiere screening next Sunday, August 12 at Alamo Drafthouse Sloan's Lake.
RSVP NOW
Last year, I penned a bug-infused tune called “Butterflies.” While attending an edible insect tasting hosted by Denver's Rocky Mountain Micro Ranch, I played it for bug wrangler Wendy Lu McGill. McGill then heard (and shared) a version of Kacey Musgraves' then-unreleased, similarly bug-infused “Butterflies” on NPR. I've been an enormous fan of Musgraves ever since a potential customer first turned me onto her early single “Follow Your Arrow” for a possible graduation singing telegram gig. My friend Kelsey and I went to see the Texas-raised singer at Denver's Bluebird Theater on my 4/20 birthday a few years ago, and it was one of the most fun shows I've ever seen. Musgraves and her gentlemen band covered an eclectic array of artists including Bob Marley, Gnarls Barkley, TLC and Roy Rogers. In between sets, each member of the group showed off a hidden talent: drumstick-juggling, joint-rolling and square dance were among them. They even passed out munchies to the stoner holiday crowd in attendance.
Musgraves and I certainly aren't the only two songwriters to pen songs about the physical sensation known as butterflies in the stomach. Michael Jackson included one on his greatest hits album HIStory. But the timing was auspicious, especially considering my demonstrated appreciation for Musgraves' artistry. Both tunes are love songs with multiple insect allusions/references. And even though the melody of each hook is certainly different, the cadence of the two hooks is eerily similar. Yet neither of us had heard the other's version when we each composed our respective ditty. When two or more scientists in different parts of the world come up with the same idea at the same time (Calculus, oxygen, black holes, the Mobius strip, the existence of the stratosphere and the theory of evolution are examples), it's known as multiple discovery. In her book Big Magic, Eat Pray Love author Elizabeth Gilbert theorizes that the artistic version of multiple discovery is possible. Maybe that's what happened with Kacey and I. Maybe we tapped the same muse at the same time. I'd like to think so:)
Give Musgraves' recently released version a listen here, and stay tuned for details on my own "Butterflies" release.
2017. While many Americans may have been understandably depressed by the current quagmire that is U.S. politics, my metaphorical glass is almost always overflowing with sweet ambrosia. Four hundred singing telegrams were delivered via my singing telegram agency this year, the majority of which I personally performed. I entertained in Japan for the first time, explored Tulum, Mexico and witnessed my first total solar eclipse in Oregon. And I wrote and recorded my new insect-infused love song "Butterflies" with Nigerian producer Daniel Iyere. Below is a smattering of highlights cherry-picked from a bliss-filled year of playing dress up, enabling joy and hop scotching around Earth's curvaceous body:)
Bewitching California festival goers at Escape Halloween
Clowning on stilts in Japan & Mexico
Creating Australian male housekeeper character for California's Lightning in a Bottle Festival
Facilitating the delivery of 400 singing telegrams through my singing telegram agency:)
Exploring Colorado's Butterfly Pavilion with my 5 year-old nephew Kai
Filming singing Valentine segment for Channel 2 with Melissa Ivey
Finally being on the receiving end of a Custom Singing Telegram, courtesy of Miriam Andolini
Imbibing gourmet bug tapas at Denver's El Five Restaurant with Michelle Marie
Jamming ukulele with performer homies at Michigan's Electric Forest Festival
Lumbering around on four-legged stilts at California's Nocturnal Wonderland Festival with Sean
Making my Cirque du Soleil debut as a circus bike-riding stilt greeter for opening night of Luzia
Peeling “Orangami” citrus art for Dub Gypsy Kitchen patrons at Oregon Eclipse
Paying homage to David Bowie for hundreds of people in the Denver Tech Center
Performing singing Valentine on KYGO 98.5 FM with Melissa Ivey
Playing Hunter S. Thompson-inspired postmaster at Electric Daisy Carnival in Vegas
Practicing AcroYoga with my Flight Club Denver family
Practicing yoga at Red Rocks with Michael Franti and friends
Recording my new insect-infused love song “Butterflies” with Nigerian producer Daniel Iyere
Rolling through the streets of Tokyo in a Go Kart
Seeing Cirque du Soleil's insect-themed Ovo with Michelle Marie
Seeing the xx in Arizona with Amberosia
Singing at The Governor's Mansion for Best for Colorado
Singing “Under the Eclipse” at Steph J's self-commitment ceremony
Snorkeling ceynotes in Tulum with festival performer friends
Witnessing a mesmerizing total solar eclipse in Oregon
Witnessing the seizure-inducing absurdity that is Tokyo's Robot Restaurant
Working with my voice coach Casey Collins
