about

Muse Pagoda

Greg, Jon, Maggie and Robin had been active for many years in the geographically and sonically disparate live music scenes of Florida, California, Oklahoma and Germany. Since moving to Seattle they had performed with each other in a variety of combinations and circumstances until eventually ending up working on a rock'n'roll stage musical together in November 2004.

Rehearsal breaks quickly turned into jam sessions with each contributing elements of the music they enjoyed – from the vocal stylings of Janis Joplin, to the funky grooves of Billy Martin and the musicality of Trey Anastasio. No one was sure where the others were coming from, but they liked where they were going.

Jon Adams (Guitar, Vocals)

Jon Adams has been playing guitar professionally since 1997. In 1998 he formed the acoustic jam band "Jungle Jam" and played extensively in the Florida festival circuit including the Florida Fringe Festival, Florida Film and Music Harvest, Freak Week and the 4th annual Melbourne Hemp Fest, with artists such as Blues Traveler, Ratdog, Marley Brothers, Galactic, and Medeski Martin and Wood. In 2001 Jon played with The Drifters during the Florida leg of their 2001 – 2002 tour. From 2001 to 2004 Jon played lead guitar with "Tarpon Trees" which quickly gained a considerable following and packed houses throughout Florida.

Maggie Carrido (Lead Vocals, Saxophone, Flute)

California native Mags is a classically trained vocalist, saxophonist and flautist who studied at the Huntington Beach High School for the Performing Arts. At age 16 she received a MACY award, the highest honor to be received by young musical theatre actors in California. Influenced by "The Bird" and "The Hawk", her sax style has been described as sporadic yet fluid, dissident yet compelling. Since 1997 she has supplied lead vocals for numerous bands including "The Proj", "WhileAway" and "The Usual Suspects".

Greg Derk (Saxophone, Additional Percussion)

Greg has been playing saxophone for 16 years and hand percussion since he figured that you don't really need sax on _every_ song. He studied jazz and classical performance at the University of Central Oklahoma. Since moving to Seattle he has played in pit orchestras for Evita, Guys and Dolls, A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum, Chess, and Return to the Forbidden Planet and continues to perform with local rock band, Fat Vaskovitch.

Robin Giese (Drums)

Robin has been playing drums and vibraphone for nearly twenty years. He began playing professionally in 1996 with the award-winning German avant-jazz group "Blueberry Jam". Upon moving to the United States he continued his deep appreciation for unwieldy analog instruments by playing in the pit for various local theater productions before joining Muse Pagoda.

Quentin M.F. (Bass)

Bass-man / Guitarist / Singer / Songwriter / Producer / Lover of All / Friend to Many. From CBGBs to Gilman St., Quentin M.F. has been bringing the dirty low-end funk for over 2 decades. For more regarding his history… Google him.

DJ Intention (Matt Senechal) (Turntables)

Matt is a “Scratch DJ” in Muse Pagoda, adding color with his sounds. Matt has been playing music for over 10 years, starting his musical career in Heavy Metal Bands as a Singer and Bass player. In the year 2001 he purchased his first turn tables and started “scratching” to hip-hop and trip-hop beats. In the Summer of 2003, Matt saw Phish for the very first time and his life changed, forever. Matt now attends over 100 concerts a year and loves all good music, regardless of the genre. Matt DJ’s under the name DJ Intention, has opened for “The Presidents” @ EMP in Seattle, and played various block and house parties over the years.

Photos appearing on this page taken by Mark Peters