Muzzins

Hey all,

Muzzins is done. We're cooked, we're through. It's over.

This band was formed organically 6 years ago at a very vulnerable time for me, and,

while it was an incredible crucible of safety, magic, joy, creative expression, spiritual healing and personal transformation for me for the majority of our journey,

it was also unconsciously founded on what Dr. bell hooks calls Imperialist White Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy,

which harms women by demanding a disproportionate amount of invisible/emotional/domestic/affective/administrative labor from them (more so if they are q***r, disabled, BIPOC and/or single parents),

and harms men by cutting them off from the full spectrum of their emotions, empathy, and humanity

(which is exactly why this country and our world is the burning trash heap it is today).

Our default conditioning made it so that we could not have truly honest conversations about hard things, nor repair rifts in our relationship because we lacked the necessary skills, capacity & support at the time. I've had a ton of therapy and community support for myself, and even staged an intervention for part of us, but without skillful outside intervention for us as a whole, the collapse was inevitable. As Audre Lorde says, “The Master's tools will never dismantle the Master's house.” What got us here wasn't gonna get us out.

I respect that my ex-bandmates may have their own stories to tell, but I won't silence myself for anyone else's comfort anymore. I fxkking HATE the patriarchy because it has taken men who I thought of as brothers and turned them into strangers.

I don't know what's next, but I'm going to make space to grieve, breathe, rest, reflect, unlearn, and heal. I've been writing some of the most honest songs of my life over the last few months as an outlet -- music is how I speak my truth and strengthen my faith -- and I might share some of that new solo work along with my own awakening process over on my personal IG account ( .punkmonk ) if I'm moved to do so.

Thanks for being part of the Muzziverse. We had some great times together. Life is so fragile and short.

In solidarity,
R-Muzz 💖

⭕COMMUNITY REBIRTH CIRCLE⭕

I feel really good about our intimate artsy band rebirth ceremony yesterday. No too big, not too small, not too loud, not too quiet, hyperlocal and community-oriented, adults and kids making art together 🥹🥰🫠, neighborhood passers-by walking in off the street to hang out. A kid I love was shy to come but sent me a drawing instead (belated birthday present) which I stuck on my keyboard as an altar offering. 😻 Thanks .tv and Mark at the Lilypad for understanding my vision for this experimental gathering.

This is the kind of artistic rebirthing I needed for myself and for Muzzins 2.0: gentle, familial, cozy, mutually supportive. The secret trauma I've endured over the last 1.5 yrs has been excruciatingly painful and my body and spirit are still tender, so please go elsewhere if you need a cute girlfriend experience or a substitute motherwife. Making music is not entertainment or escape or ambition for me; it's a spiritual calling and I need more artists around me that truly understand and respect that.

Right now I need naps and snacks, assistance carrying heavy loads and getting places, more gratitude in everyone's attitude, and comforting hugs from people who love me, care about me, and know the truth of what transpired. My trust in men is pretty much shot at this point, and my hope in humanity feels shaky at best.

But as my sisterwife reminds me, hope is a discipline... so I'll get back to my practice.

What a life this is. Om Shakti.

R-Muzz
✨🙏🏾🌷✨

First rehearsal in our new space felt GREAT!!! The two of us spent the better part of an hour freestyling on just two ideas, deeply enjoying being fully immersed in the groove, meeting each moment as it arose, taking our time to really feel into what we were creating, allowing ourselves to enjoy the music without judging it or worrying what anyone else might think, discovering new techniques and ideas along the way, appreciating our musical chemistry that's become ever more dialed in over the years.

Musical improvisation is like a superfood for the attention, a type of creative meditation that hones the focus to a razor's edge while simultaneously soothing the nervous system. When was the last time you were able to concentrate on a single activity for 60+ minutes without even once looking at your phone or thinking of your endless to-do list or feeling paralyzed by hopelessness about the state of humanity?!? (And I'm not talking about paid work or deadline-induced stressful focus.) I always emerge more energized and calm from our sessions with more mental clarity, more physical energy, and an increased sense of hope and possibility.

This ultra focused state is often called "flowstate" and it's essentially an altered, elevated, deeply connected and open state of consciousness. There's lots of interesting research out there on the subject -- go down a flowstate rabbit hole if you're curious.

If I were a medic, I'd prescribe rhythmic musical improvisation to pretty much anyone suffering from stress, overwhelm, depression and anxiety (and a double dose for those who identify with ADHD).

Muzzins has moved! Work-in-progress photos as we declutter and reorganize our new studio space across town in Somerville, MA where we have been welcomed with open arms by my beloved chosen family member . Chuck has been one of several trusted witnesses and supportive rocks as I navigated some really painful and disturbing covert toxic masculinity over the past year, and I'm delighted we'll be sharing studio space with his witchy new funk band going forward. 💖✨🙏🏾 A skylight, beverage fridge, tea station, kitchenette, clean bathrooms, A/C, ample parking, TWO sofas, and -- best of all -- comrades with high emotional intelligence and relational skills.

It was SO much fun to pretend to be in an 80s movie while giving this space a makeover in cute outfits to the Flashdance soundtrack 💃🏾🦋🕺🏾 and it feels really good to have a creative home again in which to make music and art, and chill on a red sofa. 😻😻😻 Scroll forward to see the "before" photos/vids (last 3). 🤓

Music is my temple, my safe space, my sacred place, and while I felt like I was barely hanging on by a thread many times in the last year, the spark somehow stayed alive in me with the support of my q***r polyfam community, my art therapist, my amazing blood mother, my spiritual recovery circle, and my deep and unconditionally loving relationship with Muse / the Creative Divine.

I don't know whether R-Muzz will appear again in her original white-bob vixen avatar, but if she does it will sure as hell not be to pander to the male gaze or to appease the fragile and swollen male ego. It's my birthday soon and I'm gifting myself the liberation from being an Emotional Labor Slave 🛸🕊️🪁 but more on that later, maybe, if I feel like it.

Rx 💖

Hey Muzzfam.👋🏾 We've gone through an intense metamorphosis 🦋 over the past year and are finally emerging in a new form -- more mature, more focused, and more organized.

Music is spiritual medicine and we are bringing this ancient technology to you in a fresh avatar to soothe frazzled nerves, restore broken spirits, and transform collective rage, grief, and hopelessness into energized focus and creative action -- because there is much work to be done and it's only sustainable when we do it together.

Please join us at FLOWSTATE: an INTROSPECTIVE DANCE PARTY 💃🏾 & COMMUNITY CRAFTERNOON🧶
on SATURDAY MAY 3
from 2:30-4:30pm
at in Cambridge, MA 🐸

✨BYO art/craft project (dry mediums encouraged)
✨ Dress to express
✨ Bring friends and meet new ones
✨ This is an all-ages, alcohol-free gathering
✨ Leave your worries at the door
✨ Help support the space rental costs by offering $0-$25 (Venmo: )

🔗 in IG bio to RSVP + add the event to your calendar. (bit.ly/flowstate0525) 🤓

xo R-Muzz 💖

LOOK AT THESE HOTTIES 😻😻😻 Celebrating our beloved BEAT DADDY and BASS DADDY & Tom Stepsis who bring the HEAT to the backbone of Muzzins -- allowing me to fly free and wild but never get lost. Their rhythm and groove are my safe space to come home to. 🪽🪽🪽

HAPPY DADDY DAY to all the supportive masc figures out there!!! We Muzz you!!! ✊🏾⚡🙏🏾💖

R-Muzz xo

WE 3 ARE 5!!!⚡💞⚡💞⚡💞 HAPPY MUZZIVERSARY TO US!!!

Muzzins just marked FIVE YEARS of being together -- of having stumbled into each other's orbits serendipitously and found the Muzz at first note. We've stuck together, evolved together, healed together, made magic mischief and mayhem together, weathered storms together.

{My marriage didn't last 5 mins but Muzzins has had my undying loyalty and joy for 5 years and counting! 😂}

I'm lucky and spoiled to have this intense, symbiotic bond with musicians of such high caliber -- C-Muzz aka and T-Muzz aka are the premium kindred collaborators I never knew I needed in my life, and now can't imagine my life without. MUZZ YOU BOTH, MUZZOS! 💞💞💞

I've been mostly off social media lately (so good) but we've been up to all kinds of activity:

✨ We headlined an EPIC sold-out dance party at a secret temple recently (OMG what a trip seeing 100+ shimmering revolutionary bodies levitating in unison to our music!!!)

✨ We're playing a FULL HOUR SET at another sold-out underground show TONIGHT 6/15 at RAINBOW RIOT, a Pride comedy/music event hosted by at
featuring incredible q***r comics including our superfan !!!

📣(DON'T HAVE TICKETS TO THE COMEDY SHOW? YOU CAN STILL COME BY AT 9PM AND CATCH OUR SET, $10 suggested donation)📣

✨ We released a new single!!! We Can Be Together is now streaming everywhere!

✨ We'll be going into the studio next month to record a BUNCH of our big hits and new music! Squee!!!

Making music with Muzzins is a huge highlight of my life and the most sustainable way I've found to process my own intense grief, trauma, heartbreak, longing, desire, loneliness, and despair into something profoundly transformative, energizing, creative and communal.

I CAN'T.
WE CAN.
LET US.

Humbly surrendered in service of the Muzz,

R-Muzz 🙇🏾‍♀️🍉✊🏾🕊️

🌈💗🎙️ Ok, this one is gonna be special! We’re so excited to be part of a comedy+music showcase where we get to A) be the backing band for comedians e.g. Tonight Show style 🤩 and B) we play a full set of original music (plus maybe some surprises…) afterwards! It all happens Saturday June 15th in at the incredible — doors 7pm show 8pm — comedy force of nature put together an all star lineup of comedians featuring + so get your tickets (link in bio) and let’s celebrate 🎤🎶🥳 #617 #02130

🔔 🎉👽 Just in time for your summer playlists: Our new single “We Can Be Together” is NOW STREAMING everywhere! In the month of May we played two amazing shows, including our first foray to Western MA on the night of this majestic moon 🌈 our next show is Sat 6/15 at JP where we will be the backing band for an all-star comedy lineup curated by followed by a full Muzzins set! Get your tix today before this sells out (link in bio). WE MUZZ YOU! 💗😘🎨

FEELS LIKE COMING HOME 😍🙌🏾🌈✨🌷🤘🏾🕊️ Look at these incredible humans, beautiful inside and out!!! 3 mini-essays:

1) ON SUCCESS: I don't know what false gods sold us the idea that "success" is being far from home, separated from beloveds, forced onto pedestals, sleeping in strange places, all the cities and hotel rooms and strangers' faces blurring into one. If success means a shiny veneer with a hollow interior, I. DON'T. WANT. IT.

2) ON COMMUNITY: Wake Up The Earth -- an Artisanal, Bespoke, Organic, Hand-Crafted, Grass-Fed, Plant-Based, local & free outdoor festival in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, now in its 46th year (!!!) -- is a shining example of the exact opposite: a model of the power of community, the strength in numbers, the value of meaningful relationships, the magic of Art, the transformative ability of purposeful labor organizing to create a benevolent force far greater than the sum of its parts.

3) ON LONGEVITY & KEEPING IT LOCAL: This is Muzzins' third year in a row playing this festival, and it's been such a feeling of delight and homecoming every single time. We met each other 5 YEARS AGO THIS MONTH just a few blocks from where this festival takes place; our first-ever spontaneous jam just happened to be nearby
(the organization that puts this festival together), and we've been getting together as a band every single week for the past few years in our practice space just up the street from here. Set it & forget it, rinse and repeat, iterate and improve incrementally or exponentially, minute after minute, day after day, year after year.

Yes it may sound less sexy than the Overnight Sensation story, but fam! Let me tell you how much more delicious and fulfilling this experience is. I LOVE how we get to meet our creative community year after year, support and celebrate each other, catch up without having to wrangle calendars, share hugs and stories.

There's nothing quite like the feeling of coming home to ourselves, feet on the ground, rooted in community and relationship. So grateful to have breath and spirit in this body today. 🙇🏾‍♀️🌷✨🌈🙌🏾🌻🤘🏾🫀💞

WE MUZZ YOU!

xo R-Muzz 💞