A native Oregonian, Forest Mountain Lion taught himself to play drums and guitar as a child. In high school, he formed a grunge band and released an album. He was already thinking about the environment and social issues even then. Still in high school, he moved from grunge to progressive rock and took up the piano, cutting tracks and playing all the instruments himself.
While studying classical composition at the U of O, he recorded several albums and a rock opera, still writing about the environment, but branching out into spirituality and philosophy.
He moved to LA where his musical style evolved further still as he synthesized into his style all the music he heard around him, even receiving praise from the LA times. Ultimately though, he longed for home and supporting environmental and social issues, so he moved back to Oregon.
He currently plays with violinist Anumi and bassist Jacob Sellars and you can see his shows in the Eugene area.
When asked what he’s trying to accomplish with his music, Forest says:
“I’ve been trying to distill my philosophies, in the hopes of articulating what it is that the human race needs to figure out or go through, at the deepest level, so I can determine how to be of best service. I think we’re stuck in a cycle of disempowerment in a system that relies on alienation from each other and the natural world to maintain a global order built on the exploitation of humans and the earth.”
KEPW IS happy to share his music in our Northwest Local Music Mix.
His details:
- Official website: https://www.forestmountainlion.com/
- Upcoming shows: https://www.forestmountainlion.com/shows
- Best of Forest Mountain Lion playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/239c2UiAzPynLhwbef996u?si=8908a42bb1e44485