Kai Strandskov Music

July 2026

Makin noise and teachin folks

✎ From Kai

Summer is hitting hard!

As usual I try to overreach and play everything everywhere. Since the 90s I’ve tried to explore any genre that seems interesting, and I often meld them and swap them out. This summer is no different. Prog, 70s, Paul Simon, rock are all happening in July and August. Thanks for being a part of it!

— Kai

Updates

What’s Going On

Makin things happen

Summer Gigs Are On — Check the Calendar!

The outdoor season is officially here, and I’ve got shows lined up through August. If you’ve been meaning to catch Radio Rewind live, now’s the time — the energy at an open-air show is something else entirely. Full schedule at KaiStrandskov.com/calendar

The Buy4Get1 Referral Deal

Know someone who’s been thinking about drum lessons? Send them my way! After the first four lessons a referred student books, you get one free. It’s my ongoing thank-you for helping spread the word and building a vibrant community of pals. And I’ll toss a free lesson their way as well.

Summer Lesson Spots Still Open

I have a couple of openings for new students this summer — great time to start if you’ve been on the fence, or a great time to get a quick refresher if it’s been a while. Lessons are available in person or online. Reach out and let’s find a time that works.

Announcements

A few things I wanted to point dramatically at:

“Shaniko” – New Release from Michael Trew

The new release from Michael Trew just landed, and it features my drums. He and I have been jamming in a couple different projects and we’ve been discussing recording some ideas. I’m glad it came to fruition, and a few more are on the way as well. We have some shows coming up as Michael Trew with Psychic Cat, so keep your eye on the calendar if you want to hear more.    

Tours

A couple tours are coming up. I may be visiting your town! Read more below.

My Studio build has started

We just demo’d the drywall and old insulation in my basement, in prep for electrical and plumbing, then soundproofing! I’ll keep you updated as things progress. There’s a photo of it below.

Events

Come See Me Live

Here’s what’s on the horizon for July and into August. More in my calendar.

Feature Story

Cool thing of the month

Studio construction rumors are real. Here’s proof.

Mid-build and mid-summer — the future home studio is coming together.

Metrics

By the Numbers

Here’s a fun snapshot of where things stand as I head deeper into summer.

*Wild estimate

Feedback

Let’s Stay in Touch

I’d love to hear from you

Got feedback, a story idea, or just want to say hi? I read every message.

 drummer@kaistrandskov.com

 KaiStrandskov.com

Instagram: @kaiwuzheer

Kai Strandskov Music

KaiStrandskov.com  |  @kaiwuzheer on Instagram  |  drummer@kaistrandskov.com

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Read more about the track.

That’s right, I’m psychic now. The band lineup is Michael Trew, Troll Hart, Scott Adams, and myself.

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Kai Strandskov Music

May 2026

FROM KAI — Artist’s Note

Welcome to my regular email newsletter! Folks are always asking what’s going on, or they feel like they missed out on something. So I’ve added folks to a regular pulse o’ info. I realize that websites seem so irrelevant these days, and so I’m looking for ways to engage with you where you are. Let me know if you’d like to know anything else that I can include here or elsewhere. Please enjoy!

UPDATES — What’s New in My World

Next Show
June 27 — Radio Rewind @ Elmer’s Bar & Grill, Burien, WA.
9pm · 21+ · 15027 Ambaum Blvd SW
Let’s make it loud.

Community Event
May 29-31 — HONK! Fest West @ Georgetown, Columbia City, Pratt Park, Seattle
Free · All ages · HONK! Fest West
Lots of amazing mobile bands, and check the schedule for drum lines and drum battles.

Referral Deal
Buy 4 – Get 1: After a referred students completes 4 lessons, they get 1 free—and so do you!
Community grows community.

UPCOMING EVENTS

View my full calendar

—

BY THE NUMBERS

Calculated at ~300 strikes/min × 90 min/day × 12,775 days.

LET’S STAY CONNECTED

I love hearing from you — stories, ideas, questions, anything.

drummer@kaistrandskov.com
KaiStrandskov.com
Instagram: @kaiwuzheer

Kai Strandskov Music
KaiStrandskov.com | @kaiwuzheer | drummer@kaistrandskov.com

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We’re going to throw a party on June 27, 2025 at 7:30pm at the Royal Room here in Seattle. There will be many friends jumping up on stage, including a full kids choir. Lots of surprises in store, and should be an all around great time. Our performance will be all ages.

You can get all the info and buy tickets on the Royal Room website. We anticipate that online sales will sell out. Do not fret! Just come to the door and there should be some more tickets for walk-ins. See you then!

We will also be joined by the amazing Dirt Fisherment, yes THE Dirt Fisherman. Gonna be fun. Reserve your table early!

And now! You can listen to the album early! Check it out below, so you can sing along at the show.

Our song writing process tends to be that Gretta shows up with a skeleton of a song and some lyrics. The rest of the band starts fleshing out all the parts. This time, Gretta also had a rhythmic hook. It took us a minute to understand how it fit into the tempo, and you could feel the excitement grow. Once it snapped into time, I looked around and saw the huge smiles on everyone’s faces that matched my own. We jammed through it a couple times, and then we played through the entire song with Gretta’s scratch lyrics. The song basically wrote itself. We had the song done in a couple hours, pretty much the way it is today. In this band, we know a song has legs if we basically finish it same day. Really cool to see the excitement around it at shows, and then after finishing recording an EP we knew this had to be the first release. Huge thanks to Max Rose for mixing and Jack Endino for mastering this juggernaut.

The single is released January 3rd at our party at the Tractor. We go on early, so show up promptly for the show. See you there! This is gonna be an exciting year of music!

This kind of thing is sadly all too common. But on the other hand, we had some fun times and got an amazing recording out of it.

I’m truly proud of the record, and I feel like it’s one of the rare moments that I was able to “say” most of what I intended. One of my favorite recordings for sure.

Thanks for those who came out and wished Mike farewell and cheered us on one last time. It was an honor to share the bill with Moon Letters and Authentic Luxury. And Mike, anywhere you go, great music will be made. I’m looking forward to your next chapter. But for now, here’s the final show in entirety.

For the sake of completion, I should also mention that we did create a music video for the opening track on the album. Thanks so much for your support, coming out to shows, listening to the record, and encouraging us to keep going. It really meant a lot.

We’re headed from Seattle to LA and back again. I hope to see you!

Here are all the 2024 Tour Dates:

Feb 16  |  SEATTLE – Blue Moon  |  21+

Feb 17  |  BELLINGHAM – Makeshift Art Space  |  All Ages

Feb 19  |  LOS ANGELES – The Redwood  |  21+

Feb 20  |  SAN PEDRO – The Sardine  |  21+

Feb 21  |  OAKLAND – Elbow Room Jack London  |  21+

Feb 22  |  SACRAMENTO – Cafe Colonial  |  21+

Feb 23  |  ASHLAND – Gambrel Annex  |  All Ages

Feb 24  |  PORTLAND – High Water Mark  |  21+

Reviews for “The Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are”:

“An opportunity for master instrumentalists to get out from behind a genre and just have fun creating sounds and music without barriers.” – Progressive Rock Central

“They’ve been playing around Seattle, leaving audiences slack-jawed with their high-energy brand of complex jazz-rock….The album [The Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are] is a blast to hear from start to finish, and balances supreme technique with artistic taste in a way that very few shredders can match.” – Exposé Online

“Superbly executed, catchy, super fun, wildly interesting prog masterpiece by this PNW virtuoso trio. Highly recommended!!!” – Dean Alan Swanson

“Tight melody driven guitar trio with harmonized lines and interesting shifts in meter. Great tone and playing. Progressive without being stodgy or all over the place. The tunes make sense if that makes sense. Excellent work here!” – Ken Sokolov

Stay tuned for tour details. Tour kicks off February 15, 2024.

We shot ourselves in Dave’s basement, where we recorded the album, and then we ran around in the woods. There are a couple easter eggs in this video, so pay attention.

Please enjoy.

In the meantime, here’s our recent performance on October 26, 2023 at the Blue Moon Tavern. So cool that they live stream everything and have an amazing archive of performances. In this video, we’re up first. I highly, highly recommend that you watch the whole thing. Bad Luck and Authentic Luxury are both just inspiring to the eyes and ears and, if you were present that night, the nose.