Alan's crisp and creative mandolin playing reflects his many years in Virginia (with a couple in New Hampshire thrown in for good measure) playing old-time and bluegrass. Our occasional flights into improvising over the chord progression owe much to his tasty variations.

And if you never thought of the mandolin as a solo instrument, come and listen to Alan play a waltz unaccompanied. We promise some examples on our first CD project, expected to be available about Summer '05. He is featured on some of our sample recordings, posted here....

When he's not making music, you will most likely find Alan making dry-layed stone walls (his trademark) or some other masonry project. He's a master stone mason, with examples of his artistry stretching from the Heceta Head lighthouse in Florence (where he performed a delicate historical restoration, a type of work he has published articles on, and is increasingly famous for) to a number of fireplaces and chimneys on the University of Oregon Campus, not to mention numerous retaining walls and other distinctive stone work all over the Northwest.