Based in Portland, Oregon, we provide all types of marimbas, mbira Dzavadzimu and nyunga-nyunga (nyungwe), and
marimba mallets- to all sorts of people; from students
to bands to solo musicians.
I occasionally offer lessons on constructing these instruments,
while actually building the instrument of interest,
providing a rewarding, hands-on experience.
Eric Orem
I played my first professional show at the age of 11. I started
to experiment with creating my own instruments the same year.
As time passed, I became more interested in how
these instruments were made.
From lincoln logs to carpet-strips, to battered aluminum poles... whatever I got my hands on, I made a marimba out of it.
Eventually I got better materials... tools... etc...
And now, here I am!
I have played regularly and substitued for many bands over the years on marimba, mbira, hand drums and drumset- including Fools In Paradise and Boka Marimba.
Eric currently plays with Njuzu, or "The Boka Boys" (haha).
Our Name
The most common wood for marimba keys
we use is African padauk.
We shape and craft this beautiful wood into finely made marimba keys.
In order to get a nice final product, a large amount of refining (cutting,
sanding, drilling, finishing etc) is required.
It seems that whenever you merely look at the wood (perhaps slightly exaggerated, but not much),
a plume of orange dust is released into the air, staining everything
it touches and causing a lot of clean-up.
We chose Padauk Dust in honor of the wood and it's dust.
Our endless thanks to the amazing planet we live on,
and it's incredible beauty.
Thanks to the trees for allowing us to build houses, furniture,
and of course, musical instruments!
