Brit Horvat: So I notice that you don't capitalize your name. Any specific reasoning behind it?

daniel lucio: I'd love to share about this, thanks for asking. Above and beyond anything it is an intuitive choice. But more concretely, it has to do with the principle of "smallness," which is something that I explore in my poetry and life. The small things in life are usually overlooked and in my experience they are often what is most sacred. So for me "living in the lower-case" is an expression of protecting the things that are marginalized and oppressed. It's a vow to not forget.

BH: What does KID AKIMBO mean?

dl: "Akimbo" means haphazard, helter-skelter. Sometimes those words have negative connotations but for me "akimbo" stands for diversity, a kind of chaos that can lead to freedom. KID AKIMBO is a multi-genre group; we play samba, funk, bossa nova, blues, and more.

BH: How long has KID AKIMBO been together? (live)

dl: KID AKIMBO has been playing out for about 15 months. When I look at all that we have accomplished I'm amazed. Keeping with the theme of diversity, each one of us brings a unique sound to the group. Eric Wiggs plays bass, Francisco Marques is on guitar, and Amy Shelley rocks out on the drums. Our newest member, Damani Phillips, plays saxophone. Personally, I feel the inspiration of having had a vision for a group and seeing it blossom through challenge, prosperity, local successes, and our growing audience. It's great.

BH: You're a vocalist, dancer, choreographer, director, poet and teacher. WOW. Can you share one of your poems with me?

dl: That's kind of you to ask. Thank you. Please tell me what you think:

on the occasion of parting

it was like a joke
or a dream
you, across from me,
arms folded,
heart closed,
shielding yourself
behind a cup of chamomile

you prepared it while i spoke
last words,
then sipped it loudly.
it might take me two hours
to finish a cup of tea,
i once said.
but you drank yours
quickly

BH: Minas Gerais, Brazil.Take us on a trip of the senses through where you're from (if you can).

dl: God, there's so much to explore in that invitation. I guess I'll say that so much of what Brazil is to me is the senses themselves. They feel more alive down there. Colors seem brighter, smells fouler, sounds are sharper, music is more frenetic, people's faces radiate. Everything feels less sterilized. There are less of the buffers that we have between us and our world. Things feels more immediate.

BH: You're the founder/artistic director of Samba Sol da Liberdade dance troupe? What is that all about? Where is it based? How did you get it started?

dl: Samba Sol da Liberdade interprets popular and traditional dance styles of Brazil, namely samba, axe and samba reggae. I started it out of my desire to dance some of my favorite styles from Brazil here, and to create original choreography and costumes inspired by the music.

BH: Kakes Studios. Are you still teaching there? Dance?

dl: I teach Brazilian and latin dance at Kakes. Things have been busy with my music and performance schedules, so right now I am teaching only private classes.

BH: Are you still studying at Naropa? If so, when will you be finished?

dl: I graduated from Naropa's Religious Studies Department in December of 06. I focused mainly on Buddhism, spirituality & creative expression, and queer ethics. I also got a chance to study at the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics for my writing minor.

BH: Tell me ALL about pride fest: Denver, San Fran, Boulder. Where you played, what were the best and worst parts of it?

dl: I'd love to say that my favorite moment was the guy in San Francisco intermittently screaming at me to take my clothes off, but maybe we should start at the beginning. Pride is an annual, international celebration of gay life and expression, which also includes vanguarding gay rights. To be featured on the Main Stages in Denver and S.F., celebrated in both my American homes, was beautiful-even better than the screaming guy.

Hmm, worst part? probably having to leave San Francisco immediately after my performance to catch my plane to make Denver PrideFest-whoosh! I grew up in S.F. and it's often hard to leave it.

BH: What would you like to see change in Boulder to better suit gay rights?

dl: I think there needs to be increased dialogue and education about difference so that people don't act from a place of bigotry or fear. We're working at a very basic level in Boulder in terms of diversity, which means the most helpful thing to do at this point is to raise awareness. The hate crimes and assaults that we've seen in the past year stem from ignorance.

BH: Are there are particularly powerful lyrics that you'd like to share?

dl: What a great question! Here are the first few lines from a song of mine, Benefit the Earth: "If I were to sing/ a song to benefit the Earth/ I would pull the sound/ to my body from the ground."

BH: I've read that your music is a vehicle for social change. What impact do you see it having/hope it to have?

dl: My aim is to have my music embody the changes I wish to see in the world. This happens on a lot of levels: multi-cultural repetoire, a diverse group of musicians (in terms of race, gender, sexuality, etc.), socially conscious material, and playing for activist causes.

BH: What other local bands are really working toward being a vehicle for social change? Any that we must know about?

dl: Conscious Alliance stands out as an organization that has been greatly successful in linking live concerts with food drives. They've raised over 500,000 pounds of food to date! There's a link to them on my website.

BH: What nonmusical endeavors are you currently into?

dl: Well, I love to read and I'm in another of my reading frenzies at the moment. There's just so much I want to learn about social change, queer ethics, creativity & activism. There's also sitting meditation practice that I enjoy connecting to. But generally it's a pretty steady diet of music, dance, and teaching.

BH: Guilty pleasures?

dl: Always.

For more information on daniel lucio, visit www.daniellucio.com.