by Kathy Parsons
November 17, 2022
If you visit MainlyPiano.com very often, you have undoubtedly noticed that we have a new writer onboard. Steve Yip started doing occasional reviews and articles for the site in January 2022, and I'm really happy with everything he has written! What you likely don't know is that Steve was my best friend in at Oakland High School (Oakland, CA) far too many years ago to mention specifically! I think we first met in our 10th grade Creative Writing class, which seems very appropriate. In our 20's, our lives went in different directions, with Steve moving to the East Coast and me staying in the Bay Area. I often wondered about him over the years, and then we found each other on Facebook around ten years ago. When Steve said he was going to retire and was looking for a place for some of his writing, I invited him to join us on MainlyPiano.com and see if it was a good fit. It is and I'm really glad since it gives us an excuse to stay in touch - often! We're still on opposite coasts, but still having fun!
Steve's bio is on the "About Us" page of this site, but here it is:
Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Steve Yip is a reluctantly identified New Yorker, and a husband, dad, and granddad. Growing up in Oakland, California informed his lifelong sensibilities, inclusive of an ongoing, long term interest in Asian American and African American histories underscored by a passion for social justice.
While a proud college dropout, he is a recently retired nonprofit human services (and ambulatory care) management generalist; and who was lucky to be invited by Kathy Parsons to practice his writing by musing on these musical explorations.
Steve has always had an attentive music curiosity who always found comfort listening to and exploring new music Growing up during the Sixties, Steve assimilated African American popular music and culture, and rock germinating in the San Francisco counter culture music scene. From this space, Steve has ascended his music appreciation to the roots thereof, in other words, jazz and blues. He is very thankful for the exposure he received at Oakland High which helped open his range of music appreciation through the years.
