In 2021 Rafe was awarded an artist residency at the Orcas Center Theater to create a new evening length show inspired by his childhood in Alaska featuring his music and visual art, entitled “KANU”.

This project was first shared in a series of three nights of shows at the Orcas Center to sold out crowds.

It followed to debut in Portland at the Old Church and Seattle at the Broadway Performance Hall for two more nights of sold out shows.

The response to this unique blend of storytelling, live music and visuals was a success.

We hope to bring it back to the stage again at a later date…

“Rafe Pearlman’s show KANU is a luscious soundscape of story and music that takes you on a journey through the worlds.”

His rich voice is timeless and invokes ceremony from beginning to end.

The musicians are stellar and the sound and video images blend together in an amazing art piece that carries it all. I was mesmerized and transported from beginning to end. More than a concert, this is a ritual installation of story, heart, sounds and sight. Highly recommended to all!”

Khadoma Colomby

“Absolute Magic!

I attended the Seattle show on Rafe birth day, and am still in a cocoon of mesmerize. I listen to Kanu almost daily, and as wonderful as the cd is…it still cannot capture the presence, resonance, and permeating experience that simmers in the being many weeks after. Thank you all for a deeply nourishing musical gift. I cannot wait until the Kanu tour begins, your ensemble is beyond ready. It made me want to leave my career and become a promoter! Please continue to create a music. It is magical for being.”

Tiffany Y’vonne

“Have you ever had an experience that was so uplifting…

Have you ever had an experience that was so uplifting and so meaningful and so poignant and so artistically elegant and so poetic and so heartfelt and so masterfully impeccable and so musically and visually beautiful that you wished every single person that you know and love in the entire world was there sharing it with you as you’re singing at the top of your lungs in a sold out room full of friends and strangers alike? I had one of those tonight. Rafe S. Pearlman, Jake Perrine and friends took us home to the stars, the oceans and the wilderness. Tears freely flowed, laughs emerged and the hairs on my arms stood up with the wildness and innocence of the electricity in the air. Wow . . .”

Kenneth Telesco

“Shared an incredible, uplifting and magical night of music with friends…

to enjoy the incomparable, ineffable and ethereal Rafe S. Pearlman. KANU was more than I could have hoped for or imagined…vulnerable, artistic, cosmic and so full of love. Monumental gratitude for this offering.”

“Rafe Pearlman’s sensory rich, visual, musical performance…

“Kanu”, was a memory driven journey of his coming of age on the Alaska Frontier. Collaborating with world class musicians, Rafe’s stunning vocals and heartfelt words evoked the unexpected bond between nature and the boy.”

Susan Carr Vocal Studio

“It wasn’t a concert. It was like stepping into a whole different world…

for a few hours, immersing in the life of Rafe Pearlman, who grew up in the Alaska wilderness with sled dogs and ravens for friends. He has translated his formative thoughts and experiences into music that is nothing like the kind you’re accustomed to hearing in everyday life. (If it is, you’ve got to connect me with what you’re listening to!) It sometimes doesn’t even have words. The sounds he makes combined with the sounds his instrumentalists create are powerful, reaching a deep, stirring place inside you. I could have stayed there a lot longer, and photos or videos won’t do it justice. I think all of us in the audience were swept into another realm.

“Rafe Pearlman shows his amazing talent as a musician and storyteller with KANU

From his endearing anecdotes growing up in Alaska to his experience with nature in general, he masterfully weaves song, lights, video, and music into a very heart-warming experience. The musicians were top notch. Not a show to miss!”

Molly Knight – Awareness School

“Keep Your Radar Out for Rafe Pearlman…

Did you see the KANU concert at Orcas Center before Thanksgiving? I didn’t plan to, but our neighbors called the morning after the first night and said they had been talking about the concert for TWO hours! Even though we were packing for a trip to Texas, I decided our family better see the concert. No one talks about a concert for two hours unless it’s extraordinary.

Extraordinary it was.

It wasn’t a concert. It was like stepping into a whole different world for a few hours, immersing in the life of Rafe Pearlman, who grew up in the Alaska wilderness with sled dogs and ravens for friends. He has translated his formative thoughts and experiences into music that is nothing like the kind you’re accustomed to hearing in everyday life. (If it is, you’ve got to connect me with what you’re listening to!) It sometimes doesn’t even have words. The sounds he makes combined with the sounds his instrumentalists create are powerful, reaching a deep, stirring place inside you. I could have stayed there a lot longer, and photos or videos won’t do it justice. I think all of us in the audience were swept into another realm.

I had seen Rafe before, fleetingly when we showed up later than we wanted to at the Mount Baker Farm 4th of July celebration and concert before the laser light show a few years ago. We only heard the final two or three songs that were played, and I wished we had seen the whole thing. That’s when he first came onto my radar, but I had no idea what the KANU concert was going to be.

Throughout the show, Rafe was captivating. He can sing in umpteen different styles – by the end of the show, I gathered that he has devoted himself to the practicing of vocal nuances heard in cultures around the world. He even did the calls of ravens.

Rafe’s CD of the concert songs came out the weekend he performed, and were made available at Orcas Center when we walked out of the show. We bought one and listened to KANU again and again on the way to SeaTac early the next morning, and all the way back from SeaTac to Orcas Island after being in Texas a week.

I look forward to seeing more of what Rafe does. Don’t miss it. Remember his name.

Edee Kulper – Life on Orcas Island