reviews and articles about 3 Hand Stephen:
article about 3 Hand Stephen, a Zaratan (Lisbon, Portugal) artist resident in January, 2026, in their monthly newsletter:
3 HAND STEPHEN é um músico, compositor e artista visual radicado nos EUA, conhecido pela criação de instrumentos e esculturas musicais artesanais que definem a sua sonoridade única. Desde o lançamento de «The Tree People» em 1979 — obra que atingiu reconhecimento internacional após reedições recentes na Europa e Ásia — Stephen tem explorado as fronteiras entre o folk, o experimentalismo e a poesia. O seu currículo inclui álbuns premiados pela NPR e uma vasta atividade expositiva em galerias de arte contemporânea. Em 2021, publicou «Baggy Red Pants and Other Stories», consolidando a sua voz como autor, seguindo-se o lançamento de «THE TREE PEOPLE LIVE» em 2025, um registo que captura a essência eclética e psicadélica das suas performances ao vivo. /// 3 HAND STEPHEN is a US-based musician, composer, and visual artist, renowned for creating handcrafted instruments and musical sculptures that define his unique sound. Since the release of «The Tree People» in 1979—a work that garnered international recognition following recent reissues in Europe and Asia—Stephen has explored the boundaries between folk, experimentalism, and poetry. His career includes NPR-awarded albums and extensive exhibition activity in contemporary art galleries. In 2021, he published «Baggy Red Pants and Other Stories», consolidating his voice as an author, followed by the 2025 release of «THE TREE PEOPLE LIVE», a record that captures the eclectic and psychedelic essence of his live performances.
article about 3 Hand Stephen, a Zaratan (Lisbon, Portugal) artist resident in January, 2026, in their monthly newsletter:
3 HAND STEPHEN é um músico, compositor e artista visual radicado nos EUA, conhecido pela criação de instrumentos e esculturas musicais artesanais que definem a sua sonoridade única. Desde o lançamento de «The Tree People» em 1979 — obra que atingiu reconhecimento internacional após reedições recentes na Europa e Ásia — Stephen tem explorado as fronteiras entre o folk, o experimentalismo e a poesia. O seu currículo inclui álbuns premiados pela NPR e uma vasta atividade expositiva em galerias de arte contemporânea. Em 2021, publicou «Baggy Red Pants and Other Stories», consolidando a sua voz como autor, seguindo-se o lançamento de «THE TREE PEOPLE LIVE» em 2025, um registo que captura a essência eclética e psicadélica das suas performances ao vivo. /// 3 HAND STEPHEN is a US-based musician, composer, and visual artist, renowned for creating handcrafted instruments and musical sculptures that define his unique sound. Since the release of «The Tree People» in 1979—a work that garnered international recognition following recent reissues in Europe and Asia—Stephen has explored the boundaries between folk, experimentalism, and poetry. His career includes NPR-awarded albums and extensive exhibition activity in contemporary art galleries. In 2021, he published «Baggy Red Pants and Other Stories», consolidating his voice as an author, followed by the 2025 release of «THE TREE PEOPLE LIVE», a record that captures the eclectic and psychedelic essence of his live performances.
Concerning 3 Hand Stephen's performance at the New Music Gathering 2023 at Portland State University:
Of all the dozens of performances at NMG2023 last week, yours is the most vivid in my memory. Your terrifically quirky sounds, clear but twisted narratives, and unexpected punch lines were just what I needed. Hope to hear more!
Tom Flaherty, Profesor of Music at Pomona College
Stephen Cohen used his invented instruments as a vehicle for profound messaging, humor and reflection.
Karen Bentley Pollick (one of America’s leading contemporary violinists and violists).
Stephen, You are so deeply imaginative and talented - an inspiring example of a lifetime of creativity, your music pushes the boundaries of what's possible in the medium and sets me to relate to sound in new ways.
John Carter activist, community organizer, musician, poet, author
3 Hand Stephen's songs introduce him as a musical storyteller and is a crowd favorite here. We are happy to have him in our community- It feels like he has always been here. He creates something that is different than anything else you might hear. Christopher Worth musician, founder and co-host of he Atlantis Underground Songwriter Sessions.
reviews of Stephen's book, Baggy Red Pants and Other Stories- short stories, poems, lyrics and visual art:
Stephen Cohen’s world is keenly observed and deeply felt. He shares all of it, in many media, with all of us. Stephen’ s deceptively simple poetry can pack an emotional punch. His music resonates on many levels- charming and playful, as are his hand-crafted jewelry, art and instruments, yet often poignant and bittersweet. His unique work is heartfelt, haunting and lovely. Amy Cohen- artist
I just read Stephen Cohen’s charming book. He provides the lucky reader with glimpses into his life by writing scintillating vignettes and sharing his art pieces, poems and lyrics. His is a rare kind of creativity, one that uses everything at his disposal to make something novel and enchanting. This book is proof of his creative genius. Bonnie Bostrom- author of Born Crazy
The stories, visual art, and songs in this book are magical and ominous portraits of humans in our times. Like T.C. Boyle or Neil Gaiman, Stephen creates an art stew that tastes innocent, earthy, playful and is tinged with pain. You will be full after reading, and will come back for more. Kate Davis- writer and social worker
To read Baggy Red Pants, is to be drawn into the magical world of Stephen Cohen, a world of eternal youth and innocence, crazy off-kilter rhythms, and infectious motifs. His writing, like his music, follows a syncopated beat with a logic of the heart. In his life of hippie hijinks, we glimpse a Tibetan sand painting, that dazzles with its colors and contours then is swept away and seen no more. Like a pair of magical baggy red trousers that dance across the landscape, then disappear into smoke and flames. Rich Hinrichsen- musician and mathematician
Baggy Red Pants and Other Stories brings Stephen’s psyche-folk-music mindset onto the page with stories that transport me across wide-open roads, from Gallup, NM to Canadian provinces, to hippie communes, to movie sets, to warehouse loading docks, to a music festival on Mars. We meet pig farmers, trash-talking dock workers, a crazed shooter, a Canadian Mountie, hippie girlfriends, an indie cult film director, and winos straight out of a John Steinbeck novel. The narrative gets as close as a switch-blade-to-the-neck and so far away that everything appears miniature, insignificant, unimportant — so why take ourselves so seriously? Why stress over the late bus? Let’s hitch a ride, take a trip with this hitchhiker and see where we go. After all, he’s wearing those far out baggy red pants! Christopher Shotola-Hardt- artist
3 Hand Stephen writes in the way he sings. He takes us on a gentle journey that lets us see the unexpected in everyday moments. A path that leaves us with the feeling that what seems to be normal could be magical if we open our eyes and see with our heart. Efrain Rozas- musical artist
Stephen Cohen’s world is keenly observed and deeply felt. He shares all of it, in many media, with all of us. Stephen’ s deceptively simple poetry can pack an emotional punch. His music resonates on many levels- charming and playful, as are his hand-crafted jewelry, art and instruments, yet often poignant and bittersweet. His unique work is heartfelt, haunting and lovely. Amy Cohen- artist
I just read Stephen Cohen’s charming book. He provides the lucky reader with glimpses into his life by writing scintillating vignettes and sharing his art pieces, poems and lyrics. His is a rare kind of creativity, one that uses everything at his disposal to make something novel and enchanting. This book is proof of his creative genius. Bonnie Bostrom- author of Born Crazy
The stories, visual art, and songs in this book are magical and ominous portraits of humans in our times. Like T.C. Boyle or Neil Gaiman, Stephen creates an art stew that tastes innocent, earthy, playful and is tinged with pain. You will be full after reading, and will come back for more. Kate Davis- writer and social worker
To read Baggy Red Pants, is to be drawn into the magical world of Stephen Cohen, a world of eternal youth and innocence, crazy off-kilter rhythms, and infectious motifs. His writing, like his music, follows a syncopated beat with a logic of the heart. In his life of hippie hijinks, we glimpse a Tibetan sand painting, that dazzles with its colors and contours then is swept away and seen no more. Like a pair of magical baggy red trousers that dance across the landscape, then disappear into smoke and flames. Rich Hinrichsen- musician and mathematician
Baggy Red Pants and Other Stories brings Stephen’s psyche-folk-music mindset onto the page with stories that transport me across wide-open roads, from Gallup, NM to Canadian provinces, to hippie communes, to movie sets, to warehouse loading docks, to a music festival on Mars. We meet pig farmers, trash-talking dock workers, a crazed shooter, a Canadian Mountie, hippie girlfriends, an indie cult film director, and winos straight out of a John Steinbeck novel. The narrative gets as close as a switch-blade-to-the-neck and so far away that everything appears miniature, insignificant, unimportant — so why take ourselves so seriously? Why stress over the late bus? Let’s hitch a ride, take a trip with this hitchhiker and see where we go. After all, he’s wearing those far out baggy red pants! Christopher Shotola-Hardt- artist
3 Hand Stephen writes in the way he sings. He takes us on a gentle journey that lets us see the unexpected in everyday moments. A path that leaves us with the feeling that what seems to be normal could be magical if we open our eyes and see with our heart. Efrain Rozas- musical artist
