discovered filking at BayCon in 1995. They were fascinated by the concept of people who actually listened to the music and lyrics when they were playing. They jumped right in, participating wherever they could, using their talents to increase the scope of filk music both within the community and outside it.
Maya enhances every song she is invited to sing on with her velvet voice, bringing a level of voice control for which many singers could only dream. She draws on her keen ability to wordsmith and her work as a published author and editor in science fiction to write a wide variety of amazing songs. In addition, Maya has volunteered in program ops at Consonance since 2004.
As one of the top guitarists in filk (both acoustic and electric), Jeff is always willing to help out both on stage and in circle. He also is an extremely good sound engineer, who has recorded not only their own but also several other filkers’ albums, thus helping to bring high quality filk recordings into the world. Jeff has been infected by the spirit of classic rock, and is both a tremendous arranger, and uncannily skilled duplicator of existing arrangements. The parodies that Jeff and Maya perform and record are far more effective because of those arrangements, while their original pieces are simply beautifully done. The music videos that they have shared on YouTube have received a large number of hits, thereby promoting filk to a much broader audience. Midichlorian Rhapsody, has had over 800,000 views and climbing.
Jeff and Maya have expanded the range of music heard in filk, with fabulous parodies of of rock songs, haunting serious songs, and songs of their faith. They habitually share their song lyrics through contributions to Xenofilkia. Beginning in 2002 and continuing for a ten year span, more than half the editions contain a song written by one or both of them.
They have won Pegasus awards for Best Performer and Best Parody, and have been guests at many filk and general conventions. As guests, they always give the con their very best. Their workshops on song writing, parody writing, and guitar are informative, encouraging and welcoming.
Jeff and Maya are truly nice, gentle people who encourage all the filkers around them, including beginners. They are a model of etiquette in filk circles, modest and unassuming, helping others who may not understand circle etiquette to learn it without embarrassing them. For these contributions to filk music and the filk community, Jeff and Maya Bohnhoff are inducted into the Filk Hall of Fame this twenty-second day of April two thousand seventeen.