I’ve been writing music since 1974 and recording it since about 2015. I perform under the name “Skookum Chuck” when I’m writing and playing Americana and folk tunes, and under the name “Sencha Skene” when writing and performing songs about Paganism and nature-centered spirituality.
I released one album under the name “Chuck Hall.” The album was Gentle Wind. Shortly after that, I discovered that there were several other musicians with my name, so I toyed briefly with the idea of writing under my middle name, “Bruce Hall,” until I found out that the bass player for REO is Bruce Hall.
In 2020 my wife and I moved to Tacoma, Washington. In 2021 my daughter and her then-fiance, now her husband, moved to Bucoda, Washington. Their home is near the Skookumchuck River. Since I was looking for a new name to perform under, I started thinking about Skookum Chuck.
Skookum Chuck
Skookumchuck is a Chinook term that is in common use in Pacific Northwest English. Skookum means “strong” or “powerful”, and “chuck” means water, so skookumchuck means “rapids” or “whitewater” (literally, “strong water”), or fresh, healthy water.
Given the fact that our whole family are river rats, given to tubing and kayaking, this seemed to fit perfectly. I also found out that the word “skookum” is archaic English for “street party.” So “Skookum Chuck” would be “Chuck’s street party.” So for now, Skookum Chuck it is.
I also perform and write under Sencha Skene. So, why two different performance names? The short answer is that I write two separate styles of music. There will be more about the Sencha Skene moniker in the next section, so let me tell you about the music I write under Skookum Chuck.
I started out as a heavy metal headbanger, playing music by Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, UFO, Pink Floyd, and similar bands from the 1970s. In 1979 I moved to Pensacola, Florida, and left my high school band behind. Since I was new to the area and at first didn’t know many of the local musicians, I took solo gigs playing acoustic guitar and singing in local pubs and taverns.
There on the Gulf Coast, I discovered people like John Prine, Jimmy Buffet, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Dan Fogelberg. I originally learned their music because that’s what was popular with the acoustic guitar fans of the early 1980s on the Gulf Coast, but I soon fell in love with that style of music myself.
Since that time I’ve written enough music for two or three albums. Gentle Wind has already been released, and I’m working on another called 12:15 Blues, which will hopefully be released in 2025. The next one after that is tentatively called Woodland Dreams and will be released in 2026 if I live that long.
If you’re a fan of acoustic rock from any of the artists listed above, then hopefully you’ll enjoy my Skookum Chuck music.
Sencha Skene Music
I’ve been writing and performing music longer under the name Sencha Skene than any other name. I’ve been a follower of a nature-centered spiritual path since at least 1976. Some would call me Pagan. Until 2020 I had spent all of my life living in the Bible Belt. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, it could be dangerous to be a Pagan in the Bible Belt. It still is in many parts of the rural South.
Back then, it was a common practice for practicing Pagans to take a “Pagan name” to protect their identities. It’s still a common practice in many of the more dangerous parts of the Bible Belt. I was given the name “Sencha” by one of my Celtic spiritual mentors. The name roughly translates to “Keeper of the Lore.” It’s pronounced SHEN-ka in Gaelic, and not SEN-cha like the Japanese tea.
My family is Scottish. The Halls are a sept of Clan Skene in the Aberdeen area, so the last name comes from my family’s association with that Clan, hence, “Sencha Skene.” My first album of nature-centered spiritual “Pagan” songs was Winter of the Wheel, released in 2016, although I’ve been performing under that name for much longer than that.
I also write books on nature-centered spirituality and naturalistic Paganism under the name Sencha Skene and will be adding those to the website soon.
My nature-centered spiritual music features acoustic guitars, flutes, percussion, harmonicas, and vocals. If you are a fan of Pagan musicians like Damh the Bard, Omnia, Emerald Rose, Brian Henke, S.J. Tucker, and Tuatha Dea, then you may enjoy my music as well!
