Today, at age 38, he doesn’t need a drum set.

Megibow’s mouth is the snare, the bass and the cymbal, as well as the rumbling bassline and the singer. One mouth. At least five different instruments. And then there are a few sounds that he can spit — literally, spit — that sound like instruments not yet invented.

When the Boulder man is on stage, rocking with the local vocal band Face, eyeballs in the audience pop and jaws drop. Does he have five different voice boxes? Is it prerecorded? Is it a trick? Is he even human?

Face’s popularity continues to grow, having recently recorded in KBCO’s Studio C. The band has been named “best local band” by multiple media, and recently released its third CD, “Momentum.”

We had to know the mystery behind this human drum machine. So we cornered Megibow — in between his rehearsals, three-plus shows a week, teaching beat-boxing to youth and managing the band.

Here’s how it went down.

Beyond the band, what’s new with your life?
My family has recently been a part of one of the biggest blessings we’re ever likely to experience. Sara, my wife, carried a child for our close friends, Forest and Mindy. (Forest Kelly is the bass in Face.) Mindy was left unable to carry children after battling — and winning — breast cancer. Her fertilized embryo was ultimately transferred into my wife’s body and carried to term.
Trey Forest Kelly was born Nov. 1, a perfectly healthy and happy baby. Sara and I are now godparents to Trey, and our 4-year-old son, Elan, calls Trey his “godbrother.”

Tell us more about the work you do with youth.
I have been working with teens on leadership, relationships and life skills for 12 years. The kids like to say I relate well to them because I never really matured past a teenage mentality. I argue this point, because I’m not sure I really made it past second grade. Be that as it may, I love the teenager’s passion for life. If I can help give them an ounce more direction, self-esteem or happiness, it’s been a good day.

What is your motto?
My favorite is a quote by Habib Bourguiba: “Happy is the person who can laugh at himself. He will never cease to be amused.” Two of my son’s first words were “Try again,” which I take to heart.

What was your resolution for 2009?
I resolve to be thankful every day for the life that I have. I have the most amazing wife and son; my parents and grandfather live here in Boulder with me and are a big part of my life; and I get to perform far and wide with Face, which is made up of five of my best friends and their awesome families.

What is your favorite holiday memory?
I already know that this coming December will be the most memorable of all.

— By Aimee Heckel

At that time, firefighters didn’t receive formal training. Unlike today, where trainees complete a rigorous 14-week academy, then you trained on the job.

“My lieutenant just said, ‘This is where you sit and do what I tell you,’” Peterson remembers.

One of Peterson’s first calls was a medical shooting call. Enthusiastic and with his adrenaline pumping, Peterson grabbed the medical bags and ran on the scene to help a victim who had been shot in the stomach. After a few moments, he realized he was the only one to have left the truck.

His lieutenant waved a finger for Peterson to come back over.

“I forgot to tell you,” the lieutenant told Peterson. “On shootings we wait for the police to come so we don’t get shot.”

Fortunately, the shooter wasn’t around and Peterson wasn’t injured. Ever since that day he’s been hooked. In fact, he still works for the Longmont Fire Department.

Still, nearly three decades of service isn’t enough for his servant’s heart.

In 2007, Peterson traveled with his wife, Katie Peterson, to Ciudad Mante, Mexico, on a mission trip. From the moment they first visited the city’s orphanage, they were touched. Before the two-week trip was over, the Petersons were drafting plans to start a nonprofit. They wanted to continue helping these children.

The result is Orphan’s Bridge. Since 2007, Orphan’s Bridge has traveled to Mexico three times to work with orphans. They have also raised about $5,000, all of which has gone directly to benefiting children in need.

“We saw the need and feel in love with the kids.” Jeff Peterson says. “We do whatever we can to enrich their lives.”

Orphan’s Bridge makes a big impact in small ways. They installed a swamp cooler to battle extreme temperatures in the orphanage. They put a door in the girls’ room so they could have privacy. Orphan’s Bridge also gives scholarships to older children so they can continue school past the 10th grade, when they have to start paying for education. The goal is provide these disadvantaged children with whatever tools necessary so they have an opportunity to succeed.

Women’s Magazine wanted to know more about Jeff Peterson, so we asked him four questions about love, orphans and Español. We then asked the same questions to Katie, his high-school sweetheart, wife of 30 years, and co-founder of Orphan’s Bridge.

1. What would you be doing if you weren’t a firefighter?
Jeff: I’m kind of a closet artist, so something creative. Architecture really interested me early on. But I’m sure there would be a service aspect to it. If I were doing architecture, I would want to be working in developing countries coming up with inexpensive housing or something along those lines.
Katie: He would be some kind of an artist. A graphic artist or something. That was kind of the road he was going on before he became a fire fighter.

2. What is the most rewarding aspect of working with orphans?
Jeff: Probably their need for attention. You can imagine an orphanage with 44 kids and three staff members. They just don’t get enough adult attention. We walk in the door and two or three of the braver ones are wrapped around your leg. Just that raw need for love.
Katie: Just making a difference for kids. It’s just so hard to see these bright kids in these circumstance that they didn’t ask for. If they were raised in a healthy environment where they had opportunities they would have the world by its tail. These kids are stuck in boundaries that hold them down. Having the opportunity to move those kids past that is the most rewarding.

3. How is your Spanish coming along?
Jeff: (Laughs) Horribly. I took German in junior high and high school. Bad choice. I probably should have been taking Spanish. I understand a lot more than I can speak. I can understand what they are saying, and I might be able to answer with one word.
Katie: (Also laughs) About like mine. We work on it, then we don’t and we lose it. It’s a constant struggle. It’s just hard when you’re not in a place where you’re using it all the time.

4. Describe your ideal date.
Jeff: We both have a passion for travel so a perfect date would be in another country. A bottle of wine in the south of France in some little village in the middle of nowhere. But just going out to dinner and spending time together is always great. That’s a little more reachable.
Katie: I guess where we don’t have a lot of distractions, where we’re outdoors and we can just have a nice conservation.

On the Web
To learn more about how you can help Orphan’s Bridge, visit www.theorphansbridge.org.

— By Jessica Warnock

“I’m a purple cow. I’m different,” says Peter Seamans. “There are no other body-builder yogis out there.”

Seamans, 51, who lives primarily in Boulder, but also in California, Costa Rica and Hawaii has been a local figure in fitness and yoga for 30 years.

At 21, Seamans says he was like “John Belushi, without the fan base and paycheck.” After an epiphany at the rec center, Seamans lost 40 pounds and broke his addictions to alcohol, drugs and food. Four months later, he was working in a gym and the members began asking him to train them.

“I was training people before the term ‘personal trainer’ was coined,” he says.

Seamans has since won numerous drug-free and master’s bodybuilding championships (he’s never done steroids). He is undefeated in every competition he has ever entered, was named the National Physique Committee Trainer of the Year in 1993 and had the world’s largest following with 2,000 seats per month when Spinning first took off in the ‘90s. And that’s just scratching the surface.

Now, Seamans is back in Boulder and running his own studio, Iron Yogi, 2516 Broadway, suite 300, Boulder (www.ironyogi.com).

Seamans trains people with free weights, kettle bells, dumbbells, fit walls and Gravity Training Systems. He also teaches his own version of Vinyasa yoga, called Turbo Vinyasa, and Turbo Bar, which is a class for women that targets the butt, thighs and abs.

We wanted to learn more about this powerful “purple cow,” so we asked him five questions — plus one. We then asked the same questions of his friend and student Laura Posen, 41, of Boulder. All we can say is, Iron Yogi indeed!

1. Out of all of the people you’ve trained, who has been your favorite and why?

Peter: Deepak Chopra and Anthony Robbins were both amazing experiences. But honestly, being a guy who seems to connect more with the female population, helping women lose weight and reshape their bodies is what really makes me tick. The confidence, vitality and opportunity for self-realization that comes with such an experience are the real gifts. I am both humbled and honored to be a part such a positive life change.

Laura: Me, of course! But in all honesty, I think Peter’s favorite client would be a woman who after two years training with him, transformed her body so completely that she became a pro-figure athlete.

2. If you could have a superhero power what would it be and why?

Peter: Mind control, so I could get people to stop thinking and enter the present moment.

Laura: Peter already is a superhero with the power to transform bodies and inspire people to lead healthy lifestyles. If he could gain another super hero trait, I think it would be to heal people with touch.

3. What is your most cherished possession and why?

Peter: My white marble Quan Yin statue. Quan Yin is Chinese and literally translates to “she who hears the cries of the world.” This Buddhist goddess (no, I’m not Buddhist) reminds me daily that compassion, understanding and sensitivity are the keys to our evolution.

Laura: Peter’s most cherished possession is his good physical health because if you don’t have your health, nothing else matters in life.

4. Why do you love living in Boulder?

Peter: It’s eclectic, free-spirited and friendly. I feel both proud and fortunate to live in a community where people place such a high value on wellness and self-realization.

Laura: Peter loves living in Boulder because at any time of the day, he can visit Whole Foods and have at least 15 people he knows come up to him and say, “Hi.”

5. What is the most important thing your parents taught you?

Peter: The three A’s: adventure, affection and authenticity. Every day should be an adventure — and it is. Love is something to be felt and expressed freely. And always be yourself, no matter what others think or say.

Laura: Be comfortable with who you are as a person.

6. What is one thing we would never guess about you?

Peter: I love chocolate.

Laura: Underneath all the hard, toned muscles is a very soft, kind soul who truly cares about helping people.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Valerio Ferme with his sons, Devin, age 14, in blue jacket and Mike Ferme, age 17, in black shirt. At their home in Denver.

Know someone we should feature in Men We Love? We’re talking the total package: brains, beauty and a servant’s heart. Yes, believe it or not, there are plenty of good guys out there who are multi-dimensional, and we’re always on the prowl to recognize them. E-mail nominations to speakup@womensmag.com.

We often hear about single mothers, but some how forget the men out there who are struggling through parenting alone. Valerio Ferme is not only a single dad; he’s also a parent to two adopted sons — two boys who were almost lost to the foster care system.

Ferme, 47, is an associate professor of Italian and comparative literature and the department chair for the French and Italian departments at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Born and raised in Milan, Italy, Ferme moved to the United States when he was 19.

In college, Ferme sponsored a child in a Third World country through Save the Children.

“Even as a child I was always very concerned about others,” says Ferme, who now lives in Lakewood. “I’ve had a lot given to me, so giving back is a good thing.”

Growing up in a big family — as in eight siblings — Ferme developed a strong sense of family and responsibility. From a young age, he knew he wanted to adopt. Six years ago, Ferme adopted Michael, who is now 17. Two years ago, Devon, who is now 12, joined their family. Ferme explored the option of adopting infants, but says he felt like older children might benefit more from the home and opportunities he could provide.

To get to know Ferme better — and to figure out how this amazing guy is still single — we asked him five questions, plus one. Then we asked the same questions of his long-time friend and CU colleague, Suzanne Magnanini, of Nederland.

Here’s how it played out:

1. What is the best part about being a dad?
Valerio:  Seeing children change before your eyes. In my case, I think it is pretty remarkable to see how my sons are learning about things they might never had experienced if they had remained in foster care. Also, it’s knowing that, even though they are adolescents and resent you at times for doing your job, at the end of the day, they both still need you and try to engage you in a variety of ways.
Suzanne: I’m sure Val would say that the best part about being a dad for him is watching the progress his sons have made over the years. He adopted both and they faced a number of challenges, which they have faced together as a family.

2. What’s the hardest part about being a single parent?
Valerio: Not having any breaks. Also, you have to be a really good planner, because you don’t want to forget dates, meetings, engagements that are important for the kids. Balancing work, being an engaged and loving parent, and having down-time with them are all made a little harder by taking care of them alone.
Suzanne: There is no passing the kids off to a partner when you need a break so it is very hard to find time for yourself.

3. What made you want to adopt?
Valerio: I grew up in a big family, so I have always liked children. And I was socialized early on toward caring about others. So for me adopting was just a way of giving back some of the much good luck and incredible experiences that were given to me. I wanted to share this with some children who, by no fault of their own, might never have had similar opportunities.
Suzanne: Val comes from a very big family and so he grew up surrounded by children. He also worked as a crew coach and has served as a mentor for a number of his junior colleagues (myself included). He enjoys helping people grow and find their own path, so becoming a dad seems a natural choice for him.

4. What confuses you most about women?
Valerio: (Laughs.) Is this a trick question? Women do not confuse me. I think women have a different approach to life than most men I know. I would say that sometimes I am confused by how women are confused themselves — by the gains they have made in the world, it has made them less sure about their roles in our society.
Suzanne: I’m not sure Val is so much confused by women as surprised when they don’t assert themselves as much as he thinks they should or can in a given situation.

5. What’s the most important lesson your mother ever taught you?
Valerio: Funny, this is an easy one. I always tell people that I owe my mother if I care about others and feel a duty to help make the world a better place.
She is a giver, and I think that is the best quality to have. She took care of her own sick mother for years, has worked at battered women shelters, housed Bosnian refugees during the Bosnian War (even gone to Sarajevo with an aid convoy), cared for nine children, worked with mentally unstable people and taught [hec: as a school teacher? :  ]both for money and for pleasure.
Suzanne: Probably something about being a good parent while maintaining your own identity.

6. If you could pick one goal to accomplish before you die, what would it be and why?
Valerio: I think I have accomplished my one goal: I adopted two kids and gave them a chance to make a better life for themselves. In the process, I have given new and more valuable meaning to my life. I toy with the idea of adopting one or two more. Does that count?
Suzanne: I think Val has met a lot of his goals, but he might have one more. He’s published great deal of academic writing, but he might want to one day return to his creative writing (he’s a published poet) to tell the story of his adventures as a single dad. I hope he does.

— By Annie Brokaw