Message to Bhakti Fest Volunteers

Namaste, Volunteers We thank you for your contributions to this year's Bhakti Fest. As you must know, an event such as Bhakti Fest can't take place without all the energy and support of its volunteers. The organizers and everyone who attended the festival are grateful to you!

We are very excited about the wonderful response that we have received from this year's festival and are already looking forward to next year. The festival dates are set for the next three years at the Joshua Tree Retreat Center.

Bhakti Fest 2010 will be expanded to four days and will be held September 9-12 with post-festival clean-up on the 13th. We have chosen those dates partly because we want to honor and accelerate the healing around 9/11.

Thank you again!
Kenneth Schwenker, Sridhar and Team Bhaktifest!







Photos: Sunset on Friday, 9-11. Artist/Volunteer Burgundy and Artist/Volunteer Sunny captured in their late-night hide-out by Mukesh. Finished "Bhakti Fest" sign in place at entrance to the "Bhav Realm." Burgundy at work on painting to be auctioned off for the charities. Finished painting by Burgundy. And one of the main 'Fruits of my Labor..." Getting to meet Donna Eve De Lory and her Buddha-full family (w/Sophie not a happy camper at the moment, but at least she agreed to be in the photo!) Thanks for taking the shot, Michael Rainbow! (Photos by Sundowner except the ones he is in!)
Also, a personal note from Sunny to all my Heart Sisters & Brothers who helped me get through the task of painting all the signs for the B-Fest(and the other 3 jobs I was doing at any one time during the 6 daze & nights I was working there): Burgundy (of course!), Katie, Helena, Gregory... I could also start a list of all the others I'd personally like to thank, but it would just take too long! (But at the top would be the cool-headed & warm-hearted Tasyah! ...the construction crew w/brothers like Jake, George, Marcus, Roberto, etc., who "Had my Back(Board)! And the massage therapists like Garrett, Hawk, Karen, Will... The Kitchen Crew... Head JT Retreat-Goddess Victoria & Team JTRC! Followed by a cast of thousands...) Thank You a Hundred & Eight times!! (Let's do it again soon [but not TOO soon!]) -= ~@~ =-

Bhakti Fest SpotLIGHT#8: Larisa Stow & Shakti Tribe

"I believe that music is the bridge that brings us together. Music is the first place we start celebrating each other's cultures. When I integrate sounds from another culture, I feel like I am embracing it and " declaring our oneness." ~ Larisa Stow














About Larisa-
As winner of Los Angeles Music Awards' Singer/Songwriter of the Year, Larisa Stow is known for her thought-provoking, soul-searching lyrics and haunting melodies. Most recently, her passion to integrate the sounds of popular music, world-based rhythms and melodies with the ancient form of Kirtan, devotional call and response music, has driven her to collaborate with Grammy award-winning producer and songwriter, Rick Hahn (Celine Dion). The magic of that union resulted in a compilation of engaging Kirtans that are a seamless blend of east meets west.

Just prior to her work in the studio with Rick Hahn, Larisa produced an album of spiritual kirtans featuring top-selling author, Thomas Ashley Farrand ("Healing Mantras"). Her work with this ancient form of music that many have termed "sacred music" along with her continued desire to bring the worlds of popular music together has made collaborating with Rick Hahn a compelling venture. As Bernard Bauer of Music Connection says, "This is music that touches the heart. Larisa will move your emotions- not with a shove- but with a caress."

Larisa brings that same magic of spirit to her live performances. "Performing live is my favorite part of being an artist. I love connecting with a live audience and the exchange of energy that happens "the drama of it all." Larisa is warm and engaging";she has this amazing gift for making you feel like you're an old friend, even though she's never met you before. Whether she's in front of an intimate audience of 30 or 1,000 she's got this great gift to reach out, touch you with her lyrics and make you want to dance at one moment or sit in your seat and cry in the next. She takes her audience on an emotional journey that they seem so glad to go on with her".
Larisa and her band provide an unforgettable unique experience that leave an audience feeling the magic of her music. After watching Larisa perform recently, Terri Nunn of Berlin hopped on stage and declared, "This is the music of the future!"
Larisa's focus on the world does not end with her music. She is an artist committed to giving back in a big way. "Gandhi's teachings have left an indelible imprint on my heart. 'Be the change you wish to see in the world' is one of his most beautiful and inspiring teachings that I attempt to put into daily practice."Larisa intends to give the majority of profit of what she earns through her music to charities and foundations around the world. Larisa Stow is a unique artist who's got vision and passion not only for her music, but for the world around her.

Shakti Tribe-
"Shakti” Noun; Sanskrit.
1) active, dynamic principles of feminine power;
2) force, power or energy.

Larisa Stow & Shakti Tribe create a dynamic blend of East meets West music that mixes kirtan, mantra with an uplifting contemporary style. Their inspiring music fuses the spiritual and sacred with a pop rock groove and sensuality like no other…the result is a magic carpet ride your soul needs to experience. Committed to expressing the joy in the Oneness that we all share, Shakti Tribe celebrates unity, culture and diversity through their music’s messages of peace, hope and love.
Please join Larisa & Shakti Tribe & innumerable others at Bhakti Fest in Joshua Tree Sept. 11-13
Check out Shakti Tribe at www.larisastow.com & by all means check out their AH-mazing internet radio station, www.sacredsoundsradio.com!
More info for Bhakti Fest: www.bhaktifest.com

Bhakti Fest SpotLIGHT #7: Damien Rose

Bhakti Fest Ticket Special: Register before August 15th at the Discount Price of $150.00 for all three days admission, and you're automatically entered to win sponsor/vendor gifts*

DAMIEN ROSE-
After graduating from law school and heading to be a lawyer, Damien Rose was driving around the rural coastal towns of West Marin, north of San Francisco, listening to his favorite recording, Tibetan Bells, the first Western recording of Tibetan bowls. He picked up a hitchhiker and was stunned to find that person was not only a Tibetan bowl player, but he actually played on Tibetan Bells! He drove the hitchhiker home to find a vast array of ancient bowls set up in the living room. Now Damien was listening to live bowls for the first time. He was awestruck as he began to play them and melt into their sound. "Finally, my spirituality, my interest in healing, my communion with nature had led me to playing these bowls." (from CD liner notes)

Since that time Damien has completely devoted his life to working with sound vibration as a revealing and healing source of spiritual experience. Beginning with piano as a child, he then added guitar and songwriting to his musical world. With hundreds of hours of recording and mixing in professional studios he gained insight into the intricacies of sound. This led to an understanding of sacred atonal music, the spiritual essence of Tibetan bowls. While discovering the sonic qualities of bowls and given his experimental nature, Damien thought of a new way to position them for playing. By putting some bowls upside down on poles he could easily ring several in succession. He custom built a stand giving him easy access to 20 or more bowls. This "instrument" he calls Liquid Bells helps him create his orchestral sound. The closest type of set up would be the gamelan instruments of Indonesia which lay pot gongs on a wooden frame.

Damien has performed at Yoga Journal Conferences, festivals, and concerts. He has played for meditation workshops (Chopra Center), yoga classes (Shiva Rea, Sherri Baptiste, Guru Rattana, etc.), and healings. His music was selected by a world known kundalini yoga teacher, Guru Rattana, to be the sole sound track for all her on-line teaching videos. She states, "The variety of compositions and the complex and beautiful harmonics are a unique contribution of this exceptional musician."

His influences range from Jimi Hendrix to Tuvan throat-singers, from a shaman in Peru to David Hykes and Steve Roach. His new CD is entitled Liquid Bells. Sacred chant singers, Deva Premal and Miten say, "Liquid Bells is a pure and sacred statement that leads us to the heart of the silence. Thank you, Damien, for making this beautiful recording"

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Review

Liquid Bells Singing Bowls
by Damien Rose

This CD takes me into such a deep clear place. I turn it on every night after I've sat in meditation for an hour. I lay down flat, no pillow beneath my head so I am in alignment, then I turn on this CD and begin to Reiki myself. It doesn't matter how deep I've 'settled' during my meditation, Damien's music takes me even deeper… to a place I knew existed but seldom visited.

During the past weeks since my mom passed away, this CD has assisted greatly with my healing. Hearing the tones created by Damien—feeling the sound of the bowls resonate within my energy centers—brings my chakras and soul into alignment.

I am seldom still awake at the end of this CD, but I have listened to it in its entirety during the day. Every track brings me to a different place. When I first received it I fell in love immediately - and those feelings have increased. Every time I hear this CD - from that very first tone - I find myself in a new space - very different from what I'm used to when listening to CDs. Thank you, Damien, for creating this. I know you didn't create it specifically for me, but it sure feels that way when I'm resonating within its tones.

I honestly cannot recommend this CD highly enough. Buy this CD… for your Self, for your loved ones, for those you care about. It will surely assist anyone listening to it on this journey we call life!

Reviewed by
Aleesha Stephenson
Timeless Spirit Magazine

Come Experience Damien Rose and his "Liquid Bells" at the Bhakti Fest in Joshua Tree Sept. 11-13!

Prizes awarded to lucky winners purchasing the special ticket deal by Aug. 15th:
Yogaglo - 1 Year of Unlimited Yoga
Rainbeau Mars' new ra'yoKa DVD
An eKo Mat and Farmer's Market Tote by Manduka
Meditation Bath Salts - a gift from Buddha Nose
$40 gift certificate for The Bhakti Bar
Gaura Vani AKS - Signed CD and Ganesha T-shirt
The Subtle Body, an encyclopedic gift from Bhakti Boutique
Admission for 1 to Shiva Rea's Pre-Fest Retreat, The Sacred Call
Go to www.bhaktifest.com for more info!

Bhakti Fest SpotLIGHT #6: Joey Lugassy

Joey Lugassy is the first of four siblings to be born in America. With 3 sisters all coming from Morocco and the youngest being 16 years older, he was practically raised by four mothers.

Joey started his musical career at age seven when world renowned singer and composer of Sephardic sacred music, Cantor Isaac Behar, selected him as his protege to sing at Temple-Tifereth Israel in Los Angeles. Thereafter, Lugassy chanted in the Temple every Friday night for most of his childhood with performances before thousands at the Lindy Opera House in Los Angeles. At the age of 15 he was offered a scholarship for Brandeis University to become a Cantor.

As an adult, he has been in various bands in the US and England. In the 1980s he began writing music for children’s pilots and MTV commercials. In 1997 he created Daysix (http://daysix.com/), a Los Angeles based rock band. Daysix has played the L.A. circuit including The Mint and The House of Blues. Among the band’s highlights is a song called “Today” (A Song for Amnesty). Upon hearing this song, Amnesty International’s head of artist’s relations was so moved that she wanted the rights to use it as an official Amnesty International song. Amnesty International gave full access to their video archives in New York and together with Winston & Davis’ Chief Editor, Richard Moreno (Spiderman I and II, Charlie’s Angels, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), directed a powerfully touching music video that debuted at the first Amnesty International Film Festival at the Directors Guild of America in Hollywood, California. The video is currently in eight countries around the world.

In 2002 & 2003 Lugassy wrote songs and was the singing voice for the starring character in the popular cult soap series, Port Charles (ABC). Eight songs later he was nominated for two Emmy Awards in the category of Outstanding Original Song in a Drama Series. He continues to write for various television projects which include All My Children and General Hospital (ABC/Disney).

Joey has been formally studying metaphysics since 1976. One class alone lasted for 23 years. He has taught classes, workshops and served on a panel at USC as a lay philosopher. His intention is to show through essays, art and music, the common thread that goes through all the great religions of the world. His area of particular interest is translating metaphor. His main teachers are William W. Walter, Alan Watts, Phil Gerlach, Thich Nhat Hanh, Ammachi and Ram Dass for whom he has great love and gratitude.

His current love is his harmonium; an Indian keyboard used for kirtan, a path of yoga called bhakti in which devotional chanting is practiced. In 2004, Joey was graced to study kirtan with Grammy nominee and World Music pioneer, Jai Uttal. This work and subsequent relationship with Uttal helped open an area that has been pressing since childhood; “Transforming performance to prayer.” This same year Joey was humbled to sing for Zen Master, Poet, Author, and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Thich Nhat Hanh. He muses and laughs at the thought that his life has come full circle and he is once again chanting. “The experience of chanting these ancient Sanskrit words is mind and heart altering.”

In 2005 he joined the internationally celebrated group, Shaman’s Dream (Sounds True Records) where he performs lead vocals, percussion and harmonium.

Joey performs and gives workshops on chanting and a non-sectarian approach to religion mostly throughout his home city, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco area. He’s played with Jai Uttal, Dave Stringer, Krishna Das, Wah!, Bhagavan Das, Shaman’s Dream and recently at the Greek Theatre with India.Arie. He is often featured at Esalen Institute where he has co-led retreats and workshops with Shiva Rea, Seane Corn, Dr. Robert Svoboda, Sharon Gannon, David Life, Michael Franti and many others.

He is currently busy at work with Shaman’s Dream, television projects, kirtans, a yogamates.com video, and a forthcoming CD due in 2009 with Shaman’s Dream hub, solo artist, and ‘Mista Masta Mixa’, Rara Avis (raraavis.cc).

Joey will be performing at Bhakti Fest in Joshua Tree Sept. 11-13

*Register before August 15th at the Discount Price of $150.00 for all three days admission, and you're automatically entered to win sponsor/vendor gifts including:

Yogaglo - 1 Year of Unlimited Yoga
Rainbeau Mars' new ra'yoKa DVD
An eKo Mat and Farmer's Market Tote by Manduka
Meditation Bath Salts - a gift from Buddha Nose
$40 gift certificate for The Bhakti Bar
Gaura Vani AKS - Signed CD and Ganesha T-shirt
The Subtle Body, an encyclopedic gift from Bhakti Boutique
Admission for 1 to Shiva Rea's Pre-Fest Retreat, The Sacred Call
Go to www.bhaktifest.com for more info!

Bhakti Fest SpotLIGHT #5: Montino Bourbon

Special Admission Discount to Bhakti Fest and A Chance to Win Awesome Prizes, until August 15 (see below)*
Montino Bourbon is a brilliant musician- being that he's a disciple of the renowned Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, with whom he studied for twelve years. Maestro Bourbon has directed the Academy of Universal Music in Montecito for many years, and teaches the music of India as well as African and World music. He has performed concerts in Europe, India, and the United States and has been the featured musician in the World Music Festival at California Institute of the Arts, the Estate Musicale Festival in Rome, and the Gandharva festival in Bombay, all to outsdanding accolades. The Rome Messaggero called his performance at the Teatro Stella Complex "superb." The Santa Barbara News-Press hailed him as a ‘Brilliant Virtuoso’

"Healing Music"
An Article by Montino Bourbon, Master of Sound

“Music is the best method for realization; there is none better.”

These words were spoken by Vilayat Inayat Khan, the founder of the Sufi order in the West. He was a great spiritual teacher and musician.

Music is all-pervasive; every religion has music, every country has a national anthem, and even individual groups have music that typifies their individual essence, their message. Music exists in all societies, even non-human societies such as birds, whales, and others.

This all-pervasive presence of vibration, what we call ‘music’, has a reason for being, one that is becoming more apparent every day.

The Universal Law of Vibration, which states that not only is everything in existence vibrating but also connected by these vibrations and their harmonics, rules music and its effects. And by understanding this basic principle and its corollaries we can begin to understand the way to wholeness, to the basic core of healing through vibration.

ALL music is healing; even music that we normally think of as ‘sickening’, or music that is dissonant, irritating, or not pleasing fulfills a role that is necessary in the needs of humanity. We may not personally like some forms of music, but they have a role in somebody’s healing process, and in this case we define ‘healing’ as returning us to the state of wholeness, whether it is our concept of well-being or someone else’s, which may be different from ours.

There are common threads that run through what we call ‘healing’ music. As we listen to the great songs of the Native Americans, the African healing songs, the Chinese and Indian music for balancing the organism, and the European traditions of healing put forth by Steiner and others, we see a commonality in the sound. First of all, the simplest healing sounds are closest to the natural harmonics. The Raga Bhupali, one of the simplest ragas in the North Indian repertory, which can be played on the black keys of the piano starting from F#, is the basis for many healing songs the world over, and with good reason; its intervals are the closest to the first series of harmonics. And these harmonics are the same in any tube, such as a flute, in any string, and in the voice. In fact they are the same in any atmosphere, as my own research has shown, and therefore we can deduce that these harmonics, and the notes that they generate, are the same everywhere in the cosmos.

Music that is by definition ‘healing’ must work with an understanding of these laws, and as we learn more about vibration and begin to see the unifying wholeness behind the practice of the Real Sound we can truly say that we understand, and indeed express, the wholeness that is the music of the spheres, the Cosmic song in all its splendor.

Maestro Montino Bourbon will be performing at Bhakti Fest in Joshua Tree, September 9-11

*Register before August 15th at the Discount Price of $150.00 for all three days admission, and you're automatically entered to win sponsor/vendor gifts including:

Yogaglo - 1 Year of Unlimited Yoga
Rainbeau Mars' new ra'yoKa DVD
An eKo Mat and Farmer's Market Tote by Manduka
Meditation Bath Salts - a gift from Buddha Nose
$40 gift certificate for The Bhakti Bar
Gaura Vani AKS - Signed CD and Ganesha T-shirt
The Subtle Body, an encyclopedic gift from Bhakti Boutique
Admission for 1 to Shiva Rea's Pre-Fest Retreat, The Sacred Call
Go to www.bhaktifest.com for more info!

Bhakti Fest SpotLIGHT #4: Govindas & Rhada

Govindas and Radha are California-based bhakti yogis, kirtan singers, and as their spiritual names suggest, "servants of the Divine". They are a husband and wife team with great love and devotion for the Divine, their Guru, each other, and traditional yogic practices of India - This is the essence which is reflected and transmitted through their teachings and music. Through the grace of their teachers they have uniquely melded ancient Indian mantras with western melodies, while playing traditional Indian instruments. Their music has been described as a trance-inducing mandala, where the eyes close, voices aned hearts open, and meditation, art, and prayer merge together as One. They lead Kirtan concerts, Bhakti yoga workshops, and transformative retreats throughout the world.
Here's an interview with Govindas and Radha:

Where are you from and where did you meet?

Radha: I am from Australia... Mona Vale, a small beach town a half hour north of Sydney. I moved to LA in the year of 2000, and in 2003 I met Govindas in his yoga class at Power Yoga in Santa Monica.

Govindas: I am from Rockville, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. I moved to San Diego in 1993, spent 2 years there, then moved to LA in ‘95 and have been here ever since.
How/When did you discover yoga, which branch of yoga was it, how did this lead you to kirtan?
Radha: When I was a child, my parents would take my sisters and I to Bali for family vacations. It was there that I visited my first Hindu temples and was introduced to the vast tradition of Hinduism and yoga. One year when we were there, I fell in love with a poster of Saraswati. My parents bought it for me and when we returned home I immediately put the poster on my wall. As a child I was majorly involved in music, dance, and theatre. Basically, these kinds of things were my life. Years later I learned that Saraswati is the Goddess of Knowledge, Music, Dance, and the Arts. As I look back it feels as though her presence was blessing my path... and surely continues to. As i grew older at the age of 15 I took my first hatha yoga class at a local gym. Because of my dance background I fell in love with it and continue to practice regularly. During that time I was a model in Australia, where so much emphasis was placed on the outer appearance. Yoga began and continues to teach me to love and feed myself from the inside first. I was first introduced to kirtan when I attended Govindas’s yoga class at the age of 22. Because music was such a major part of my life, immediately it struck a note deep within.

Govindas: I was introduced to all of this at a much later age than Radha. I grew up in a family where there was never really an awareness of the eastern mystical traditions. I somehow did know what the word "yoga" meant but I didn't even really care. I was into sports, skateboarding and stuff like that. I was first introduced to meditation my first semester as a freshman at University of Maryland, I took a course on TM (Transcendental Meditation). After graduating college and moving to LA I took my first yoga class. I was living in LA and was introduced to yoga because I was major-ly suffering with an illness called ulcerative colitis, a debilitating form of IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). This is what led me deeper on my path...

I was introduced to Kirtan through the older Neem Karoli Baba devotees: Ram Dass, Bhagavan Das, Krishna Das and Jai Uttal . I was 27 years old and was really struggling with my health. The kirtan and bhakti helped to awaken my faith and gave me a yogic perspective to connect with God. The chanting gives us the opportunity to call out to Spirit, to connect with the Source on a deeper level than just the physical and embrace even the most difficult times in our lives as gifts in which we can learn and grow. Using these practices has helped me become accepting of the days that I feel really terrible.
What is it about kirtan that speaks to you?

Radha: When I am chanting it is all an offering of devotion to the divine- the divine within myself, the divine within everything... connecting to the Oneness. I grew up performing in musicals and concerts, and it was “a performance,” which was beautiful, yet when I came to kirtan, it gave me the opportunity to turn my music into a prayer.

When Govindas and I came together, it all felt so natural... the mantras, the blending of our music, voices and hearts. The practice of kirtan is a huge part of our relationship and one of the many beautiful ways that we connect with each other.

Govindas: When I first heard kirtan, it blew me away. It felt so ancient in tradition. It was music as a prayer. As a child I had been exposed to Hebrew chanting, which I fell in love with. In kirtan, the melodies really touched me. The drumming… The devotion of the leader, the hypnotic call and response. Immediately when I first heard kirtan, I began to immerse myself in the teachings of Bhakti Yoga. I was teaching Vinyasa Yoga, which is still a big part of my practice. I was quite ill so there was this deep feeling inside searching for answers. Through Bhakti I felt my path open a bit wider and become clearer. It gave me an ancient tradition which uses the practices of heart, devotion, love, surrender and God to help in peeling back the layers and facilitate a deeper understanding and harmonization with the energies of life. In 1999 I journeyed to India with the intention of diving deeper. This is where I started studying music and bought my first harmonium. On my return from my trip I began chanting in my yoga classes.
What style of hatha yoga do you teach?
Radha: We teach what we call Bhakti Vinyasa... and it is not really a class where we are teaching something, but more so of a ritual and yogic adventure using sankalpa (intention/dedication/prayer), simple vinyasa sequences, and kirtan (yogic chanting during asanas)...

Govindas: it is a sweet expression and exploration of the heart... it’s merging bhakti and asana practice into one.

What do your names mean?
Govindas: Radha and Govindas aren't are birth names... They are our "spiritual names. They connect us to our Dharma- to serve. In the Hanuman/Neem Karoli Baba tradition, to be a "Das" is to be a "Servant of God". We are servants of Radha and Krishna. This is where I got my name- Govind Das, or Govindas is to serve Govinda. To serve God in the form of Love… To serve that love in each other.
Radha: For me Radha is the pure embodiment of devotion itself... Radha connects me with the Mother. In Vrindavan, India everyone greets each other as "Radhe Radhe"... Radha and Krishna are Divine Lovers... Radha is us as "individual soul". Krishna is the Universal One- The divine love affair is between self and God.

What is going on in the world right now and how can people make a difference in spreading consciousness?

Govindas: This is an unbelievable time to be alive!!! The flower of our consciousness is awakening together. We have no other choice... primarily because of Mother Earth. If we don't take care of our Mother, who knows what is going to happen? It is kind of scary just to think about it... Though, WE must do something about it!!! We must dedicate our lives to the up-lift-ment and healing of ourselves and this planet.

Radha: Yes, Eco-Yoga is of the greatest importance now... Reduce, Reuse, Recycle... we must put these words into action. The oceans are polluted, the air is polluted, the rivers are polluted... Mother Earth is sick... Yet we have the power through our actions to get her healthy again. So we must conserve. This is one our most important yoga practices. We have over-exhausted Mother Earth's natural resources...

What do you do for fun?
Govindas and Radha: We live on the beach in Malibu and surf as much as possible. We love the "natural high" lifestyle. It seems as though our sadhana and our fun have become one. We love to "serve" people and be with our friends/satsang and travel.... We go to India once a year to lead a yoga retreat in paradise, & visit holy places there. We love to visit our families in Australia and Florida. Singing, dancing & yoga! Being outside and being with Mother Nature... anything in the hills or on mother ocean!!! Jai Ma!!!
For more info on Govindas & Radha &/or to check out their songs, go to www.govindasandradha.com
Come catch the Dynamic Divine Grooves of Govindas & Radha at the Bhakti Festival in Joshua Tree CA September 9-11
For more info on the current generation's "Spiritual Woodstock," go to www.bhaktifest.com

Bhaktifest SpotLIGHT #3: Sean Johnson and the Wild Lotus Band

Seán Johnson And The Wild Lotus Band

-Bhakti Fest Ticket Special: $150- through July 31! www.bhaktifest.com-

New Orleans mantra musicians Sean Johnson and The Wild Lotus Band are a critically acclaimed kirtan trio appreciated equally for the spiritual depth and dynamic musicality of their sound. Yoga Journal has praised the band, “A joy to listen to whether you’re a yogi or anyone who appreciates wildly creative music.” Yoga Chicago says, "Their kirtan will ignite the world...a hybrid of East and West that will bring joy to your heart and get your body boogieing."

The band’s unique music is a savory potion for the spirit, evocatively blending the elixir of ancient eastern mantras with western musical taste, passionate vocals, funky grooves, and dreamy melodies. Their unique approach to chant music transcends genres—shades of rock, jazz, funk, choral, Indian, Irish, Middle Eastern, and folk styles merge effortlessly with the magic of the mantras. Yoga City NYC says, “Their music is capable of being energetic, grounding, mellow, tender, sweet- eerie, rapturous and blissful all at once.” They express kirtan with guts and soul and are not afraid to explore the darker shades of the heart which makes their brighter material even more transcendent.

Vocalist and harmonium player Sean Johnson is the founder of the band. He’s been leading kirtan across the U.S. and abroad for over a decade. His soul-stirring voice is equally influenced by vocal exploration of his ancestral Irish heritage as well as study in Indian vocal music and love of the path of bhakti yoga-- the yoga of the heart. Sean is also the founder of Wild Lotus Yoga Studio and Soul School, a yoga and spirituality teacher training program in his native New Orleans. He has a Master’s degree from The Naropa Institute with a focus on teaching chant as spiritual practice. He shares the practice of mantra in an inviting and accessible way that taps into the universal spirit of life and music- weaving stories, myths, and poetry. Grammy nominated kirtan artist Jai Uttal says “Sean’s voice is a warm, soothing river of serenity.” From time to time, Sean also contributes a little beatbox to the band's eclectic musical mix-- honed as a youth in New Orleans' public schools in the early days of hip hop.

Bass and guitar player and New Orleans' native Alvin Young spent years on the fabled Crescent City music scene playing with Wynton and Branford Marsalis, local legends James Booker and James Black and many more. His voice on bass and guitar weaves the jazz, rock, classical, and folk styles he's been immersed in for the last 35 years. Alvin's playing is incredibly funky, bringing a modern aesthetic to the ancient spirit of kirtan. The hallmark of Alvin's expression on the bass is a rare and deeply melodic quality that illuminates the trio's sound. Music has been a pivotal part of Alvin’s spiritual journey.

Percussionist and singer Gwendolyn Colman brings a unique ethnic sound to the band with years of experience drumming with middle eastern ensembles, flamenco troupes, and avant garde bands. Her ‘ride’ includes frame drums, cajon, high hat, kick drum, doumbek, and karkobs, playing with merging ancient rhythms with a modern, urban flare. Gwendolyn can move seamlessly from a traditional middle eastern trance rhythm, to subtle jazz brushwork, to a New Orleans hip hop street groove. Her powerful vocals are influenced by early opera training. Gwendolyn’s spiritual quest has led her from Rastafarian to Baha'i to yoga - with the heartbeat of her drum always at the center.

Together Sean, Alvin, and Gwendolyn create a contemporary world-spirit music that evokes the magic and mystical feelings first stirred in the pioneering golden age of East-West musical exploration in the 1960's. The soul of New Orleans meets the spirit of India.

Sean Johnson and The Wild Lotus Band's 2007 release Calling The Spirits, with its funky, tropical kirtan sound, has become a big hit in the yoga world. Their rocking, groove-driven Nettwerk/Nutone debut Devaloka to be released in September 2009 promises to expand their ever-widening audience.

The band tours worldwide playing at festivals, theatres, yoga studios, retreat centers, yoga conferences and will be featured performers at the Bhakti Fest in Joshua Tree Sept. 11-13, 2009. For more info and/or to experience their version of the 'Chakra Rock' go to www.seanjohnsonkirtan.com

Bhaktifest SpotLIGHT#2: Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits

~*Bhakti Fest Ticket Special: $150- through July 31! www.bhaktifest.com*~

Seek the Nectar! Come sing, dance and fly with the honeybees of devotional world-music! Dive into the lotus of ecstasy. Escape the illusion, confusion, pollution, and delusion with Gaura Vani and "As Kindred Spirits."

The music of As Kindred Spirits is the sound of cultures colliding.

Join this sacred world-music experience and discover the uplifting power of As Kindred Spirits. Rich ethnic rhythms and melodies, with fresh western harmonies and grooves, are crafted with the ancient tradition of kirtan- devotional Indian musical meditation, creating music that is both hip and inspired.

You will not be able to resist the urge to dance! And sing! Sing..! As Kindred Spirits features the voice and harmonium of Gaura Vani, and the rhythms and melodies of multi-instrumentalist Shyam Kishore, along with a multicultural group of talented musicians, dancers and performers.

Allow this music to place you in direct contact with the Divine through the universal language of sacred dance and music.

“I was given the gift of devotional song from birth, raised with the music of the temple, taught to sing and play beautiful instruments and dance…for love and for God,” says Gaura Vani. “I am one of a group of children called gurukulis or those raised in the village of the guru. Even as children, we were aware that though it felt like we were partying when we played music, we were in the physical presence of God himself, who danced with us.”

“An old friend said he saw me as a baby for the first time, cradled in the arms of my father with a group of devotees, chanting God’s ancient names. Hare. Krishna. Rama. It’s in the blood.”

The As Kindred Spirits "Nectar of Devotion" Album

This unique recording of World Music perfectly captures the uplifting and energetic atmosphere in which As Kindred Spirits crafts their music. Ancient Indian songs of devotion, with rich ethnic melodies are infused with fresh, Western grooves and modalities.

The music of As Kindred Spirits is like a lotus growing from the mud of American materialism. We are the honeybees swarming to drink the nectar of this flower.

The New CD: Ten Million Moons

This second album from Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits transforms your heart and fills you with visions of a divine world. Epic and cinematic arrangements, lush vocal harmonies, hypnotic ethnic rhythms and grooves, magical textures and instrumentation. This is kirtan as you’ve never heard it before. Conjuring images from the temple towns of India to the streets of New York City, this album is a journey from the world of “now” to the world of “forever”.

Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits are one of the most sought after kirtan/chant groups in the world. This second album from the ground-breaking group transports us to their divine universe with lush, cinematic arrangements, beautiful vocal harmonies, dynamic ethnic rhythms, and rich textured instrumentation.

Featured in this summer’s “Bhakti Fest,” the largest gathering of yoga musicians in the US, Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits are touring both coasts of the US as well as internationally with performances in Brazil, India, Europe, and Africa. (More info: www.bhaktifest.com)

Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits will also be featured performers at a "Pre-Bhakti Fest Celebration" at Kristin Olson's Urban Yoga Center, 458 S. Palm Canyon in Palm Springs CA Saturday Night, July 25th. For more info please go to www.urbanyoga.org or call 760-320-7702

For more info on Gaura Vani and As Kindred Spirits, and to listen to their music via their Myspace and Facebook pages, go to www.gauravani.com

1st Bhaktifest Spot-LIGHT: MC YOGI

(*~Special Announcement: 3-Day Tix to Bhaktifest $150- until July 31st!~*)








What happens when you combine yoga and hip hop? In the hands of recording artist MC Yogi, you get a first-of-its kind new record mixing the energy, beats and vocal stylings of rap music with traditional Indian instruments, kirtan-style chanting and yoga-inspired lyrics. With 13 original tracks celebrating Indian mythology and spirituality, MC Yogi’s genre-bending debut, ELEPHANT POWER, offers a devotional hip hop experience.
“Someone could make the argument that yoga and hip hop are polar opposites,” admits MC Yogi aka Nicholas Giacomini, a yoga teacher and studio owner in Point Reyes, California. “But yoga—which means ‘union’ in Sanskrit—is about joining opposites. It was really just taking two things I loved and putting them together.”
Yogi, a graffiti artist as well as an MC and yoga teacher, has been listening to hip hop since he was six years old and free-styling since he was 14. He first began rapping about the inspiring characters and ideals of ancient India around 2000. His simple yet revolutionary idea was reignited at his wedding reception when, watching a friend singing along to the Beastie Boys‘ “Brass Monkey” while pointing to a statue of Hanuman, the mischievous monkey god of Indian mythology, Yogi realized he could create an album bridging the cultures of yoga and hip hop .
The result is not a preachy record. ELEPHANT POWER features upbeat, enlightening tracks singing the praises of Hindu deities and celebrating the higher principles of yoga—a refreshing contrast to mainstream rap’s notorious glorification of thug life. Hip hop-style break beats form the backdrop to MC Yogi’s rhyming, while an impressive list of guest singers and musicians add vocals and instrumentation. From tablas to turntables, sitars to samples, the music was masterfully composed, engineered and co-produced with the help of Yogi’s childhood friend Robin Livingston, engineer at Ursa Minor, a recording studio in San Rafael, California.
Featured guests on ELEPHANT POWER include Grammy-nominated world music pioneer Jai Uttal; iconic wandering mystic and musician Bhagavan Das, who introduced the famed Ram Dass to his guru in the 1960s; kirtan singer Krishna Das, dubbed by the New York Times as “the American chant master”; Sharon Gannon, singer and co-founder of Jivamukti Yoga in Manhattan; and Rita Sahai, a vocalist referred to by Ali Akbar Khan as “the jewel of music.” Other guests include Pakistani qawwali singer Sukhawat Ali Khan, popular Nepalese flute player Manose and multi-percussionist Geoffrey Gordon. New York native Sean Dinsmore, whose Dum Dum Project pioneered the mixing of Indian sampling with electronica in the late-1990s, flew in from Shanghai to co-produce the record after hearing a few sample tracks.
"I got a random email from a rapper one day saying his name was MC Yogi," remembers Sean. "Clicking on the attached mp3, I heard something I wasn't expecting. That early version of “Ganesh is Fresh” had mad energy jolting through it. A month later I was landing at SFO, ready to produce ELEPHANT POWER!"
Standout tracks include the revelatory “Rock On Hanuman” and the galloping anthem “Ganesh Is Fresh”—sophisticated productions described by Giacomini as “sonic pujas” (a puja is a Hindu form of deity worship). The psychedelic “Son of Shiva” is a modern telling of how Ganesh, the elephant-headed god known as the lord of beginnings and god of prosperity, came to be (after mistakenly cutting off his own son’s head, the god Shiva replaces it with the head of an elephant). “Be the Change” is the timely tale of Mahatma Gandhi’s life story, sampling his speeches and reminding us of the power of the individual to inspire change in the world—a philosophy well-exemplified by Yogi’s approach to making ELEPHANT POWER.
ELEPHANT POWER is a new musical hybrid, the result of two cultures colliding - and then merging. Through his love for the yoga tradition and urban American music, MC Yogi brings us
a modern incarnation of an ancient tradition: Yoga Hip Hop!

Come do the Divine Dance & Sacred Chant with MC Yogi,
(among many others!) joined by Robin Livingston of the "Bhakti Brothers" and DJ Drez at the Bhakifest in Joshua Tree Calif., September 11-13.
For more info on the Massive Lineup of Kirtan Wallahs, Festival Features and Tickets: www.bhaktifest.com
~*ADVANCE TICKET SPECIAL*~ 3-Day Tix: $150- Until July 31!
For more info on MC Yogi and how to get his Chakra-Opening CD "Elephant Power," go to www.mcyogi.com