New World Kirtan > Calming Chants for a Crazy World

Lately I've been listening to a lot of Krishna Das. As a singer I appreciate the deep resonance of his voice -- it's an amazing instrument. But it's more than that. His voice is a mighty river, and when you enter the flow Krishna Das will take you to the place deep in your heart -- the place you've been longing for. Gather 'round and share this meal, my friends. Namaste. The spoken words are from the live workshop download from the Omega Institute of Holistic Studies, September 4, 2012. SONG ARTIST CD Om Mercury Max The Eternal Om My Foolish Heart/Bhaja Govinda Krishna Das Heart As Wide As The World Township Krishna Krishna Das All One Namah Shivaya (Live) Krishna Das Live Ananda Sri Hanuman Chaleesa/Gate of Sweet Nectar Krishna Das Door Of Faith  

This week’s set brings us back to the magic of the Denver Chant Fest. C.C. White was the picture of grace & beauty that night -- she had just lost several people close to her -- Shyamdas & her father -- but called on her enormous strength & talent to touch each of us with the gift of her authenticity. Read Erin Mathiason’s love letter to C.C. from the Denver Chant Fest web site, it pretty much sums it up. She brought the house down. Enjoy my friends. Namaste. A Love Letter to C.C. White Denver Chant Fest 2014 Passes here.  Dear C.C.: Moments of true connection often elude me. I buy into the illusion of ego that I am alone. Tonight, however, as I attend your kirtan, you remind me as we chant the names of the Divine that no separation exists, that we are all one. You reminded me that it in our humanness—with its jagged edges—that we fully express our divinity.  Through you willingness to show up at the Denver Chant Fest in the wake of great loss, and I mean really, vulnerably, authentically show up, you remind me that we are here, as Dakini Ma said in her opening remarks, “to rise each other up.” You remind me that we are strongest when we are vulnerable, because it is in our most vulnerable times that we remember to reach out for support and community. We are here, at Denver Chant Fest and in this lifetime, to support one another and to love one another. You asked tonight for hugs and the opportunity to express love to each other. This blog is my expression of love. I send you light and love just as I know you send light and love to each and every one of us in the audience tonight (the buzz is palpable!). My heart is full in this moment, of gratitude for the gifts that you share and of the knowingness that I have been raised up. - Erin Mathiason

The Fresh Tracks sets are my opportunity to introduce you to new kirtan artists, and new offerings from established kirtan artists. This week's set has a bit of both -- please enjoy the offering. Namaste, dear ones. SONG ARTIST CD Om Mercury Max The Eternal Om Om Sarve Shaam Beth Martens The Soul’s Voice Gyan Ganapataye (C. Buckman) Sitara & Kalyani with Pavan Kumar Sitara & Kalyani with Pavan Kumar We Are What We Are/Sri Ram David Newman & Krishna Venkatesh ReBliss: Stars ReVisited Gayatri featuring Deepak Ramapriyan Masood Ali Khan & Yogi Cameron Mantra Grooves Gopala Kalidas Door To The Infinite Brindavan Mahamantra Nina Rao Antarayaami – Knower of All Hearts Watching in Slow Motion DJ Drez 4am: Plum Mood  

Last month at the Denver Chant Fest, Dr. Manoj Chalam and his wife Jyothi captivated a roomful of attendees with their lecture on  the symbolism of Hindu & Buddhist deities and their relevance in our lives today. I recorded this on the fly -- so my apologies if the sound isn't the best. The Durga murti I talked about in last week's podcast is the featured photo. These archetypes have power, and Manoj is one of the best people I know to tell you about them. Dig in and enjoy my friends. Namaste.

Durga. She is one powerful goddess. Later this week I'll be posting the talk on the deities given by Dr. Manoj Chalam last month at the Denver Chant Fest. His murti of Durga practically leaped off the table at me during that talk, and now here she sits, riding her lion, giving me inspiration and courage throughout my day. She slays the demons that lie buried in our subconscious, the ones that hold us back. As I said ... Powerful with a capital P. This is a re-run of a show that ran in January 2012, it seemed appropriate to honor Ma Durga once again. Enjoy, dear spiritual warriors. Namaste. SONG ARTIST CD Om Mercury Max The Eternal Om Hey Ma Durga Subway Bhaktis Rasa Lila He Ma Durga Kristin Luna Ray One Shared Heart Hey Ma Durga (Compassion) Sean Johnson & the Wild Lotus Band Devaloka Kali Durga Michael Kolasa All My Heart Ma Durga Shantala Live In Love Durga Pahimam Jai Uttal Kirtan! The Art & Practice of Ecstatic Chant Durga Shakti Shaman’s Dream Project Kerala Dream  

Atlanta had it's very own kirtan festival last weekend! The ChantLanta Sacred Music Festival has been bringing the Bhav to the South for four years, and this year Krishna Das & Wynne Paris were the headliners. Several local groups were also featured, and executive producer/Blue Spirit Wheel member Ian Boccio was kind enough to provide me with some of their music -- so if you weren't able to go to ChantLanta, this week's podcast might be the next best thing. See you next week, dear hearts. Namaste. SONG ARTIST CD Om Mercury Max The Eternal Om Peace Trooper Rahasya Devotional Rescue Adi Shakti Chaitanya Adi Shakti Durge Durge Jai Jai Ma Dhvani Dhvani Modim Anachnu Sunmoon Pie Chantlanta Hebrew Kirtan Lahari Blue Spirit Wheel Adi My Foolish Heart/Bhaja Govinda Krishna Das Heart As Wide As the World Gospel JamKirtana Wynne Paris Groovananda        

Listening to this podcast took me right back to the magic of the Denver Chant Fest. I recorded a lot of great material -- C.C. White rocked the house, the floor was literally shaking with people dancing during her set. I can't wait for you all to hear THAT one, it will post some time next month. You won't want to miss next year's festival, you can still get tickets for 2014 at the early registration price here, check it out! Enjoy my friends! Namaste.

Dave Stringer's set on Friday night opened the Denver Chant Fest, and is the first of the live podcasts I'll be posting from last weekend. Live sound is always a bit of a challenge, and we were still trying to figure it all out -- please consider this a blanket apology for any glitches. The live streaming was a bit rocky at first, but from the feedback I got in real time during the kirtan people loved it after we got it to work! Almost 300 people joined us from all over the world, so it was a good start. I'm still unpacking, and I have to check & see how the recordings turned out -- but I think I have some great stuff. I'll be releasing the material from the Denver Chant Fest over the next several weeks, so stay tuned. Dave's new CD Ojas is available today on ITunes. It's a remastered version of live tracks recorded several years ago with one of his older bands, including C.C. White, Joni Allen & Dave's niece Allie Stringer. There are some great tracks, one is featured in this interview. It was an amazing  weekend, and an amazing event. Do you like what you hear? Denver Chant Fest 2014 pre-registration starts right here: http://denverchantfest2014.eventbrite.com/ Enjoy, and Namaste my friends!

In Part 2 of our conversation, Jai Uttal & I chat about why he loves to do kirtan with children, and a surprise ... why he found it so difficult to sing for the first part of his musical career. Jai is doing a workshop for children on Saturday afternoon at the Denver Chant Fest, and he leads a kirtan concert on Saturday night. New World Kirtan will be audio-streaming his concert live if the wireless allows, and we'll also have a podcast of his performance. Check back on Friday for the link to live streaming. Denver!! This weekend!! Can you tell I'm excited? Hari bol, my friends ... and Namaste. SONG ARTIST CD Om Mercury Max The Eternal Om Bolo Ram Jai Uttal Kirtan Kids Namaste Jai Uttal Kirtan Kids Dance Shiva Dance Jai Uttal Kirtan Kids Hara Hara Mahadev/Om Namah Shivaya Jai Uttal Kirtan: The Art & Practice of Ecstatic Chant Jai Ganesha Jai Uttal Kirtan: The Art & Practice of Ecstatic Chant  

Govindas & Radha are a husband and wife team who lead kirtan concerts, Bhakti Yoga workshops & transformative retreats throughout the world. They also own the Bhakti Yoga Shala in Santa Monica, a hub for kirtan events in California. I'm looking forward to their set at the Denver Chant Fest on Saturday morning, and I'll also attend their kirtan vinyasa flow class on Sunday morning. It was really wonderful to hear Govindas share his sweet memories of Shyamdas and hear about the time they spent together in India, I hope you enjoy it also. Namaste. SONG ARTIST CD Om Mercury Max The Eternal Om Om Namo Bhagavate Govindas & Radha Light Inside You Jai Ma Govindas & Radha New World Kirtan Bhakti Fest 2012 Hare Krishna Shyamdas Omega Ecstatic Chant Shri Govinda (Bonus Track) Shyamdas with Krishna Das, Jai Uttal & Friends Omega Ecstatic Chant Beloved Shyamdas Beloved Chants    

Dave Stringer has been a big supporter of the New World Kirtan podcast almost from the beginning of the show. He invited me to my first live kirtan in Portland, and we share a vision of live audio streaming uniting the multinational kirtan community. Dave is blessed with a sharp intelligence and a genial manner, and is always a pleasure to talk to -- I hope you enjoy Part 1 of our conversation. Musical selections are from Dave's CDs Mala, Japa and his new release Ojas, available next month in ITunes.

This was a tough one to produce. Shyamdas was a bright light in our kirtan community, showing us the way of the true Bhakti. Teacher, singer, friend, kirtan gangsta, he left this life last Friday night in a motorcycle accident just a few weeks shy of his 60th birthday. The Maha Mantra he led at Bhakti Fest's closing ceremony this year changed many of us down to the cellular level -- to say we will miss him is a vast understatement. I've made a very small attempt this week to show who he was through his music & teachings. He is with his beloved Krishna now, and I know he' s singing. Namaste. SONG ARTIST CD Om Mercury Max The Eternal Om Awakening Shyamdas Beloved Chants Shri Krishna Govinda (feat. Jai Uttal, Krishna Das & Friends) Shyamdas Omega Ecstatic Chant Cool Dual Shyamdas Cool Dual (Disc 2) Beloved Shyamdas Beloved Chants The Ballad of Shyamdas & Krishna Das Shyamdas Beloved Chants Final Dharma Shyamdas Cool Dual (Disc 2) Hare Krishna Shyamdas Omega Ecstatic Chant    

I've always admired Jai Uttal as a musician, and he was pure pleasure to interview for the Denver Chant Fest. Here is Part 1 of our conversation.

Nataraj is the dancing form of Lord Shiva. Usually you see this depicted in bronze as the god Shiva dancing in a circle of flames with his foot crushing a demon that symbolizes ignorance. It is said that Shiva can dance gently or violently -- these are just two aspects of Shiva’s nature, for he destroys in order to create. We have more big news for you this week -- the Denver Chant Fest has hired New World Kirtan to do podcasts, interviews & perhaps live streaming from the festival Friday, February 15 through Sunday February 17! As part of that I'll be interviewing Jai Uttal, Dave Stringer & C.C. White this week -- w00t! I'm pinching myself. New World Kirtan listeners also get a discount on tickets, so when you register enter promotional code NWK & you'll get 20% off. The set this week features some of my favorite artists, I hope you enjoy the mix. Namaste. SONG ARTIST CD Om Mercury Max The Eternal Om Nataraj Leelah Kali’s Fire Nataraja John William Bauld & Bobbyji John William Bauld & Bobbyji Nataraja (featuring Mukti) Ben Leinbach Ben Leinbach Presents Sangha Nataraj – Black Phone Jai Uttal Dial M For Mantra Shiva MC Yogi Pilgrimage Nataraja Swaha Bolo Bhrambhole Nath-Nataraja SRI Kirtan Live Your Love Nararaja Brenda McMorrow Love Abounds  

I've been looking forward to this one! It's the first set of the New Year, my birthday, and also the start of a new phase for New World Kirtan. After 5 successful years, we're ready to expand. Our vision is to spread the word far and wide about this magical music, and so this year New World Kirtan will offer live audio streaming & interviews from kirtan concerts & festivals. We are also offering pre-event artist interviews via Skype. This is the next logical step for us, because looking at the numbers for the Bhakti Fest downloads, this audience loves live kirtan festivals. Stay tuned, my friends --  2013 is going to be epic! Namaste. SONG ARTIST CD Om Mercury Max The Eternal Om Let The Sun Shine Through Avasa & Matty Love YogaBeat: Conscious Hip Hop & Organic Electronica From Black Swan Om Mani Padme Hum Mercedes Bahleda Path to Bliss Kali Ma Potluck Singalong Robin Renee This. Har Mukhande Krishan Remix with Mirabai Ceiba Bhangra Remix: Kundalini Mantra Fusion Mix Watcha Gonna Do? Larisa Stow & Shakti Tribe Rock On Sat Nam Satigur Prasad Peter Kater & Snatam Kaur Heart of the Universe Savasana Bhavan2 Bhavan2 Breathing In Shaman’s Dream Meditative Massage Music: Healing Instrumentals for Peace & Quiet