New World Kirtan > Calming Chants for a Crazy World

If you've been listening to the podcast for a while you know that the kirtan community here in Corvallis started with a group of us singing to CDs -- the set lists from those Sunday evening satsangs formed the play list for the first year of the podcast. Fast forward five years and last Saturday the Corvallis kirtan community had a Yoga/Kirtan Festival. We called it the Thankful Heart Festival, and hope it will become a yearly event. Here's a link to our Facebook page if you'd like to see some pics. For our kirtan community to go from five people singing to CDs to a kirtan festival in six years completely boggles my mind, and is a sign of the wind of Spirit behind the movement — here and around the world. If we can do it, you can too. Jai Ma! For this week's podcast my thankful heart wanted to share with you favorite chants from the years of our Sunday night satsang, tailor-made for singing along. Until next time, my friends. Namaste.

This week at the top of the podcast we have the recipe for a yummy tulsi chai tea concentrate that you can make either iced or hot -- SO good on a cold morning. It's based on the bulk tulsi teas from Organic India, I use the Tulsi Chai Masala & sometimes the Tulsi Ginger to make this recipe. Tulsi is an herb that has crazy health benefits, check it out. I'll put up a separate blog post with the recipe, but if you'd like to make it before that please listen to the top of this week's show with something to write the recipe down.  This week's podcast is one of my favorite shows from 2013. I was reminded of it again because of a lecture I was listening to with Krishna Das & Sharon Salzberg on Spotify. In these lectures KD never fails to say something that gives me an insight, this time it was a big one. The title says it all -- it's his music woven with excerpts from a live workshop download given at the Omega Institute of Holistic Studies, September 4, 2012. Coming up there's a special Thanksgiving episode and early in December the next show in the deity series with Blue Spirit Wheel's Ian Boccio -- Ganesha! Have a beautiful week my friends. Namaste.

This is our TWENTY FIFTH Fresh Tracks set. I find that a bit hard to believe, hence the shouting. What a musical feast that number 25 represents! For the artists a cornucopia of hopes, dreams, and development -- both spiritual & musical. For us an always changing landscape of Bhakti deliciousness to help expand our spiritual consciousness. Since the beginning it has been my pleasure to produce these episodes, and introduce you the new music that has moved me. I hope you enjoy the 25th offering! Next week we'll dive further into the practice of mantra yoga with Ian Boccio of Blue Spirit Wheel. Ian travels the country presenting workshops on this subject, and our first interview was fascinating and informative. Our collaboration will extend to a series on the deities, and I look forward to learning a LOT and sharing it with you. Until then dear hearts. Namaste. PS. The chants in the Fresh Tracks aren't on ITunes yet, so no widget this week -- I've linked to the artist's website.   SONG ARTIST CD Om Mercury Max The Eternal Om Love Is All You Need (Ben Leinbach) Lea Longo Songs of a Siren Gopala (Lifeline Mix) Jai Uttal & Ben Leinbach Lifeline: The Essential Jai Uttal & Ben Leinbach Collection Jai Rama Lila Divine Play Om Pritivi Kalika Fortin Flowers for Kali The Way of Love (Rumi Plus Kali Mantras for Empowerment) Sean Johnson & the Wild Lotus Band Unity Narayani Om (Abundance) Edo & Jo Bliss Govinda Love Posse Russill Paul Mantra Magic I’ll Be Fine (Guru Ram Das) Harnam All Roads  

The 'Let's Play Kirtan' series is for those of you who have an instrument and would like to accompany yourself as you chant. The chants in the sets are ones our band covers, and below you'll find a link to the charts so you can accompany yourself or put your own kirtan band together. Have fun!  

One of the best things about 5-years of  producing the podcast is the huge file I've accumulated of my all-time favorite kirtan chants. The show this week features some of these chants -- the ones that play in the background as I drive my car or cook dinner, even as I swim. They're my best of the best, and are time-tested -- I've listened to most of them many times and they still hold my interest. It occurred to me that sharing them with you would make a great podcast series, so here you are -- your first surprise package. I hope they become your favorites also.

This week we have the second of the sets recorded at Bhakti Fest West 2014 -- Donna De Lory's Sunday evening dance party that ended the festival. The mood goes from danceable to exquisite -- the duets with Hans Christian -- back to danceable then more exquisite -- the surprise duet with Krishna Das, and then more dancing right into the All Star Jam. What a feast it was, I hope you enjoy it also.  

I'm almost finished listening to the recordings made at this year's Bhakti Fest, and I'm happy to let you know that Donna De Lory's great set at this year's festival will be our podcast for next week. As a companion to that show I thought you might enjoy a re-run of a conversation I had with Donna in May 2013. Please enjoy, and until next week my friends -- Namaste.  A Conversation With Donna De Lory Donna De Lory loves to dance -- on stage she is a whirling dervish, literally dancing through her entire set. Her harmonium is on a stand, so she never has to sit down. It's also a kinesthetic activity for the listener, because it's impossible to watch her and not want to dance too. Raised in show business, she was a background singer and dancer for Madonna for almost 20-years -- that's six international tours. Our conversation last week covered a lot of ground -- Madonna, George Harrison, her Dad's illness & death. After all these years of listening to her music it was wonderful to have the chance to get to know her better. She's playing at 7:30 this Friday at Shakti Fest, and if you can't be there in person you can join us through the miracle of live audio-streaming. Just click here to sing with us in Joshua Tree this weekend. Next time from the Bhav! Namaste my friends. SONG ARTIST CD Om Mercury Max The Eternal Om Amazing Grace Donna De Lory Unchanging Gayatri Mantra Donna De Lory Unchanging Life Without Boundaries Donna De Lory Unchanging Om Namah Shivaya Donna De Lory The Lover and the Beloved Govinda Jaya Jaya Donna De Lory The Lover and the Beloved My Sweet Lord Donna De Lory Unchanging He Ma Durga Donna De Lory Jai Ma: White Swan Yoga Masters    

This week's podcast is very different from our usual Bhakti Fest wrap-up, and it's because this year I had a very different experience at the festival. All weekend I recorded live updates from Bhakti Fest for Soul Traveller Radio, an Internet radio station based in Australia playing conscious music 24/7. These updates were featured all weekend on Soul Traveller, and when I got the idea to put them together for this week's show they became an audio memory of Bhakti Fest 2014. There were so many beautiful moments, but one that stood out for me was learning that 20 people had come all the way from Bermuda because they heard about Bhakti Fest on the podcast. What a treat it was to meet Shantidevi and her community, here's their kirtan story, and a picture we took at the festival. Here's the order of the montage: Shiva Baum, Bhakti Fest MC (Shantala in the background), Gina Sala, Saul David Raye, MC Yogi, Sridhar Silberfein, Larisa Stowe, Vijay Krshna, Kirtaniyas, Sean Johnson (David Newman in background), Govindas & Radha, Edo & Jo, Jaya & Ananda, Krishna Das, Joni Yung, Jai Uttal, Nina Rao, Donna De Lory, All Star Jam. If you've been to the festival I hope it helps you to relive the experience. If you've never been there, I hope it inspires you to go. In any case, please enjoy and until next time -- Namaste.

At long last the time has come to pack our bags and head to Joshua Tree, CA for Bhakti Fest. For a lot of us who go to the festival it's an annual pilgrimage, a chance to connect with old friends and make new ones. It has always been a special time for me -- there's something about the magic of the desert that deepens the experience of the festival. The heat, the (sometimes) torrential rain, the landscape -- it's all part of it. This year we'll be recording at the main stage, and also doing updates from the festival all weekend long for Soul Traveller Radio, an Internet radio station programmed from Australia playing conscious music 24/7. They're well worth checking out. If you're at Bhakti Fest I hope you'll come say hello -- our table is back by the sound board. Next time from the desert my friends. Until then -- Namaste. SONG ARTIST CD Om Mercury Max The Eternal Om What If Avasa & Matty Love Love is King Love is Queen Unity (Rumi Plus Sanskrit Peace Mantras) Sean Johnson & the Wild Lotus Band Unity My Sweet Lord Donna De Lory The Unchanging Nitai Gauranga (feat. MC Yogi) Kirtaniyas Nitai Gauranga (feat. MC Yogi) Diamonds In The Sun Girish Diamonds In The Sun Heart Sutra MC Yogi Mantras Beats & Meditations Aum Sakti (Goddess Presence) Turiya Nada Arakara: Ecstasy of the Awake Sri Argala Stotram (Selected Verses)/Show Me Love Krishna Das Kirtan Wallah Hanuman Mantra (Strength through Devotion) Deva Premal & Miten Mantras For Life      

Years ago I was doing Yoga to a CD by Shiva Rea, when I heard a voice on the soundtrack singing words that were unfamiliar to me. The voice was so pure & compelling I had to pause the CD to find out who was singing and what was being sung. The singer was Deva Premal, and she was chanting the Gayatri Mantra from her CD 'The Essence’. I've never forgotten that moment -- it was my introduction to Sanskrit chant, and Deva Premal has been a musical idol ever since. So you'll understand why it was a total delight to talk with Deva & Miten on a bright summer morning several weeks ago. We went deep, and covered a lot of topics. It sounds as though their band for Bhakti Fest is going to rock, I can't wait to hear it. And speaking of that, the festival of festivals is coming ... Bhakti Fest, September 4-7 in Joshua Tree California. Day passes are available, and we'll be recording, please let me know if you have an artist you'd like to hear. Next week's show will feature  a music sampler of the artists playing. White Swan Records is offering a free download to one of the chants featured in the interview -- Miten's favorite 'Ananda' from Deva & Miten's new CD 'Mantras for Life', here's the link. I hope your heart feels this beautifully inspiring conversation with Deva & Miten as much as mine did. Until next week my friends -- Namaste. SONG ARTIST CD Om Mercury Max The Eternal Om OM Sahana Vavatu Mantra (Shanti Mantra) Deva Premal & Miten Mantras For Life Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Mantra (Devotion to the Mystic Law) Deva Premal & Miten Mantras For Life Ananda (Bonus Track) Deva Premal & Miten Mantras For Life Illumina Deva Premal & Miten Into Light: The Meditation Music Of Deva Premal Gayatri Mantra Deva Premal & Miten The Essence Om Namo Bhagavate/Oneness Deva Premal & Miten Omega Ecstatic Chant  

We've just gotten back from our annual visit to Cape Cod, and the introduction to this week's podcast was recorded by the lake at my mother-in-law's home. The lake has become a source of renewal for me -- I look forward to seeing it every year. It gives us a lot of joy, and I've found it can absorb a lot of tears. You might have remembered me mentioning our dear cat Goldie-girl in a podcast last November -- we thought we were going to lose her then. We had another beautiful summer together, but she passed while we were away. It was the only cloud in a perfect vacation, and once again the lake was a deep, blue sparkling source of comfort. Later this week we're off to Pranafest, it's my first time going and I'm really looking forward to it. We won't be recording but I'll tell you all about it. And don't forget that Bhakti Fest is coming up the weekend after Labor Day, September 4-7. We'll be recording there, and I'm looking forward to capturing sets from some exciting new artists. Coming up is Deva & Miten's interview -- I worked on it while we were on the Cape. I think you're going to love it, look for it sometime next week. Enjoy the summer, and until then my friends -- Namaste. SONG ARTIST CD Om Mercury Max The Eternal Om The Best of Things Prem Joshua and Chintan Kashi: Songs from the India Within Together (featuring Malia Kulp) Srikalogy New Paradigm Lakshmi Mantra Jaya Lakshmi & Ananda Sarasvati Dreams Krishna Spring Groove Folkin’ Around the World Union/featuring Jai Uttal Bhakti Masala Home Kali Ma Kirtan Soul Revival Here For Love Namaste Nation The Householders Stand Up

This week we pick up where we left off with Jai Uttal in this second part of our conversation, listen to Part 1 here. Jai has lots of great insights about our Bhakti Yoga practice, and a wonderful story about Hari Guna Gao, a chant on his new CD Return To Shiva Station.  I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did. Namaste. P.S. Bhakti Fest day passes are now available, check it out here! SONG ARTIST CD Om Mercury Max The Eternal Om Hara Shiva Shankara Jai Uttal Beggars & Saints Hari Guna Gao Jai Uttal Return To Shiva Station: Kailash Connection Bolo Ram Jai Uttal Kirtan Kids Sita Ram Jai Uttal Return To Shiva Station: Kailash Connection Last Breath: Hare Krishna Maha Mantra Jai Uttal Queen of Hearts

David Newman or Durga Das,  is a kirtan chant artist, sacred singer songwriter, best-selling author & inspirational teacher. His music is deeply joyful, and I always feel good when I’m playing or singing it. David & I talked about his music, his new book The Timebound Traveler and the things coming up he’s excited about. Next stop Bhakti Fest Midwest! What live sets would you like to hear as a podcast? Send an email through the website and let us know. SONG ARTIST CD Om Mercury Max The Eternal Om He Maha Lakshmi David Newman Love, Peace, Chant Rama Bolo David Newman Into The Bliss: A Kirtan Experience Resting In Rasa David Newman Travel Well Change Of Heart David Newman Travel Well  

Bhakti Fest Midwest is right around the corner, and this week's set features artists who hold down the Midwest scene --  it's a kirtan hotbed! We’ll be gathering in Madison, WI Friday June 20-Sunday June 22 and day passes are now available for $108. The schedule is up, and Krishna Das is playing Saturday night – that would be a good day to go! Joni Yung of the Yoga Chat Podcast had a kirtan radio love fest this week when she interviewed Gary Goldberg of In the Spirit, Leanne Wood of Bliss Bubble Radio and me for her show on kirtan radio hosts -- you can listen to the interview here. Next week we'll have my conversation with David Newman. Until then my friends -- Namaste. SONG ARTIST CD Om Mercury Max The Eternal Om Baboom/Motherless Child/Wade in the Water HuDost Live at North Avenue EP Shree Ram Michael H. Cohen Om Dattatreya: Journey To The West Jai Shri Radhe Kirtan Path Samgayati – A Gathering In Song Hara Hara Maha Deva Shambho Amy and the Ananda Bliss Tribe Karma Is The Singer Bright Star (Live) GuruGanesha Band Live In Concert LIVE Kirtan with Ragani – Ganapati bootleg 2010 Ragani Saraswati Krishna Das & Boris Grebenschikov Kirtan Wallah  

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