GauraVani.com

February 12 Hour Kirtan MP3s

rasa.acharya — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:34:19 +0000

Enjoy these photos and MP3s from the second monthly 12 Hour Kirtan at the Bhakti Center. This 12 Hour Kirtan was a meditation on Sri Chaitanya who is the founder of the modern kirtan movement. Join us at the 3rd 12 Hour Kirtan on March 20th 2010 with special guests The Mayapuris.

To listen, click on the links below then press play. To download, Right Click on the word “Download” and select “Save As…” from the menu. Having trouble downloading? Read our Help Section.

12 Hour Kirtan Videos

rasa.acharya — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:14:04 +0000

Watch Recordings from the 12 Hour Kirtan NYC

Join Gaura Vani, Ananta & Acyuta, The Mayapuris and many friends this Saturday, February 20^th for 12 hours of kirtan (10am-10pm) for the second montly event.

This time we’re celebrating the birthday of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the father and founder of the kirtan movement we all enjoy so much today. Sri Caitanya created a spiritual revolution around the chanting of the divine names that swept the Indian sub-continent in the 15^th century. This continues to change our lives even today, more than 500 years later.

MP3s and Photos from the January 12 Hour Kirtan

rasa.acharya — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:52:56 +0000

It’s been too long since we’ve posted some recordings on GauraVani.com. As things have been getting bigger, so have the pressures of keeping it all running. Accounting, planning, recording and events have sucked up our time. But hopefully we’ve gotten into a rhythm that makes time to do what’s important, keep the kirtan flowing.

Here are the recordings from the first of hopefully many 12 Hour Kirtans at the Bhakti Center in NYC. We are planning for this to be a monthly event that is co-hosted by Mantralogy. It is part “kirtan open mic”, part party and all blissful. The next event is schedule for Feb 20th and will have special guests the Mayapuris as part of it.

We are planning to have a webcast during the kirtan, so stay tuned to GauraVani.com on Feb 20th!

To listen, click on the links below then press play. To download, Right Click on the word “Download” and select “Save As…” from the menu. Having trouble downloading? Read our Help Section.

Live Webcast from The Bhakti Center NYC

rasa.acharya — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 21:36:51 +0000

Live Webcast from the 12 Hour Kirtan at the Bhakti Center. Join in and chant to save the Yamuna River in Vrindavan India.

New Mantralogy Clothes

rasa.acharya — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:51:30 +0000

We are happy to announce all new clothing available now in The Store. All funds from the clothing helps support and expand our kirtan efforts and it keeps you looking sharp. Plus, check out the super deals we have with our special post-holiday bundles.

24 Hour Kirtan in Brazil

rasa.acharya — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:29:55 +0000

In Oct 2008 Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits joined some Brazilian kirtaniyas for the first “24 Hour Kirtan Brazil” in the amazing community of New Gokula Dhama, 2 hours from Sao Paulo.

The 24 Hour Kirtan Brazil has been getting bigger and bigger and naturally attracting kirtan lovers from different parts of the world. Now, the project will run at least 4 times an year! This event is organized by the Festival of India Association in Brazil.

On 2nd and 3rd 2010 at the same paradise scenario in New Gokula Dhama and at the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha Gokulananda, great kirtaniyas such as Jagi (Alachua, FL) and Amala Kirtan Das (Dallas, TX) as well as other Brazilian kirtan signers will begin 2010 with another incredible 24 hours Kirtan!

For further info visit – www.kirtanbrasil.com (Portuguese) or www.festivaldaindia.com.br (English)

Hope to see you there!

Videos from the The Troxy in London

Jahnavi — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:14:00 +0000

These videos were filmed by Haridas and kindly sent by our friend David Crick. For the full report of the performance, see ‘40th Anniversary Celebrations in London’

Yamuna Dasi sings Govindam with Gaura Vani & The Mayapuris

Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits with The Mayapuris – Jiv Jago

40th Anniversary Celebrations in London

Jahnavi — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:12:29 +0000

Just off the busiest street in all of Europe, is a small temple, that has existed since 1969. Inside are the most beautiful deities of Radha Londonisvara (meaning Krishna, the Lord of London) and a family of wonderful devotees that has grown from four in 1969, to hundreds in 2009!

stopped through London on our way to South Africa to take part in the celebrations. On the night before the anniversary, a huge event was held at the stylish Troxy club in the East End. Hundreds of volunteers teamed up to decorate, organise, cook, run sound and lighting, host, photograph and video and perform for the event, all in honour of the contribution that this beautiful temple has made to the city of London since its inception.

It was our honour to perform ‘Govindam’ prayers (two verses from the Brahma Samhita – spoken by Lord Brahma to Lord Krishna at the beginning of creation) with Yamuna devi, one of the original six who gave their lives to start the temple in the 60s. These six struggled through every kind of difficulty imaginable, and within a very short time began to achieve great success, striking up a friendship with George Harrison and John Lennon that eventually resultedin the famous Harrison produced ‘Radha Krishna Temple’ album. The ‘Govindam’ prayers from this album are now played in ISKCON temples daily all over the world, and it was a real treat to accompany Yamuna devi’s devotion-filled, soulful singing.

We were also blessed to collaborate with many other friends in London, including Tulasi, jahnavai’s sister, who sang beautifully and played kartals; Jaggi, who also sang sweet harmonies and played electric guitar; the Subhadra dancers- four local young Bharatanatyam dancers who specially choreographed a dance to ‘Hey Nath’; and our new dear friend Colin, whose crazy saxophone playing and infectious humour brightened every moment of our experience.

You can see more photos from the events courtesy of David Crick, who kindly sent us the links:

The Troxy – Saturday 21st November

view: http://davidc.zenfolio.com/troxy/slideshow

download: http://davidc.zenfolio.com/troxy

Soho Street – Sunday 22nd November

view: http://davidc.zenfolio.com/40years22ndnov/slideshow

download: http://davidc.zenfolio.com/40years22ndnov

As Kindred Spirits and The Mayapuris on Middlesex University Radio!

Jahnavi — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:00:20 +0000

On the last day of our short time in London, we were invited by Yeohan Kim, (aka DJ Yeo) a kirtan fan and show host on Middlesex University Radio to come and share something live on air. Middlesex University just happens to be where I spent the past three years studying, before putting down my books to travel the world spreading kirtan! It was surreal to be stepping into that old environment with a new purpose!

We had a fun time squishing into the tiny studio and got to have a couple of short kirtans, answering some funny questions in between (watch the video for more).

Videos from the Kuli Mela 09 Gala Event

rasa.acharya — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:33:00 +0000

New videos from the Kuli Mela 09 Gala Event at the John Anson Ford Theatre in Hollywood CA. Among the performing artists were the Mayapuris and Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits!

Mayapuris – Drumming

Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits – Jiv Jago

Mayapuris – Hare Krishna

Many thanks to Pablo Larrea at Ideal Concept and all the Kuli Mela organizers.

Mantralogy Tour 2009: The Final Stop – Bhaktifest

Jahnavi — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:32:24 +0000

Our last three days of the Mantralogy Tour were spent in Joshua Tree, California, where a large gathering of kirtaniyas and yogis was being held. Joshua Tree is a beautiful place – a desert studded with strange, shaggy, Dr Seuss-like trees and cactuses. At the retreat centre where the festival was held, tents were set up over a large site with an impressive stage at the heart. For 24 hours a day, different singers and bands chanted – celebrating the different names of the divine. Our friends from the Burning Man Krishna camp were there too, tirelessly serving up delicious meals (and fresh coconuts!) throughout the festival.

The heat was intense, but the desert evenings once the sun had set were beautiful. One night we did 7 hours of kirtan on stage, including our two hour slot of chanting, dance and dynamic drumming by the Mayapuris. On another day we played for a yoga class by Shiva Rea. Deities of Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra brought by Shakuntala Zakheim presided over the class, and after chanting throughout, we all joined together for an energetic circle dance (raas-garba) kirtan.

MC Yogi led more chanting of the maha mantra, performing the track ‘Bhakti Boombox’ from his album, and Shyam Das closed the class with a sweet meditation on the divine form of Lord Krishna. After that we carried the deities outside in procession and had the most wonderful spontaneous outdoor kirtan. People joined us as we walked, and by the time we got to the main stage, we were surrounded by a huge crowd, taking pictures and chanting ‘Jagannath, Jagannath!’

Roots & Wings Tour Recordings

Jahnavi — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:12:42 +0000

Right after leaving the West Coast, we headed out to the North East for a tour with our friend, the drummer and poet, John de Kadt. John plays a huge variety of percussion instruments from all over the world, and is a gifted reciter of both his own poetry, as well as that of Sufi mystics such as Rumi.

With no prior rehearsal, we were really open to discover the potential beauty in the juxtaposition of poetry, rhythm and sacred chant. Over ten evenings, we hopped from Block Island, to the Berkshires, to Boston. In each place we were delighted to receive a warm welcome and enthusiastic voices to join ours! It was also a pleasure to meet with many friends along the way who collaborated with us, such as Keli Lalita, Tom Lena and band, and our new favourite clarinetist Warrick Moses, who we bumped into in a twist of fate on Boston Commons. You can hear his stunning playing in the recordings from Boston Rathayatra and our concert at Back Bay Yoga.

Check out the recordings for some unusual mixes – Govinda Jaya Jaya with a hip hop rap, and Sita Rama to the beat of the spaceship-like hang drum!

Rhode Island 9/19/09

Kripalu 9/23/09

Yoga Mandali 9/24/09

Yoga Sanctuary 9/25/09

Litchfield CT 9/26/09

Back Bay Yoga 9/27/09

Melbourne 24 Hr Kirtan Live from Oz!

rasa.acharya — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:51:16 +0000

Australia Tour – Listen Live

rasa.acharya — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:04:40 +0000

Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits and the Mayapuris are currently touring all around Australia. Our hosts have provided free live streaming audio from all the events. To listen, sign in at WorldSankirtan.net.

Spring Down Under

Jahnavi — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:50:31 +0000

After a 24 hour journey we finally reached Australia! It’s spring here and the beauty of the season is completely enchanting – magenta sprays of bougainvillea, clustered lilac jacaranda trees with branches like embroidered thread, long carob pods, and brilliant red flame trees. We’ve tried to just relax today but went down to a local park where we came across a Hang drummer. We couldn’t resist getting into a little jam with him and inviting him to the Brisbane Maha Kirtan on Saturday.

Mantralogy Tour 2009: Monsoon Rain and the Holy Name – Kirtan in Mumbai – Week Two

Jahnavi — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:24:16 +0000

It was my first time in India during the monsoon season. The rain would normally start at about 6.30 every morning. With barely a minute’s drizzle, it would suddenly be coming down in an almighty torrential downpour, hammering down on the temporary tin rooftops that cover the open air courtyards and rising to ankle deep level in the street. Within the grounds of Radha Gopinath temple, an oasis in the heart of the busy city, it was wonderful to watch it wash the leaves of the kadamba and tamal trees, sending the birds high up into the shelter of the canopies.

Our week was a little more relaxed than the previous one, after the intensity and high energy surrounding the book launch. We had some opportunities to visit local pilgrimage spots. Not far from the temple is Banganga, a huge water tank said to be fed by an unexplainable water source. The water is considered non different from the holy Ganges and it is also said that Shri Chaitanya, the founder of kirtan, came here to bathe and pay his respects hundreds of years ago. We dropped some of the water on our heads, and explored the village streets around the tank. Despite being so close to the middle of the city, the atmosphere was rural, with geese running here and there, and old temples squeezed between every few houses. Just as we were about to leave, a middle aged woman with a bright face approached us and practically begged us to come to her temple down the road.
‘Please,’ she pleaded, ‘You come see my Lord. You will like very much.’
We followed, a little hesitantly. She led us into a tiny dark stairway, and up a small flight of water logged steps.’Be careful, your head,’ she warned as we ducked under the low doorway.

We found ourselves in a room the size of a closet, where an old man lay on a string cot. He jumped up when we entered, welcoming us in broken English. They both ushered us into the adjoining room, where to our surprise, a beautiful, black stone deity of Lord Balarama, Krishna’s brother stood. The lady explained that the deity had been in her family for generations, and right now, just her and her father cared for him. As her father sat us down and eagerly served out blessed food from the deity (Indian tea biscuits and rock candy!) she told us the story of their life and in suprisingly good English, explained how she wanted to build a three storey temple here, so that many people would be attracted to come and worship Lord Balarama. We were enlivened by her devotion and touched to unexpectedly see the old deity – in kirtan, we always pray to Lord Balarama, as he is represented by all of the instruments used to glorify Lord Krishna.

Other highlights of the week included getting to know many sincere and devoted members of the community; seeing, hearing and driving through the raucous Ganesh Chaturthi festivities that put the city at a standstill as countless processions take to the streets; and getting to enjoy many wonderful early morning kirtans with the Chowpatty temple residents. Their enthusiasm has rightly gained a reputation, and their spontaneous dancing has to be seen to be believed!

The week came to a close with two events. First, a youth evening at Shanmukananda Hall, a 2500 seater auditorium which was filled with 3000 students for the duration of the evening! We were blessed to have many accomplished musicians from the community join us on stage, including Rupa Manjari singing, our friend Rupa Manjari (number two!) from Florida, playing piano, and Prabhu Gouranga, a senior student of Hariprasad Chaurasia, playing bamboo flute. Ananta Nitai and Bhakta Gauranga from the local temple kirtan band completed the group.

The next day was Radhastami, the holy birthday of Shri Radha, Lord Krishna’s eternal companion. Early in the day, after a thunderous morning kirtan, we got to do a special thank you kirtan for all of the staff of ‘Govinda’s’. This on-site restaurant serves hundreds of delicious dishes daily, including stone baked pizza that has an incredibly Italian flavour (almost unheard of in India). During our stay the staff had served us every day, doing everything possible to make us comfortable and cared for. Now we joined with them in singing the names of Krishna and Radha, who is the patron goddess of all who cook for Lord Krishna.

Later in the day, there was time for a few more hours of kirtan, as the deities were ceremonially bathed with susbstances such as coconut water, honey and fresh fruit juice. Hands were raised, bodies whirled, and every voice called out with great sincerity and joyful abandon, especially when Radhanath Swami joined us in leading the kirtan. We knew we had to leave at 9pm to make our flight back to London. By 9.20, we were still in the thick of the kirtan – we couldn’t even see the doorway and the balconies on either side of the room were packed with bodies. By 9.30, we had to drag ourselves away, completely overwhelmed by the spiritual mood of the day, and the incredible devotional attitude of everyone we came into contact with during the magical two weeks.

Mantralogy Tour 2009: The Journey Home – Kirtan in Mumbai – Week One

Jahnavi — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:20:19 +0000

We arrived in India to masked faces – Mumbai was in the grip of a swine flu scare! After an endless medical screening process, involving trips back and forth between counters at opposite ends of a huge hall (welcome to India!), we traipsed out of the airport, bleary eyed, only to be garlanded with strings of fresh jasmine and roses! Two smiling faces greeted us, our driver, Daruka, and a saffron clothed monk – both from the Hare Krishna temple in Chowpatty. After ushering us into our car, we sped away through the mid-morning traffic. We’d all been to India many times before, apart from Acyuta, who gazed wide eyed at all the passing sights. Men and women bathed by the roadside using bright plastic buckets, and coconut trees grew amidst hundreds of handpainted Coca Cola signs adorning every corner.

After driving for an hour, we reached the city oasis of the Radha Gopinath Temple, where we’d be staying for the next two weeks. The temple is a beautifully designed masterpiece of sandstone and carved wood, set amidst inner city apartment blocks. The main shrine upstairs boasts an amazing floor inlaid with semi-precious stones, what to speak of the deities of Radha Gopinath, so lovingly cared for by the temple monks and congregation.

The main event of our stay was the book launch of ‘The Journey Home: Autobiography of a American Swami’ by His Holiness Radhanath Swami. This book tells the story of a young American man’s journey through 1970s Europe and India, striving to find spiritual truth, and above all, a guru. After some incredible, often hair-raising adventures, that man eventually became Radhanath Swami, the founder and spiritual guide of the Radha Gopinath Temple.

We spent many days rehearsing at the offices of Swati Piramal, the mastermind and artistic director of the book launch. She’d put in many weeks of meticulous planning and organising for the event, and we all wanted to do our best to make the evening a success. In between rehearsals, we had several newspaper interviews and photoshoots (often having to dress a bit Bollywood to make the media happy!), and even had an appearance on Radio Mirchi, Mumbai’s most popular radio station. The charismatic DJ, known as Jeeturaj (though no one knows his real name) has a huge influence on the youth of Mumbai through his daily show – if he says something is hot, it’s hot. He was very eccentric, but a lot of fun too, and he was completely amazed to learn that all of the band members had been born of devotee parents. When he learned that all the girls knew how to put on saris and that we could all sing in Sanskrit, he almost fell off his chair, proclaiming us ‘totally cool yaar!’

The book launch was an exciting evening, and despite a few technical hitches like Gaura’s guitar breaking 10 minutes before the curtain went up, and the sound man falling asleep in the middle of the show – everything went smoothly. The children of the temple community school, ‘Gopal’s Garden’, performed a fantastic abridged musical of the book, and we followed with our portion – bhajans from the ‘Ten Million Moons’ album, intertwined with passages read from the book by Radhanath Swami. Many influential Mumbai residents attended, including Bollywood star, Juhi Chawla, who came up after the show to thank us profusely, especially for ‘Krishna Murari (Mama Mana Mandire)’.

Sadly, that night Acyuta, Ananta and Janaki had to leave to make it back to work in New York on Monday morning. Gaura and I still had one more week to go, and many more adventures to come…

Mantralogy Tour 2009: Back at Burning Man!

Jahnavi — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:20:34 +0000

No sooner had we arrived back in LA (via a blink and you’ll miss it stop in London), and we were preparing to return to the Nevada desert, where we’d attended our first Burning Man festival last year. Burning Man is an avant garde creative arts party/rave/music festival that is attended by thousands from all over the world, including many high profile professionals from all kinds of fields who want to escape their lives for a few days. One of our first performances was at Center Camp, at 6am. This time is precious at Burning Man, as the cool, peaceful time before the intense desert sun pushes people to look for shade. As it rose, we sang ‘Utti Utti Gopala’ a traditional Marathi bhajan that Krishna’s mother, Yashoda sings to him to wake up and greet the day. A large portion of our audience were asleep, exhausted after a night of partying, but as we played, they opened their eyes and gradually began to move in time to the music.

At other times we loaded into a flatbed pickup truck and drove to other areas of the ‘playa’ to chant and dance in different spaces. In between, we spent time at base camp, the ‘Krishna camp/24 Hour Kitchen’. The Krishna camp at Burning Man is headed up by Nitai Das, a dedicated and inventive manager, who also helps to organise the 24 Hour Kirtan in New Vrindavan, West Virginia, as well as many other events throughout the year. Along with his team of builders, carpenters, artists and cooks, he tries to give ‘Burners’ a taste of kirtan and Krishna culture amidst the craziness every year. Here we helped cook and prepare meals for several hundred people, who arrived twice daily and spent time listening to kirtan from our beautifully constructed stage.

As always, it was intense. Dust storms abounded and nights were loud and late – mornings hot and busy. Inbetween all of the chaos, were moments of true joy and friendship, as Burners from all backgrounds joined us in chanting and dancing, always in true Burning Man style -sometimes clothed, sometimes not!

We left after four days, exhausted and a little sunburnt, but happy. Next stop on the road was a jump in Lake Tahoe and a three hour laundromat excursion – the dusty Burning Man experience is hard to forget in more ways than one!

Mantralogy Tour 2009: Janmashtami in London

Jahnavi — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:44:23 +0000

After many weeks touring in the US, we travelled to England for the world renowned Janmashtami (Krishna’s birthday) festival. This celebration is held all over the world, but this one continues to be the biggest outside India, with almost 70,000 attending this year. Colourful tents and stages are set up over the 80 acre property of Bhaktivedanta Manor (donated by George Harrison in the 1970s), and worshippers flock to see the ornately decorated altar.

We felt such a strong sense of unity as we all joined together to celebrate the festival, and had many hours of joyful, moving kirtan together. When we did kirtan on the main festival stage, I’d look out and see the most incredible variety of people – from close family and friends of all ages, to local villagers, to Gujarati grannies (who we actually got to clap and sing – much to our surprise).

It was also nice for me to get to show the rest of the band around my hometown a little bit, though most of our days were packed with kirtan engagements! One day we got to go sightseeing, and ended up at the temple of Sri Sri Radha London-isvara (Krishna, the Lord of London!), where we had many hours of soul-stirring kirtan with our dear friend from Switzerland, Madhava.

Our brief stay culminated in a final Sunday stage kirtan, after which we were whisked out to the car park and driven straight to the airport to fly to Mumbai, where we would be performing a kirtan concert for a special launch of Radhanath Swami’s book ‘The Journey Home’.

Kartik 24 Hour Kirtan in New Vrindavan

rasa.acharya — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:07:22 +0000

October 10th 2009

This autumn, leaves will fall from the trees and blessings will fall from the heavens at the New Vrindaban 24 Hour Kirtan Festival in the mountains of West Virginia.

Hundreds gather to chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra continuously for 24 hours, as is done in Vrindavan India 365 days a year.

In the holy month of Kartika, spiritual practices are magnified thousands of times, drawing pilgrims from across the globe to Vrindavan.
Now in New Vrindaban that seasonable opportunity is being made available to you.

Featuring some of the world’s most respected Bhakti chanters, the festival is open to all.

Who’s Singing?

Currently confirmed artists are Badahari das (Florida), Ajamila das (Toronto), Jagannath Kirtan das (Florida), Sugosh das (New Orleans), Bhakti Lata Bija dasi (Florida) Keshavacarya das (NYC) with many others about to confirm. Due

Dates

October 10th – 11st 2009. Kirtans start at 12 PM Saturday the 10th and ends 12 PM Sunday the 11st.

Resident spiritual teacher Varsana Swami will be speaking on The Appearance of Radha Kunda, the most confidential of pilgrimage places.

Family, friends, and all lovers of singing, dancing and heart-warming kinship are invited to join us for this first ever Kartika 24 Hour Kirtan Festival in New Vrindaban!

Tickets

The Kirtan is free! However, lodging and prasadam have its costs. We have made a one price fee for the event.

The following is the rate is for the weekend.

Lodging & meals: $75

Cabins: $351

Click here to Register !

New Year’s Retreat in Costa Rica

rasa.acharya — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:34:45 +0000

KIRTAN & YOGA

Dec. 27, 2009 – Jan. 2, 2010

Transform and Rock Out with Gopi and Gaura Vani

Featuring a mega New Year’s Eve party with Jai Uttal and Shiva Rea.

Click here for the Application Form

Special Reduced Pricing – ONLY $975 (previously $1,579) CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.

We’ve found very well priced flights from Mexicana.com. Click hear to look for tickets.

Bring in the New Year with this empowering and rejuvenating week of deep, healing Yoga with Gopi, accompanied by Gaura Vani and the transformative and uplifting sounds of sacred Kirtan. Read More…

Mantralogy Tour 2009: Bottoms up at the Bhakti Bar!

Jahnavi — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:00:41 +0000

After a long period in Los Angeles, we traveled to San Francisco for a very special event arranged by our friend, Andrew Zenoff. He is a recently converted kirtan addict, and had been thinking hard for a while as to how he could share his passion with others. He came up with the idea of the ‘Bhakti Bar’ – and evening of kirtan in a supportive environment, where ‘people of all practices, musical orientations, faiths, traditions, and ages can gather to sing, dance, chant, share, create and lift their hearts and get drunk on the joys of devotion’.

The debut Bhakti Bar evening was held at the Swedish American Hall in downtown San Francisco – a charming, old fashioned concert hall that proved both intimate as well as spacious enough to hold the hundreds that attended.

The evening overflowed with sweet and soulful kirtan as Tina Malia, MC Yogi, Jai Uttal and As Kindred Spirits took to the stage.

The next day we all went to Jai Uttal’s house to hang out with him, MC Yogi and Robin and a few other kirtan lovers. Jai pulled some interesting instruments and we had some sweet kirtan.

Mantralogy Tour 2009: Yoga Glo!

Jahnavi — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:50:17 +0000

After the fun of the trance dance at Zanzibar, we were eager for our next evening with Shiva, MC Yogi and DJ Drez. This time we were at Yoga Glo, a very big yoga studio in Santa Monica that doubles as a studio to film yoga classes in HD quality. These are then sent out online to a large community practising yoga at home. Our evening of kirtan was filmed also.

It was exciting to see many of the same faces as we’d been seeing at other events in LA – they claimed they were hooked and couldn’t miss the chance to come and chant and dance in kirtan again!

Mantralogy Tour 2009: Zanzibar Trance Dance

Jahnavi — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:37:51 +0000

To celebrate the final night of a teacher training course being run by Shiva Rea in Los Angeles, we were invited to come and play alongside MC Yogi and DJ Drez at a hip downtown club called Zanzibar. It was a beautiful venue, decorated in an ornate Middle Eastern style. In the green room we were surprised to find framed paintings of Radha and Krishna and took it as a good sign!

By opening time the crowds were streaming in, many of whom were just coming for their regular Friday club night. Many stopped us to ask questions as we finished setting up, wondering what we were doing, and if we had ‘come from India?’

The night was a real success. Shiva got the crowd warmed up and ready to dance with some kriya yoga, and then MC Yogi launched into a set of all his well known songs like ‘Rock On Hanuman’, ‘Bhakti Boombox’, and Ganesh is Fresh.’ The crowd went wild as he began the famous lines of ‘Krishna Love’ (Sri Krishna, you’re pure charisma, your flute playing – so intoxicating).

Gaura Vani featured in the Boston Globe

rasa.acharya — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 21:45:29 +0000

By Tripp Underwood
Globe Correspondent / September 18, 2009

Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits were featured in the music section of the Boston Globe on September 18th 2009. The article ran in the printed paper as well as their website.

Gaura Vani, a Hare Krishna musician who combines traditional Indian kirtan music with Western elements such as 12-string guitar, gospel choruses, and hip-hop rhythms, is a musical product of his environments.

Born in Los Angeles, Vani was sent to India at a young age to study sacred music by his Hare Krishna parents. Upon completing his studies he returned to the States, where he began combining spiritual Indian kirtans – a form of rhythmic, call-and-response chanting over various musical accompaniments – with the other music of his youth: rock, pop, and world music.

The result is a genre-defying hybrid of ancient Indian sacred music and modern Western styles. Sitars, mridanga drums, and chanted vocals meld smoothly with guitars and the occasional hip-hop vocal flow, all with clearly defined verses and choruses and a focus on melody not usually found in traditional Indian music.

And though his music contains deeply spiritual lyrics and a layering of styles that spans centuries and continents, Vani maintains a surprisingly simple interpretation of sacred music and its relationship to its audience.

“Kirtan is just the process of using chant and music to clean the heart,’’ he said from his home outside the nation’s capital. “It’s like an ancient can of Scrubbing Bubbles to clean our hearts and help figure out who we are beyond the body.’’

Comparing a 5,000-year-old form of meditation chanting to a modern-day bathroom cleaner may sound like an odd analogy, but it makes sense when coming from a cross-cultural artist like Vani, whose latest CD, “Ten Million Moons,’’ is gaining attention in spiritual music circles as well as in the secular world.

“Music is just an expression of the heart and soul,’’ he says. “All I’m doing is drinking from different springs and bringing together in my heart what seems natural.’’

Intentional or not, Vani’s eclectic style has allowed him to take his songs and message from Krishna temples and yoga studios to a wider range of audiences. In the past year Vani has performed at diverse venues for all types of music fans from backpacked Chicago indie rockers at Lollapalooza to hippies and modern primitives in the Nevada desert at Burning Man to a jubilantly dancing crowd at the Church of the Holy City in Washington, D.C., who had gathered to celebrate President Obama’s inauguration.

Vani and his band, As Kindred Spirits, bring their unique brand of kirtan music to Boston Common on Sunday. The performance is sponsored by the Boston chapter of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness to celebrate Rath Yatra, one of the most sacred holidays in the Hindu world.

The embracing of different cultures and musical styles is apparent not only in Vani’s music but also in his signing to Matrology, a subdivision of Equal Vision Records, a New York label best known for releasing punk rock and hard-hitting emo albums.

Ray Cappo, a yoga teacher and former punk musician who leads spiritual pilgrimages to India and now answers to the Krishna name Raghunath, says elements of the hardcore punk subculture and Hare Krishna teachings have far more in common than many realize. “A lot of people in the hardcore scene are very concerned with similar issues that occur in Krishna consciousness like anti-materialism, vegetarianism, and straight edge,’’ Raghunath says, referring to the cultural movement that eschews drugs and alcohol.

“Twenty-five years later that is how we still live our lives,’’ says Raghunath, formerly of the underground band Shelter, which combined Krishna-influenced lyrics with razor-sharp guitars and blistering drum beats. “Some things may have changed with time, but it’s a form of continual evolution, and in one sense it’s exactly what we were doing in the punk scene when we were teenagers.’’

Vani shares Raghunath’s belief that music inspired by spirituality should retain core elements but be able to evolve with the times and changing tastes of followers.

“Spiritual music is a living tradition . . . from ‘Johnny B. Goode’ to the Bad Brains,’’ says Vani. “It grows and is alive. The music we make is just a natural progression of that.’’

Read the entire article here.

Mantralogy Tour Recordings

rasa.acharya — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 17:39:58 +0000

What you’ve all been waiting for… New, fresh kirtans from around the world. This is a part of the recordings from the Mantralogy Tour with Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits along with the Mayapuris. You’ll find many other special guests on the recordings such as Madhava Prabhu, MC Yogi and many others.

Our apologizes for taking so long to get theses up. While traveling it’s almost impossible to find the time to edit the kirtans. For those of you who don’t know, it takes around 4.5 hours of editing/rendering/conforming/uploading/posting time per 2 hour show. So without further ado…

To listen, click on the links below then press play. To download, Right Click on the word “Download” and select “Save As…” from the menu. Having trouble downloading? Read our Help Section.

Washington DC Ratha Yatra 7/4/09

Jivamukti NYC 7/15/09

Toronto Ratha Yatra 7/19/09

Bhaktivana (Lawrence Kansas) 7/21/09

Radha Damodar Mandir (Denver) 7/22/09

Exhale Spa with Saul David Raye 7/28/09

Yoga Glo with Shiva Rea and MC Yogi 8/7/09

Bhaktivedanta Manor (UK) Janmastami 8/14-15-16/09

Mantralogy Tour 2009: Californikirtan

Jahnavi — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 12:00:37 +0000

We’ve been in California for just over two weeks now, spreading kirtan in the sunshine state. Our first kirtan was at Urban Yoga in Palm Springs, where we were invited by the owner, Kristen, to attend a pre ‘Bhaktifest’ (link) event. It was a great night. Everyone chanted with energy and enthusiasm, and we ended in an uproarious circle dance, chanting the Hare Krishna mantra.

Since then, we’ve been busy chanting at different venues, including Exhale yoga studio in Santa Monica, Bhakti Yoga Shala, ISKCON Los Angeles and the Ford Theater for KuliMela, and at the 37th Annual Festival of Chariots on Venice Beach. It’s been a wonderful opportunity to get to know many new friends here, and reach out to so many budding fans of kirtan.

Mantralogy Tour: Downloadable Desktops

rasa.acharya — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 21:42:50 +0000

Enjoy these photos taken during the Mantralogy ‘09 tour. Read about the making of them here.

As Kindred Spirits vs Mayapuris (659)

Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits (579)

Mayapuris (619)

Mantralogy Tour 2009: Wanderlust Festival with Jai Uttal, Shiva Rea and MC Yogi

Jahnavi — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 16:09:04 +0000

After our kirtan with Shiva Rea at Kripalu, she invited us to the Wanderlust festival, a big celebration of both yoga and music in the beautiful ski resort of Squaw Valley, California.

We were only able to attend for the first day of the three day event, arriving at 2am and leaving the next morning at 6am. Still, it was a great day. We played for two yoga classes with Shiva, and in the evning, took to the stage at the Yoga Tree tent with Jai Uttal. Afterwards we had fun joining the audience for our friend, MC Yogi’s performance with another newfound friend -DJ Drez.

Mantralogy Tour: Trouble on the way to Tahoe

Jahnavi — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 18:22:07 +0000

Stopping yet again to fill up on gas, hot air blasted into the car. Moving gradually westward, we’d finally reached the dry state of Utah.

‘This must be some kind of hell,’ someone complained. We were all hot, tired and after fifteen hours of driving, pretty cranky. We piled back in and continued driving. Suddenly, the landscape changed dramatically.Vast stretches of white salt lakes spread out in every direct – almost blinding in the bright sunlight.

‘Hey we should do a photoshoot,’ shouted Rasa from the back. ‘Pull over!’

Before any of us knew what was going on, Gaura veered off the road and into the sand of the Bonneville Salt Flats. It was only a matter of seconds before we realized the wheels had become complete stuck. In the searing heat of the day, we were stranded. Fortunately, we had some kirtan power on our side. Chanting mantras and using all our strength, we managed to unhook the trailer and lever it out of the sand.

‘Ok guys, get out your clothes, we’re still doing a photoshoot’, said Rasa, who’d been happily taking photos of us pushing the van. After a little protesting, we realized we might as well make the most of the opportunity, and got busy jumping and posing. Passing drivers must have been taken aback at the sight of eight people holding strange instruments and dressed in Indian clothes, jumping crazily around in the sand.

Before we packed up and continued to Tahoe, we decided to take one last shot of us all pretending to hitchhike. We didn’t expect anyone to actually stop, but only three minutes after we stuck out our thumbs, a big truck pulled over, offering to tow us to safety! He drove off again, looking more than a little confused and holding a copy of Ten Million Moons.