GauraVani.com » Kirtan

The Enneagram Institute – Stone Ridge, NY – 10/23/10

dhonya — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Event Kirtan at the Enneagram Institute - Stone Ridge, NY When Saturday, October 23, 2010 6:00pm - All Ages Where The Enneagram Institute (map) 3355 Main St. Route 209 Stone Ridge, NY 12484 Other InfoWe are thrilled to be headed to Stone Ridge this Saturday for an evening of Kirtan, storytelling, and connecting! The Enneagram Institute is hosting us in their beautiful finished barn. We would love to [...]

Yogamaya Yoga Studio – New York, NY – 06/24/10

dhonya — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Event Yogamaya Opening Night Kirtan! NYC When Thursday, June 24, 2010 7:00pm - All Ages Where Yogamaya Yoga Studio (map) 135 West 20th St. 6th Floor New York, NY Other InfoJoin us for the opening of Yogamaya Yoga Studio! We are so thrilled to be a part of this very exciting event. We will chant from 7-9, followed by a feast & more celebration that may even lead [...]

Sacred Sounds @ Gaura\’s House – Ashton, Maryland – 06/10/10

dhonya — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 22:30:00 +0000

Event Annual Sacred Sounds Gathering in Maryland! When Thursday, June 10, 2010 6:30pm - All Ages Where Sacred Sounds @ Gaura's House (map) 1308 Patuxent Dr Ashton, Maryland 20861 Other InfoPlease come for the annual Sacred Sounds gathering in Ashton Maryland. Gaura Vani and many other amazing kirtaniyas, including Radhanatha Swami, will be there to share uplifting kirtan. There will also be delicious veggie fare. All are [...]

Exhale Spa (Central Park South, NYC) – New York, NY – 04/11/10

dhonya — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 18:30:00 +0000

Event The Heart and Soul of Bhakti, the Groove and Flow of Vinyasa - NYC Workshop When Sunday, April 11, 2010 2:30pm - All Ages - Advanced Ticketing Where Exhale Spa (Central Park South, NYC) (map) 150 Central Park South between 6th + 7th Avenues New York, NY 10019 Other InfoAfter the wonderful success of their presentation last year, childhood friends Kirtan and Gaura Vani are back for [...]

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.

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: 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.

Festival of Chariots – Venice Beach – Santa Monica, California – 08/02/09

sachi — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Event Festival of the Chariots - LA When Sunday, August 2, 2009 TBD - Free and open to all. - All Ages Where Festival of Chariots - Venice Beach (map) Venice Beach, California, USA 90401 Other InfoThe 33nd Annual Festival of the Chariots will roll into Venice Beach on Sunday, August 2, 2009. The festival commences at 10:00 a.m. at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and [...]

Kuli Mela LA – John Anson Ford Amphitheatre – Los Angeles, CA – 07/31/09 – Kuli Mela

sachi — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Event Kuli Mela When Friday, July 31, 2009 7:00pm - All Ages - Advanced Ticketing Where Kuli Mela LA - John Anson Ford Amphitheatre (map) 2580 Cahuenga Blvd E Los Angeles, CA , 90068 Other InfoKulimela’s aim is to inspire the Hare Krishna 2nd generation from around the world to pursue and achieve their aspirations in both the spiritual and material context with an event to showcase [...]

Gaura Vani Interviewed on RockOm.net

rasa.acharya — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 21:19:11 +0000

Gaura Vani was interviewed for the popular website, RockOm.net recently. Here’s an excerpt from the article and a soundbite from the interview.

This week’s RockOm Featured Tracks of the Week are by the much heralded Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits. Their songs, “Surrender” and “Sleeping Soul (Jiv Jago)” are but tiny glimpses into the multi-faceted ensemble lead by Gaura Vani. Their latest release on Mantralogy Records is entitled Ten Million Moons.

Not only has Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits been featured at the sold-out Obama Presidential Inaugural event Chant4Change, they have also recently been heard on NPR’s All Things Considered and seen in the CBS Television Special, “Faith, Music and Culture.”

See the article.

Kirtan with Mayapuris and Lokanath Maharaja AYNY

sachi — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 18:50:44 +0000

We had an amazing kirtan at Eddie Stern’s Ashtanga Yoga and Sri Ganesha Temple with the Mayapuris and Lokanath Maharaja. The music went late into the night…

Listen to the entire Kirtan!

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.

Bhajans at Rukmini Dwarkadish Temple, Los Angeles

gaura.vani — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 14:00:45 +0000

It’s always wonderful to be back in LA. The beautiful deities of Radha Krishna at the New Dwarka temple are called Rukmini Dvarkadisha, and I grew up with Them. In fact, in that very temple, my mother offered me to Krishna when I was a baby.

We got together on a Wednesday night with a lot of our friends, and it was so uplifting! Energetically, we were zooming through the universe. Friends from all over were dancing and singing. Everyone was touched. A special treat was that I got to sing with one of my oldest and dearest friends, Madi Brinkman, who is not only an amazing writer and producer of plays and films but is also, and more importantly to me, an amazing singer and kirtaniya.

Gaura Vani

Listen to the entire Kirtan!

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.

Kirtan Hits Broadway – Kirtan at The Shala

sachi — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 14:00:38 +0000

Our show at The Shala was an intimate gathering of about fifty people, but all fifty of them had a smile plastered on their faces throughout the entire show. When our enthusiastic friend and fan, Dennis, stood up and began dancing, his energy was infectious. Suddenly, everyone was dancing, and I thought for a minute that the floor was bending like the fabric on a trampoline.

Eventually, everyone sat down again (whew!) and Ananta lead a sweet, slow bhajan. It was so sweet, in fact, that it inspired Acyuta to dedicate her next song to her older brother, Ananta, who, she said, “taught me everything that I know about kirtan.”

Unfortunately due to a recorder malfunction we only have the last part of this amazing kirtan.

Listen to the entire Kirtan!

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.

Kirtan for the Kids

gaura.vani — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:02:52 +0000

In Alachua, FL, which is just outside of Gainesville, there’s an elementary school called the Bhaktivedanta Academy, which holds a fundraiser event every year. This year, they invited us to perform for their Gitanjali concert. It was special for me because I got to play with a lot of friends who were in the area: Bada Hari played keyboard, Vishvambar sang and played flute, and Purusharta played bass. Many of our friends danced, including Vrinda, Vishvambar’s fiancé, and Anapayani and her students from the Bhaktikalalayam dance school. We only had one day for rehearsal, but we had a blast putting music together with a bunch of old friends, and came up with a performance that the community really appreciated. They had been hoping to bring in someone famous for their special event, but instead they just ended up with us, so we gave the performance our full heart. In the end, the Gitanjali fundraising concert raised over $21,000.

The next day, I had to leave for a friend’s wedding up in Philadelphia, so my trip south was a whirlwind tour. I came in on Thursday, spent all of Friday and half of Saturday practicing and performing, and then left sunny Florida to go back to the chilly north.

Gaura Vani

Listen to the entire Kirtan!

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.

Kirtan at Jivamukti with Nahdi

sachi — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 12:15:58 +0000

We know Nahdi from the Bhakti Immersion Retreat with Sharon Gannon, and she invited us to play some soothing instrumental music during one of her yoga classes at Jivamukti Yoga in NYC. Before the performance, Nahdi was kind enough to run some of us up to the Jivamukti Cafe for a tasty lunch, while the rest of us set up the equipment in “The Krishna Room.” Then, a nice slow, soothing kirtan during an hour and a half long yoga class.

Listen to the entire Kirtan!

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.

Hudson Kirtan Workshop and Performance (with CBS News)

sachi — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 12:15:02 +0000

EDITORS NOTE: Sunday June 7th CBS will premiere “Faith, Culture and Music” which features As Kindred Spirits. Click here to find you local show time.

CBS contacted us to find out if they would include a segment about our band in their upcoming show on religious music. We invited them to follow us around on one of our typical show days, which, as usual, was atypical. We gave a kirtan workshop and performance as part of the yoga teacher training course our friends, Raghunath and Sondra, were offering in beautiful Hudson, NY. During the day, Gaura taught Raghunath and Sondra’s students the lyrics to “Krishna Murari,” while Yamuna showed them some garba steps to a rocking kirtan.

In the afternoon, the CBS crew interviewed Gaura, Acyuta, Janaki and Ananta, as sixty people stood in the tiny hall of Sandana Yoga waiting to claim a spot for the evening kirtan show. Whew! Talk about crunch time!

All the guests eventually squeezed on through, the kirtan was roaring, and CBS got some great footage for their show. The show is called “Faith, Music and Culture” and will be broadcast Sunday, June 7 on the CBS Television Network nationwide.

Listen to the entire Kirtan!

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.

Kirtan at Jeff’s House

sachi — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:40:02 +0000

We went out with our friend Jeff and his two grandchildren to get some sorbet (yum). Later, he invited us to his beautiful, modern Manhattan apartment in Soho for a intimate kirtan with close friends. His apartment featured a built-in stage, so it was the perfect place for a mellow late-night kirtan facing a huge ten-foot-tall window. Then, after the show, we found ourselves in the backroom, of course, playing around with Jeff’s vast collection of musical instruments. There’s nothing like banging on tambourines and exotic drums at one o’clock in the morning!

Listen to the entire Kirtan!

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.

Kirtan with Radhanath Swami at Radha Govinda Mandir

gaura.vani — Tue, 19 May 2009 16:53:40 +0000

Sunday nights in NYC are usually reserved for the weekly evening service at Radha Govinda Mandir in Brooklyn. This night, however, was special because His Holiness Radhanath Swami was visiting. Radhanath Swami is Gaura, Acyuta, Janaki and Ananta’s guru (spiritual teacher). He shared some Rama lila with everyone, and then lead a heartfelt and sincere kirtan with Gaura. Acyuta, Srikanta Prabhu and others lead more kirtan late into the night, until everyone was finally convinced to go home and get some rest. Who needs sleep when they have kirtan and the association of friends and family, anyway?

Listen to the entire Kirtan!

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.

Jiva Mukti Bhakti Immersion Retreat

gaura.vani — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:22:29 +0000

We had the wonderful opportunity to do kirtan at the Old Westbury Gardens with Sharon Gannon, Julie Kirkpatrick and our dear friend and Gita teacher Joshua Greene. It was the second annual Bhakti Retreat for Jivamukti and it was a blast. The Asana class was intense and fun. Sharon’s iPod mix was mostly Krishna songs and especially the Hare Krishna Mantra. Joshua and I are both novices at Asana Yoga and it was fun to be humble and watch each other bumble around while the rest of the folks were twisting like divine pretzels. LOL. The food was divine too and the company as well.

The kirtans were fantastic too. Deep and intense. At one point one of the yoga teachers from Jivamukti, Nahdi started rapping during our kirtan. It was sweet and fun.

Listen to the entire Kirtan!

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.

Light on Mumbai Fundraiser

gaura.vani — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:19:31 +0000

East West Yoga/Books/Living is a group of beautiful conscious spaces in Manhattan on 5th Ave – bookstore, yoga studio, ayurveda, and now also a gallery of the work of Alex and Alyson Grey. Our friend Michael Ferranti, who’s the Ayurvedic doctor on staff there, hosted a fundraiser for the victims of the Mumbai massacre. There were silent auctions and raffles and wonderful refreshments and beautiful company. It was fantastic. We were invited to play music along with other musicians like our dear friend Radha Gopinath and his band “One” and new friend flutist, Eric Fraser.

The special treat for us was His Holiness Radhanath Swami was there speaking about his experience in Mumbai during the terrorist attacks. He was right in the middle of speaking at a gathering that day in Mumbai on November 26th when the bombs starting going off. I’m not sure if you know that he’s my guru (teacher) and he’s usually travelling abroad. It’s always wonderful to see him and hear from him in person. He spoke about the need to combat the inner terrorists of Lust, Anger and Greed. He also spoke highly of Michael Ferranti for organizing this amazing gathering for the selfless cause of helping Mumbai’s victims through the establishment of trauma centers in the city. So far no one’s done that at all.

Of course, the kirtans at East West have always been thumpin’ and intense; dancing and spinning. The line-up for As Kindred Spirits that night was me – Gaura Vani, Acyuta Gopi, Ananta Govinda on mrdanga, Janaki singing, Ray Ippolito on electric guitar, John Kruth on flutes. Last time we were there, Kamaniya and As Kindred Spirits teamed up for an evening of divine wildness. This was no exception. Kamaniya came to dance and sing and all our friends uplifted the evening even more than where it was already at. Fantastic.

Listen to the entire Kirtan!

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.

Kirtan for Radhastami (Sri Radha’s Birthday)

gaura.vani — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:25:59 +0000

Radhastami – Washington, DC

The day was Radha’s birthday – when all her honeybees get the blessing of seeing her sacred feet and getting her blessings. I was lucky enough to be in the presence of Radha Madana-Mohan at the temple in Potomac, MD. The kirtans were amazing. When the whole temple lifts their voices in deep prayer for Radha’s mercy it feels like waves of energy and ecstacy are crashing down on us. “Radheyyyyyyyy, Govinda!” The altar was decoratedwith beautiful flowers and garlands of tuberoses hung from Radha’s hands and from Krishna’s turban. It was true kirtan bliss.

Gaura