Kirtan First: Krishna Das Invokes Narayana and Yardbirds at 55th Grammy Awards (Breaking News/Video)

February 11, 2013
Share

Mark this day in kirtan history:  Krishna Das played at the Grammys, invoking Narayana (that’s God) and the Yardbirds, the British invasion band of the 1960′s.  What could be more perfect for the Rock Star of Yoga? Okay, so he didn’t win the coveted Grammy Award for Best New Age Album.  We’ve brooded.  We’ve pounded [...]

Share
Read the full article →

Kirtan in a New Age: What’s in a Grammy Category Name?

February 8, 2013
Share

“Genre unknown.”  Have you ever gotten this message when you download a kirtan CD into iTunes?  We get it a lot. More often than not, the iTunes database pulls up a blank in the “Genre” category.  Sometimes it pulls up as World Music, sometimes Alternative, sometimes Folk (Shyamdas in particular), and sometimes — get this! — Country (GuruGanesha’s Kundalini [...]

Share
Read the full article →

Feels Like ‘Yesterday’ — Classic Shyamdas in Wacky Spontaneous Improv at Omega Chant (VIDEO)

February 1, 2013
Share

This is classic Shyamdas, in all his spontaneous wit and wackiness.  The always-unpredictable closing session of Omega Ecstatic Chant had just gotten underway, with Shyamdas at the helm.  It was time to call in the troops — to get all the musicians on stage for the finale  and send the 1,000 or so chanters off with [...]

Share
Read the full article →

Swept Up in a ‘Tidal Wave of Bhav’ With Shyamdas: Epic 45-Minute MahaMantra (VIDEO)

January 23, 2013
Share

“We’re going to end on this,” Shyamdas said, as he launched us into the final powerful crest of an epic Hare Krishna chant that undulated like the waves of an ocean for 45 ecstatic minutes (two-part video below).  It started as a slow, deep prayer before gradually rising to the inevitable full-on whirling cresendo, then ebbing [...]

Share
Read the full article →

End of the World? Chant Louder. Where’s the Bhav on 12.21.12?

December 20, 2012
Share

It’s been the subject of scholarly study, doomsday prophesizing and New Age philosophizing alike for…well, pretty much forever.  It’s inspired countless books,  millions of articles, a major motion picture, and more than a few good cartoons.  Whatever your beliefs are about 12.21.12 — the end of the world, the beginning of a new world, or none [...]

Share
Read the full article →

The Bhakti Beat’s Conscious Gift Guide for Kirtan Junkies, Chantheads & Mantra Revolutionaries

December 12, 2012
Share

Okay, Christmas isn’t exactly a Hindu or Vaishnava holy day– we get that — but apparently it is a national holiday in Mother India, and celebrated exuberantly.  Here in the West, well, Christmas is hard to escape, no matter your religious leanings (or lack thereof).  We’re willing to bet that there are a few people out [...]

Share
Read the full article →

Krishna Das’ ‘Live Ananda’ Earns Grammy Nomination; Kirtan Grammy Would Be A First (Breaking News)

December 6, 2012
Share

Kirtan at the Grammys?  Now that would be cool.  But we’re getting ahead of ourselves… Chantmaster Krishna Das, the legendary “rock star of yoga,” has earned a nod from the Grammy nominators for Live Ananda, which is up for Best New Age Album of the Year.  It is only the second time in history, to our [...]

Share
Read the full article →

Wallahs to Watch: Daniel Paul & Gina Sala Launch ‘Tabla Mantra’ with West Coast Tour (Interview, Videos)

December 6, 2012
Share

A musical match made in bhakti heaven? Tabla maestro Daniel Paul and Seattle-based songstress Gina Salá have set sail on their first road trip together to launch Paul’s latest CD, Tabla Mantra: Songs of Love and Rhythmic Rapture, which features Salá’s vocal prowess on almost every track.  (Jai Uttal, C.C. White, Prajna Vieira, Steve Gorn, and lots more make appearances [...]

Share
Read the full article →

Five Ways to Keep the Gratitude Flowing, Even When the Thanksgiving Leftovers Are Gone (Donna De Lory Video)

November 27, 2012
Share

Gratitude is rewarding and may be contagious.  That is the suggestion from a converging body of research exploring how positive emotions like gratitude and appreciation affect our hearts, our brains, and even those around us. Giving thanks may be easier on the day we Americans set aside for it, but how do we keep that thankful [...]

Share
Read the full article →

Give Gratitude from the Heart. Your Brain Will Thank You. (And So Will Your Family.)

November 22, 2012
Share

The emerging science of positive attitudes like gratitude and appreciation leaves little doubt that giving thanks is good for you and good for those around you.  So what are you waiting for? Update:  see our antidote for post-Thanksgiving hangover/withdrawal:  5 Ways to Keep the Gratitude Flowing, Even When the Thanksgiving Leftovers Are Gone (Donna De [...]

Share
Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →