The Band § Biographies § The Tour § New Album ... · PDF fileGuruGanesha World devotional music pioneer, Spirit Voyage Records founder, distinctive guitar stylist, songwriter,...

The Band § Biographies § The Tour § New Album § Discography § Website

The GuruGanesha Band is the latest project from the mind, heart and guitar of world devotional music pioneer GuruGanesha Singh. Renowned for his work with sublime vocalists like Snatam Kaur, Nirinjan Kaur and Tina Malia, GuruGanesha steps into the limelight with his latest musical venture, a multi-talented ensemble culled from the A-list of players and singers on today’s rapidly-expanding kirtan/chant/yoga music scene.

Long noted for the effortless grace and mellifluous lyricism of his acoustic guitar work, GuruGanesha has turned his talents to his first love, the electric guitar, to ignite the incandescent sound of the GuruGanesha Band. With shimmering, glassy tonalities and evocative textures, he takes the vast sonic potential of modern guitar electronics to a new and blissful place. Accompanying him on this musical journey are master cellist/multi-instrumentalist Hans Christian (RASA, Krishna Das, Robbie Robertson, Harry Manx, Jai Uttal and Donna De Lory), beguiling and unforgettable newcomer

Paloma Devi on vocals, Spirit Voyage recording artist/ kundalini yoga teacher Sat Kartar Singh on acoustic guitar, and kundalini bass guitar magician Gurusangat Singh (recording artist and producer of the popular Miracle Mantra Series), and world music multi-percussionist Tripp Dudley on drum kit, tabla, and cajon.

“This is a project that I’ve had in my heart for many years,” says GuruGanesha. “The idea behind the GuruGanesha Band is to bring to the world music scene a group that can musically hold its own with the great guitar bands of all time, but instead of conventional lyrics, singing mantras and divine poetry to transport audiences to a profoundly beautiful and transcendent place. All of the spiritual and musical work I’ve done for the past 39 years has been preparing me for this.”

GuruGanesha describes the GGB sound as “a unique blend of kirtan, raga, rock, and deeply meditative folk music. I will primarily be playing electric guitar and I’ve hand-picked the musicians not only for their musical virtuosity but also for their ability to channel the spiritual energy that the band will be serving. The vocals will be a group effort with plenty of rich two and three part harmonies though Paloma Devi will regularly step out and blow people away with her amazing vocal improvisations. The audience will be encouraged to fully participate, whether it be singing along, dancing or just meditating deeply on the music.”

Come share a magical evening of music, stories, joy and inspiration with GuruGanesha and his incomparable band.

The Band Biographies The Tour New Album Discography Website

GuruGanesha World devotional music pioneer, Spirit Voyage Records founder, distinctive guitar stylist, songwriter, singer, producer, entrepreneur, accomplished yogi and lifelong spiritual practitioner, GuruGanesha is a man of many talents. His most recent project is the GuruGanesha Band, an adventurous ensemble of mantra music all-stars born of GuruGanesha’s longstanding wish to combine the profound spirituality of mantra music with the visceral excitement of a great guitar-driven band. The GuruGanesha Band’s debut album A Thousand Suns takes world devotional music to visionary new realms of musical innovation with an inspiring fusion of kirtan, rock, raga, folk, blues and Latin sounds that has left audiences from coast to coast dripping with bliss and ecstatic joy.

The GuruGanesha Band is just one of many high points in a career that has spanned several decades, bringing joy and inspiration to music lovers all around the world. GuruGanesha’s shimmering, incandescent guitar work and creative vision were instrumental in launching the career of Snatam Kaur, with whom he has recorded and performed extensively. His rich career path has also embraced collaborations with Guru Singh, Seal, Tina Malia, Nirinjan Kaur, Thomas Barquee and Jai-Jagdeesh. The deep catalog of GuruGanesha’s solo recordings includes Grateful Ganesh, Pure Ganesh, Joy is Now, and Kundalini Surjhee.

GuruGanesha is one of those rare individuals who combine the heart and soul of an artist with the clear, quick mind of a businessman and the easygoing warmth of a born raconteur. His immense contribution to the yoga and conscious music movement is one of the genre’s most radiant jewels.

The Band Biographies The Tour New Album Discography Website

Paloma Devi Hans Christian Sat Kartar Singh Gurusangat Singh Tripp DudleyGuruGanesha

Paloma Devi Singer, musician, scholar, dancer and yogini, Paloma Devi’s exquisite voice is an integral part of the GuruGanesha Band. Whether singing lead, harmony or duets with bandleader GuruGanesha Singh, her performances are always steeped in a profound sense of devotion and connection with the Divine. She brings a richly eclectic musical background to the GGB, not to mention the poise, discipline, generosity and gentle strength of a lifelong spiritual pilgrim.

And she steps into a rather deep stream in joining forces with the GGB. GuruGanesha is known for fostering, cultivating and enabling the careers of major mantra vocalists such as Snatam Kaur, Mirabai Ceiba, Tina Malia, Nirinjan Kaur and others. A relative newcomer to the world devotional scene, Paloma will be following in these auspicious footsteps, while also sharing the stage with

seasoned kirtan vets like Hans Christian and GuruGanesha himself. But even in this distinguished company, her talent shines through brilliantly, while also bringing a wonderfully balancing feminine energy to the GuruGanesha Band.

“Paloma is going to be one of the next superstars of mantra music,” an enthusiastic GuruGanesha predicts. “When she sings, she goes deeply into Spirit, and she takes the rest of us with her.” Paloma’s creative journey began when she started singing in her church choir as a child in Miami. “You know, I always had a connection with singing, and singing for God,” she says. “I always had very meditative experiences in church, especially when I was singing. Every prayer to me was a meditation.

See more on the GuruGanesha Band website.

The Band Biographies The Tour New Album Discography Website

Paloma Devi Hans Christian Sat Kartar Singh Gurusangat Singh Tripp DudleyGuruGanesha

Hans ChristianHans Christian’s versatility as performer, recording artist, and producer for over 25 years has created a legacy of concerts and recordings that have touched people’s hearts around the world.

His unmistakable cello playing moves the listener with a haunting beauty, and his use of live looping and various ethnic string instruments expresses a universal musical language that transcends boundaries, cultures, and generations.

As a co-founder of the reknowned World Music group RASA he has developed a devoted fan base with his virtuosic creativity, and his affiliation with Wisdom University as artist-in-residence has garnered him rare access to the Cathedral in Chartres, France for repeated

performance and recording opportunities. Recent noteworthy studio collaborations include a double CD with Andrew Harvey (Rumi Symphony/Allemande Music, 2011) and award winning Canadian artist Harry Manx (You are the Music of my Silence/Allemande Music, 2012). Hans also tours nationwide as a solo artist, offering passionate concerts on cello, assorted ethnic string instruments, and live looping. His melodic contributions as a string player add a unique flavor to the sound of the GuruGanesha Band.

The Band Biographies The Tour New Album Discography Website

Paloma Devi Hans Christian Sat Kartar Singh Gurusangat Singh Tripp DudleyGuruGanesha

Sat Kartar SinghSat Kartar and GuruGanesha have been singing and playing guitar together for over 20 years. Fast friends from the moment they were introduced, the two have lived near each other in the Washington DC area for almost 25 years, and, throughout that time, have enjoyed being music partners for many hometown events. Their families will tell you this current creative partnership was inevitable; and so it was.

An early student of renowned spiritual master Yogi Bhajan, Sat Kartar began teaching Kundalini yoga in 1975. During the formative years of the American yoga movement, he was intimately involved in the development of the 3HO Kundalini instruction program. When not on tour with The GuruGanesha Band, he is immersed in several Teacher Training programs in the DC Metro area, serving the next generation of aspiring Kundalini Yoga teachers. Into his

own yoga classes, Sat Kartar integrates the science of Naad (Sacred Sound Current), creating a profoundly healing and transformative experience. His classes are beloved by many.

Bandmates describe Sat Kartar as “wise”, “peaceful”, and, most hilariously, “Gandalf-ish”. They’ll also tell you how generous he is with his healing talents as a practitioner of Yogic Neuromuscular therapy while the group is out on the road. And band leader GuruGanesha is grateful to be traveling with his buddy of so many years, which is clearly evident to audiences everywhere; the onstage rapport between the two is a highlight of any concert evening.

“I’m an Accidental Rock Star” says Sat Kartar with a chuckle. “It’s all so unexpected, but I’m really enjoying it. I feel truly blessed to be a member of The GuruGanesha Band”.

The Band Biographies The Tour New Album Discography Website

Paloma Devi Hans Christian Sat Kartar Singh Gurusangat Singh Tripp DudleyGuruGanesha

Gurusangat SinghGurusangat Singh has been singing, studying, writing and performing music for over 30 years. He grew up in New Orleans, surrounded by that city’s rich musical heritage. There he studied with renowned jazz patriarch Ellis Marsallis, who helped shape his approach to jazz and to music in general.

When Gurusangat discovered the teachings of Kundalini Yoga, he was able to merge his two great loves: music and meditation. Since then he has recorded and produced the five CDs comprising the popular “Miracle Mantra Series”, featuring himself and Dr. Gurucharan Singh Khalsa. He is known for creating lush soundscapes that draw you effortlessly into a meditative state.

Designed specifically for meditation, and tested in the classroom, his greatest hits include The Miracle Mantra of Guru Ram Das, Isht Sodhana Manta Kriya, Hummee Hum Brahm Hum, and Wahe Guru for Sodarshan Chakra Kriya.

Since joining the GuruGanesha Band, Gurusangat has put down his six-string guitar, and stepped fully into the role of bassman. He delves deep into the hypnotic rhythmic interplay that holds a band together. He stands at the bottom, and lifts everyone up.

The Band Biographies The Tour New Album Discography Website

Paloma Devi Hans Christian Sat Kartar Singh Gurusangat Singh Tripp DudleyGuruGanesha

Tripp DudleyTripp Dudley was born in Montgomery, Alabama. At the age of 10 he picked up a guitar, and not long after that he began playing drums in his Jr. high school band. After 2 years of classical percussion, he started playing drumset.

At 20 Tripp began attending Berklee College of Music, specializing in drumset and percussion. He quickly started studying Indian rhythmic systems on frame drums and tabla, beginning a very big part of his future path through music. He graduated in 2005 and returned to Alabama, where he played a lot of Blues and Funk, toured with the band Highly Kind, taught guitar and drumset, and worked as a studio engineer. In early 2007 he moved to New York City.

During his first few years in New York, Tripp worked steadily as a percussionist-for-hire, meeting and collaborating with musicians from many different genres - hip hop, funk, jazz, singer/songwriter, rock ‘n roll, Indian classical, many different world-fusion groups and even the occasional off-Broadway musical. When not at a gig, Tripp practiced tabla for hours a day, deepening his connection to the intricacies of Indian percussion. In 2009 he began studying with tabla maestro Pandit Samir Chatterjee.

Tripp currently resides in New York, and is still a disciple of Pandit Samir Chatterjee. Some of the artists that Tripp has shared the stage with are: Jai-Jagdeesh, Bolé, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Gurunam Singh, Copal, Letha, Mirabai Ceiba, Highly Kind, Blues Old Stand, The Mast, Tablaphilia, and PremaBhumi to name a few. He also has his own Afro-Indian fusion project called Kaleidhaphonic.

The Band Biographies The Tour New Album Discography Website

Paloma Devi Hans Christian Sat Kartar Singh Gurusangat Singh Tripp DudleyGuruGanesha

SUPERSTARS OF DEVOTIONAL MUSIC ALIGN FOR 26 CONCERT NORTH AMERICAN TOUR

Deva Premal & Miten and the GuruGanesha Band Come Together for this Year’s Bhakti Blockbuster TourThe superstars of mantra music are aligning this year, as Deva Premal and Miten join forces with the GuruGanesha Band for the 26 Concert MantraFest Tour, commencing on September 10 in Chicago. Presented by Reed’s healthy new Culture Club Kombucha beverages and produced by Bright Star Live Events, the tour is a truly historic event, bringing together two visionary musical ensembles led by three of the chief architects of the sacred chant phenomenon that has energized the yoga and meditation alternative movement in recent years—Deva Premal, Miten and GuruGanesha.

Both acts were there at the dawn of the conscious music explosion. Deva and Miten’s inspirational 1998 recording of the Gayatri Mantra became one of the yoga scene’s first great anthems. And GuruGanesha launched Spirit Voyage records in 2000, fostering the music and divinely inspired voice of Snatam Kaur as guitarist, supporting vocalist, and manager.

The music of these genre-defining artists continues to evolve in beautiful waves of ever-expanding consciousness. A Deeper Light, the new album by Deva Premal and Miten, is a masterpiece of organic trance grooves and blissful atmospheres gracefully buoying the glorious voice of mantra music’s angel-in-chief. Their group currently includes mantra music’s own Krishna incarnation, the Nepalese bansuri flute maestro, Manose, and Dutch keyboard wizard Maneesh de Moor creating a majestic, meditative and multi-hued musical experience.

As for the GuruGanesha Band, their inaugural tour in 2012 inspired influential Bhakti Beat scribe Brenda Patione to declare them “the mantra music band of the year.” Their forthcoming debut album A Thousand Suns takes world devotional music to visionary new realms of musical innovation with an inspired fusion of kirtan, rock, raga, folk, blues and Latin sounds that has left audiences from coast to coast dripping with bliss and ecstatic joy. GuruGanesha’s incandescent guitar playing and deeply grounded vocals twine in yin/yang heartplay with the beguiling voice of Paloma Devi, a gifted artist and devoted yogini destined to become mantra music’s next great avatar. And, manifesting a thousand musical colors and infectious earthbeat grooves for the GuruGanesha Band are renowned multi-instrumentalist Hans Christian (saranghi, nyckelharpa, sitara, cello), guitarist Sat Kartar Singh, bassist Gurusangat Singh and multi-percussionist Tripp Dudley.

With two of the best and most-beloved ensembles in mantra music sharing the same stage, MantraFest is a true gathering of the tribes, providing many magical evenings of rapturous sacred chant.

“The direct, daily experience that Deva and I have is that mantras support us through every challenge,” says Miten. “Our mission is to share this powerful healing tool with the world. And we know that this is a mission we share with GuruGanesha. His music has always been remarkable for a depth of spiritual connection that has a real sparkle and twinkle.”

“Deva, Miten and I have been close friends for many years,” adds GuruGanesha. “They’re truly heavenly beings who walk the talk. When I was touring with Snatam Kaur in the early days, she and I both considered Deva and Miten as mentors. Their magnificent

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The Band Biographies The Tour New Album Discography Website

music radiates a divine love that opens every heart and leaves not a dry eye in the house. Add in the musical magic of our supporting players and you get a presentation that is as polished and professional as anything the mainstream music world has to offer.”

Reed’s Inc. CEO Chris Reed declares: “I’ve been a big fan of Deva Premal & Miten for a long time, ever since I first heard their wonderful recording of ‘Om Mani Padme Hum.’ I’m a longtime admirer of GuruGanesha as well. For me, he’s the Jerry Garcia of kirtan music. All of us here at Reed’s are so proud of our new Culture Club Kombucha. And it just seems fitting to bring it together with artists of Deva, Miten and GuruGanesha’s caliber for a high vibration concert tour like MantraFest 2013.”

For more on MantraFest, visit BrightStar Live Events

MantraFest Fall 2013 Tour Schedule

September 10th – Skokie, ILSeptember 12th – Toronto, ON

September 14th – Montreal, QCSeptember 15th – Ottawa, ON

September 18th – Medford, MASeptember 19th – Bridgeport, CT

September 21st – New York City, NYSeptember 22nd – Philadelphia, PASeptember 24th – Washington, DC

September 28th – Miami, FLSeptember 29th – Miami, FLOctober 1st – Asheville, NCOctober 4th – Houston, TXOctober 5th – Dallas, TX

October 13th – Boulder, COOctober 17th – Calgary, AB

October 18th – Edmonton, ABOctober 23rd – Victoria, BC

October 24th – Vancouver, BCOctober 26th – Seattle, WA

October 27th – Portland, OROctober 29th – Oakland, CA

October 30th – Santa Cruz, CANovember 1st – Los Angeles, CANovember 3rd – Escondido, CA

November 5th – Mesa, AZ

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Debut album from the GuruGanesha Band with Paloma Devi Shines Brighter than A Thousand SunsEvery once in a while an album comes along that elevates the world devotional music genre to new heights—propelling sacred mantras beyond the yoga studio and onto the international stage, where kirtan can proudly take its place alongside the finest pop, jazz or classical music. A Thousand Suns by the GuruGanesha Band with newcomer Paloma Devi is just such an album.

Blessed with a profound sense of spiritual devotion and a high level of artistry, it is the very oceanlike nectar of infinite bliss rendered audible—an immensely satisfying and inspiring musical experience.

Helmed by mantra music patriarch, guitarist, vocalist and songwriter GuruGanesha, A Thousand Suns features the debut of the supremely gifted vocalist Paloma Devi, along with a dazzlingly accomplished ensemble of musicians including bowed-string wizard Hans Christian and keyboard/production polymath Thomas Barquee. What they’ve forged together is nothing short of breathtaking.

Coming from a long and successful run with singer Snatam Kaur and a much-beloved string of solo albums, GuruGanesha is no stranger to the mantra idiom. But A Thousand Suns may well be his finest hour, a crowning achievement. In recent years, he has expanded his instrumental palette to include electric as well as acoustic guitars, an artistic growth spurt that has placed a rich, sun-dappled array of evocative tones at his command. His touch on his chosen instruments is steeped in understated assurance and gentle expansiveness.

But for all its moments of solo guitar grandeur, A Thousand Suns is, above all, an ensemble effort. Instrumentally, GuruGanesha is well matched by the polychrome genius of Hans Christian, whose masterfully handled cello, saranghi, nyckelharpa, sitara and other stringed instruments alternate and intertwine with GuruGanesha’s guitar leads in gloriously crafted antiphony and harmony. Vocally as well, the album is solidly grounded in the give-and-take heartplay of call-and-response kirtan chanting, setting GuruGanesha’s baritone in yin yang contrapoise to the beguiling voice of Paloma Devi. < continue on next page >

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This young woman is clearly poised to become the next superstar of mantra music, ready to take her place alongside the genre’s other great divas. She is possessed of a voice that drips with the sweet perfume of devotion—a voice that speaks directly to the heart in a language so intimate and tender it’s as if your own soul is singing to you. Her crystalline purity of tone is embossed with glints of contemporary r&b, salsa and pop. This is a voice for the ages, but also a voice for right now—multicultural, compassionately engaged, a balm for our troubled times. It quivers like the softly beating breast of a heavenward ascendant dove. It shimmers like the finest, gossamer cloth-of-gold. It leaves the listener defenseless and enraptured.

The album’s six lavishly-produced tracks offer a generous range of musical styles, reflecting the artists’ diverse gifts and sensibilities. The title track, co-written by GuruGanesha and Paloma, is a meditative ballad with gospel/folk overtones—voices, guitar and cello calling to one another across vast oceans of devotion. “Sri Ram” unfolds with the courtly exoticism of a suite by Ravel or Rimsky-Korsakov, transporting the listener via magic carpet to a starlit night amongst the Gopis. Up until now, GuruGanesha has mainly worked with texts from Sikh tradition, so it’s a delight to hear him lend his talents to one of the quintessential Hindu mantras.

The jaunty, retro-pop of “Thy Will Be Done,” gets down into GuruGanesha’s rock and roll roots. His reverb-drenched leads and Paloma’s wailing vocal descants sound like they could have come right off Haight Street, circa 1967, touching on the yoga movement’s psychedelic roots. Meanwhile, Paloma’s Cuban heart shines through radiantly on the Latin-inflected “Waho Waho Gobind Singh” with its supple rhythmic sway, heartfelt vocal in Español and Guajarati, Euro-cafe fiddle and Santana-esque six-string fire.

“Mayray Meet Gurudev” gracefully balances on artfully wrought lattices of filigreed guitar work, keening saranghi and sparkling piano. The composition’s compelling refrain packs the heady upward thrust of the titular thousand solar orbs. And the closing track, the raga-based “Mayra Piara” wafts us homeward with a hypnotic mantra set to a simple, almost folkloric melody and set amidst fugue-like instrumental adornments that draw us ever deeper into the essence of these sacred syllables.

The message of A Thousand Suns is perhaps best encapsulated in the title track’s simple, repeated refrain: “Open your heart.” Confronted with such musical majesty, how could we do otherwise? “Can you feel it?” asks the next line. How could we possibly not?

—Alan di Perna

The Band Biographies The Tour New Album Discography Website

GuruGanesha Albums

Collaborations

The Band Biographies The Tour New Album Discography Website

The Band Biographies The Tour New Album Discography Website

For more information about the GuruGanesha Band, visit:

Official GuruGanesha Band Website

For more information on their tours, visit:

BrightStar Live Events