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Sean Johnson of the Wild Lotus BandInterviewed by Daniel Tucker | February 21, 2012
Vijay Krsna of the KirtaniyasInterviewed by Daniel Tucker | January 19, 2012
Heart and SoulAlbum review by Daniel Tucker | December 29, 2011Kirtan in the West is a rapidly evolving sacred music. It's roots stretch back to ancient Indian chanting of sanskrit mantras containing the names of God. And yet it's branches reach out with fresh growth each year, as new generations of musicians employ their creativity in the service of the divine vibrations of kirtan.It was only recently that mantras began to grace western recordings. In the 70's and 80's, George Harrison planted seeds of kirtan by incorporating mantras into his songwriting, most famously with his song of devotion "My Sweet Lord" culminating in the joyous repetition of the Hare Krishna mantra. In the 90's, chant music really took root when Krishna Das began recording albums of entirely kirtan music, with rhythmic underpinnings from rock and world music. In the 2000's, kirtan blossomed into a substantial...
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Daniel Tucker: In the upcoming March 5th 
Sean Johnson: One of the things I am most grateful for is when music comes through mysteriously, like a great gift from the Universe, and we get to have the blessing of being the vessel for this music. Several years ago I was cooking a meal with my love Farah in our kitchen here in New Orleans and, as I often do, I was singing to myself spontaneously. I began singing "Om Hari Om" in a spontaneous melody. Farah stopped me and said "Sean, go get your recorder right now. That's really sweet." So I got the recorder and we sang it together with the sound of veggies and olive oil simmering in the background. The next day I sat at my altar at home and started...
Vijay Krsna: This particular chant is quite a traditional favorite, and you can find as many variations of it as there are temples and asrams in India. "Krsna" is the name of the Divine Beloved, the male aspect of the Divine. "Govinda" and "Gopala" means he who protects and loves the cows, which is one of Krsna's favorite things to do. Another interpretation is he who gives bliss to the senses. ("Go" in the ancient sanskrt language means both "cow" and "senses"). Then the next line of the song goes "bhaja Murali Manohara Nandalala"...