September 2, 2007 at 8:30 pm (Music, Tour)
Greetings from the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York. I am enjoying my last evening here along the Hudson River. We have been performing on the same bill as Krishna Das, Jai Uttal, Deva Premal and Miten, Manose, Carioca, and others. It has truly been a fantastic weekend filled with chanting, joy, and great music. We performed Friday night for 45 minutes— a very deep, relaxing set, and then again yesterday morning for an hour and a half. Tonight Deva Premal and Mitel performed a beautiful set where they brought up each of the other artists to play a piece. At the very end, we were all up on stage singing together! I am hoping to get pictures… Guru Ganesha, Jai Uttal, and I were all singing harmony with each other in a group. There was so much happiness on stage and in the room. It was an incredibly wonderful experience.
It has been very nice to get to know the other artists as people— we hear them on recordings all the time, but to get to know them as people really helps me understand where their music comes from and what their intentions are. I got to know Jai Uttal’s tabla player, Daniel Paul, at dinner this evening. He is a wonderful man who understands the relationships between western music and Indian music and has wonderful stories of Ali Akbar Khan and Zakir Hussein. We also connected on a very personal level and by the end of the evening I would like to say that he is a new good friend.
Tomorrow we will play our last concert here at 9AM. We’ll invite Deva Premal, Miten, and Manose onstage with us for the set. It should be good! After the set, we will drive to the Newark airport where we will catch our flight to Zurich! My travels to Europe are finally happening…
Until the next time inspiration strikes,
Peace.
1 Comment
July 17, 2007 at 10:34 am (Music, Tour, non-profit)
On the Celebrate Peace Tour we use our music to inspire others to create peaceful communities. Music is the one true universal language—it is the one medium that has the greatest chance of creating a peaceful world. Recently I was inspired to start a non-profit organization that will give grants to arts programs in public schools so that students at an early age will be exposed to the powerful tools of music and the arts and can in turn use those tools to bridge societies and cultures together in harmony.
I owe everything of where I am now to my past education and those that supported the arts. I realize that I have had a unique experience in my education. I do not believe, however, that I am alone in my experience, and I firmly trust that we can create a country where the majority of students can have similar experiences to mine.
I am sad to say that as I have visited my former schools, I have noticed a dramatic decline in available arts classes and performances. In a mere three years, the changes are very apparent. We cannot wait any longer. Instead, we need to inspire a renaissance in the country. It is necessary that art be found in every profession and activity. I ask for your help in creating this shift to a new renaissance. In doing so, we inspire the country to stand for what it means to: independent thought. We would be injecting vitality into American culture and helping the country remain independent yet a vital peaceful contributor to the global community.
If you would like to be involved or need more information on my project, please email me at ramdass@mac.com.
Leave a Comment
March 13, 2007 at 9:05 pm (Music, Tour)
It is now two weeks before my first tour of the year starts. I’m currently in the Herndon, VA area ready to begin a week of practicing with Snatam, Guru Ganesha, Manish Vyas, and Krishan. It has been a busy break with some huge plans in the works. I am currently spearheading a project to start a non-profit organization that would give funds to arts departments in public schools as well as lobby politicians to provide funding for the arts in our education system. I have written to all available politicians as well as many artists seeking support. This will be one of my big projects both on and off tour. I feel that even though playing music for others is a great service, it is not enough. I want to make sure that future generations have opportunities to be regularly exposed to the arts. I feel that arts education is the most crucial part of learning and that it is being lost very rapidly. I will post regular updates concerning the organization, its principles, and its development.
I am also working on a solo album with Krishan which we’re planning on releasing at the end of summer.
I woke up at 5AM Western time so that I could fly to DC, so I am now going to bid you adieu and update soon.
1 Comment
November 11, 2006 at 2:42 pm (Music, Tour)
Last time I updated, I was in… Connecticut? Since then we have played shows in New York, New Jersey, Toronto and London, Michigan, and now we are in Evanston, Illinois. We are staying in a beautiful house in Winnetka, IL which is about ten minutes from our venue in Evanston. It is amazing how generous each host is in each town. I am so grateful for the generosity each family has shown us. Tonight is the last concert of the tour… I am relieved and at the same time very excited. We have been on the road for almost a month now and have covered a lot of ground. DC to Ottawa back to the northeast, up to Toronto, down to Michigan, and now the greate Chicagoland Area!
Touring has thoroughly reinforced my belief that worrying is pointless. Yesterday we left Troy, Michigan at 10:15 eastern time expecting to arrive in Chicago for a 4:00 children’s program with extra time to warm up. We got to Gary, Indiana at around 1:30 and hit hard rain and traffic. It took another 4 hours to get from Gary through the city traffic. I don’t think we got to the venue until maybe 5. The entire way, we saw huge flashes of lightning and felt the heavy winds. Last time I was in Chicago, the weather was so peaceful and beautiful. This time we heard weather reports for wind and snow. We have decided that there is no such thing as an “easy” travel day. We DID get to our venue and put on a great half-hour program for about 50 kids. They were all excited to see Guru Ganesha’s guitar, hear Snatam’s stories, see my clarinet, and of course, hear Krishan’s tablas. Snatam asked the kids if they knew what instrument I played. One boy up in front immediately yelled “CLARINET!” It made me very happy. Anyway, worrying… It’s pointless. We could have easily freaked out about our delay. It almost happened. But you get to a point where you have to realize that there’s nothing you can do about it. You get there when you get there and it will be great. That’s just the way it is… To quote Billy Preston, “That’s the way God planned it and that’s the way God wants it to be.” It’s much more exciting when he sings it though.
So off we go into the wild blue yonder. The tour is still going strong through the end! I will have many funny stories to post after the tour is over.
3 Comments
October 25, 2006 at 10:23 am (Music, Tour)
Greetings from the small town of Torrington, Connecticut. We made an 8 hour drive from Ottawa to here yesterday. We passed through beautiful upstate New York and a small chunk of Massachusetts. We are all dealing with sickness… It seems that the cold weather of Ottawa and a rigorous schedule were very hard on our bodies. I saw the picture of myself on Snatam’s blog and was shocked and how tired I look. The good news is that we are all having a wonderful time. It’s a great family we have here. Snatam is resting in a motel room all day today and the rest of us will be setting up for this evening’s concert in about an hour. At the moment, Guru Ganesha and I are sitting in a McDonald’s because it’s the only place in town that has wireless internet. It’s surprising how cozy it is here. They play decent music, and there aren’t many distractions. This morning GG and I did our vocal warmups and yoga with our host Bret and the cook, an amazing japanese man, for these couple days. They are loving people who have really treated us well. Everywhere we go, we are treated like the best of family. It is amazing how humble and grateful people are for the presence of this tour. It’s inspiring to see and really what this tour is about: Celebratig Peace. I would personally like to thank all of our friends in Ottawa again for all that they did for us. We all appreciated the service so much.
Here are some pictures from the past few days:
The Celebrate Peace gang at the Canadian Border
Krishan and I ventured off before Canadian Peace Prayer Day and found the City Council room. Krishan had a lot to say about Canada.
Canadian Peace Prayer Day with all of the children.
Sunny Ottawa
Soundcheck at a church in Ottawa
Rainy Ottawa
Snowy Ottawa
I will update tomorrow probably. Perhaps Ganesh and I will come back to McDonalds. Otherwise, I will post again when in NYC.
1 Comment
October 20, 2006 at 9:08 pm (Music, Tour)
We are safe and sound here in Ottawa, Ontario. We made the 11 hour drive from Washington DC yesterday, but ended up getting here at around 11:30 PM. We left at 9:15 AM. Long drive. It was a very entertaining drive complete with stand-up comedy on Krishan’s iPod, jokes about how NOT to get through the Canadian border, and lots of one liners from GuruGanesha. Everything is going well so far. We just finished the first concert at Adi Shakti Yoga in Orleans, Ontario, and it was a good one. I’m learning the sound system and doing loading and unloading every day. I caught a cold yesterday, so my head is congested. Luckily, our gracious host Siri Bandhu had some zinc and remedies, so I’m feeling a little better. I made it through the first real day and emotionally feel great. Being on the roadie crew is hard work, but I’m staying really positive and keeping spirits light. I’ve introduced my many accents to the group, and have a nickname of “Yuri”.
I am also doing daily vocal warm ups and guitar stuff with GuruGanesha. It’s definitely one of the high points of the day. Tomorrow we’re playing at Canada’s Peace Prayer Day at Ottawa’s city hall (really close to parliament) and we have a concert at night nearby.
Totally packed!
1 Comment
October 17, 2006 at 4:46 pm (Music, Tour)
I am now safe and sound in Herndon, Virginia, a town about 30 minutes from Washington, DC. I took JetBlue from Oakland to Washington/Dulles Airport. Normally I would watch the in-flight DirecTV, but I barely slept last night, so I spent most of the time in dreamland 36000 feet in the air. The east coast is incredibly beautiful. I would go outside and take pictures, but it’s too dark. I’ll end up doing that tomorrow. It feels like a typical bay area winter evening here. The ground is damp from the rain, and the clouds are still thick overhead. It’s not particularly cold. There is a pleasant chilly breeze though, and it feels wonderful.
I’m staying with Krishan, the band’s drummer and jack of all trades. His house is very comfortable, has a fridge with good food, and a great recording studio in the basement. I believe we’re going to try and mess around with the studio a little tonight. While some guys get excited when they see nice cars, I get excited when I see nice instruments and recording equipment.
I’m not really sure what the schedule is for tomorrow, but I believe I’m helping with inventory for the tour. We leave for Ottawa, Ontario on Thursday.
1 Comment
October 10, 2006 at 10:30 pm (Music)
The concert at the Ford with Joseph Jarman and Roscoe Mitchell was amazing. It is so liberating to be able to play anything at all. I am so grateful that I was able to play on the same stage as these jazz masters. Here are some pictures from the concert:
Joseph Jarman and myself playing.
Free Improv
Roscoe circular breathing.
All of these pictures come from the website of LeRoy Downs at TheJazzCat Blog.
1 Comment
October 7, 2006 at 3:52 am (Family, Music, Religion, Sikh, Yogi Bhajan)
Today, October 6th, is the two year anniversary of my spiritual teacher, Yogi Bhajan’s passing. I remember the day very well. I remember where I was when I found out that he had passed on, and I remember my interactions with him very well. I was sitting in front of my computer at home, working on an essay for an AP English class, wondering why I wasn’t doing something more fun. My mother walked in and told me that the Siri Singh Sahib had left the earth. My reaction was of course sadness, for we all wished that the loving man that we knew could live forever. And for all we knew, he could. It seemed to me that he had done many things far more amazing than living forever. I still think that is true. My reaction, however, was not just sadness. I was truly happy for him. For about a year prior to his death, I had heard quotes of his saying that we (his students) “were the only things keeping him on the earth” and that he was ready to go. It saddened me that he was so bound to the earth because of other peoples’ needs. I felt anger at those who were clinging— even though I had a little of that in me. But I felt a deep appreciation and empathy just for the act of not dying. Here was a man that was so committed to his students; so loving and so devoted to service that he could not die. I will revisit this idea later on…
My interactions with the Siri Singh Sahib/Yogi Bhajan were a good plenty and each one meaningful. Of course there is the competition within 3ho— a “I knew him better” type game that has always gone on. Everyone has stories and each one one-ups the last. I find it amusing, but very telling of how great a man he was. I sent him a few emails when he got sick… I asked him for advice about this and that, telling him how much I appreciated him, etc. etc. I think a huge part of me just wanted to have contact with him since I hadn’t in so long. I have gone back and read every email that he sent back. The thing that I love is that it seemed he caught on to the fact that I really already did know what I was doing. I asked him once if I should pursue a career in music. He said “weigh the pros and cons and make the wisest choice.” Of course. More important to me is that fact that he named me. Of course every name comes with a story and mine is no exception. I was born C-section in St. Louis. The story goes that shortly after I was born, my dad went home quickly to get something and as soon as he walked in the door, the phone rang. It was the Siri Singh Sahib. Normally, phone calls from Yogi Bhajan came from a secretary, but this one came direct. He said “let his name be Ram Dass. With two S’s. Let him walk the path.” If my dad’s reading this, he can correct me if I’m wrong. I’m sure I don’t have something quite right here, but this is what I remember being told. Soon (in the month to 6 months range?) after birth, I got to meet the Siri Singh Sahib in person. When he saw me he yelled “THERE YOU ARE!” and of course, I freaked out. And that was the beginning.
Ram Dass means “servant of God”. I had always wondered what having the extra ’s’ in my name was for and I have always tried to help myself define what a servant of God does. As Sikhs, we believe that our names are our destinies. Every detail of our names is important because it’s the direction we’re bound to go in— might as well try to help ourselves out. To me, Yogi Bhajan was the epitome of a servant of God. Selfless, loving, brave, tender, sweet, and the most important thing— HUMAN. I asked him what the extra ’s’ is in my name. He said that Ram Dass with two Ss is very special. That’s all.
He always told his students to become ten times greater than he. I think that a lot of times there was a him and us… some sort of hierarchy or barrier. We forget sometimes that we are all each other. That includes him. And Buddha. And Jesus… We’re all everyone else and we are everything (and on the flipside nothing too). For me, the reminder is in my name. I am Ram Dass Singh khalsa. He’s in me and he is in all of us. I miss him dearly and often forget that he’s not around physically anymore. The greatest honor anyone can do him is just to be who we are. Because that is already as great as he was and is. Snatam reminded me this year how amazing it is that I had a direct relationship with the Siri Singh Sahib. It is nothing to disregard. And it is something I will always cherish.
4 Comments
September 28, 2006 at 3:06 pm (Music)
I have added a “Now Playing” page to my blog so that you can see what I have been listening to recently and recommend. The music will vary from classical to world, spiritual, rock, or whatever seems important to me at the time.
You can view that page by clicking here, or by clicking on the “Now Playing” link under the “Pages” section of the sidebar.
Leave a Comment
