North Leverett, Massachusetts – October 1, 2020 – Noted Bhakta, bassist, and Kirtan leader Adam Bauer’s third album Return to the Sacred will be released tomorrow, Friday October 2. Return to the Sacred (on Spotify here starting tomorrow) is an inspired collection of all-original music born during extraordinary times. For a preview of the full album, please go to https://soundcloud.com/adambauer-1/sets/return-to-the-sacred/s-MqyqEu33xll.

At the end of co-leading a pilgrimage in India in early 2020, Adam landed at Depot Records in Delhi to create the core of these tracks on the cusp of the global pandemic. During lockdown in the US, the album was crafted with highly respected world music producer Ben Leinbach (Jai Uttal, Deva Premal).

The India sessions were brought together and anchored by Mohan Shyam Sharma (Ravi Shankar, Hari Prasad Chaurasia, All India Radio), one of world’s most revered players of the pakhawaj, a traditional temple drum. The Indian recording artists are an all-star team of talented musicians including Rajeev Janardan on Surbahar, Kailash Sharma on Bansuri, and Hricha Rashmi and Deepa Mishra on vocals.

The tracks were exquisitely embellished in the US, on the first single/emphasis track “Healing Song” (released September 11) by Grammy-nominated classical cellist Joel Cohen, and Ali Akbar College of Music ED Steve Oda on sarod, and on the rest of the tracks by cellist Noah Hoffeld (Phillip Glass, Natalie Merchant, Krishna Das) and lifelong Bhakta and Kirtan multi-instrumentalist Visvambhar (Vish) Sheth (The Mayapuris) playing Indian drums and percussion. Leinbach brought his trademark deft production touch, and mixed and mastered Return to the Sacred at Old Bull Studios in Marin County, California.

Return to the Sacred is dedicated to the memory of Adam’s father, Edward Bauer, and his friend and inspiration Ram Dass, who both left their bodies in 2019.

Each song on Return to the Sacred has its own story. The album’s midpoint, and second single, also out tomorrow October 2, is “Baba (Neem Karoli Guru Bhai)” a tribute to Adam’s guru Neem Karoli Baba, and noted bringer of Baba’s teachings to the west, Adam’s friend and teacher, Ram Dass. Adam explains, “this song dropped in on me in the hour after I heard that Ram Dass had left his body around last year’s winter solstice. I heard the news at 3 AM, got up and did my ablutions and prayed for him, feeling deep gratitude for who Ram Dass has been in my life, and the lives of so many. This melody and mantra spontaneously arose in those predawn moments, and I added some of the classic messages that Ram Dass brought us directly from Maharaj-ji. Love everyone, serve everyone, feed everyone and remember God!”

The album opens with “Vaidyagrama Hare Rama,” one of the three songs on this album with English lyrics along with a traditional Sanskrit mantra. Adam wrote this song in South India while on a panchakarma retreat at a healing center called Vaidyagrama—hence the title. He notes, “The simple yet evocative message has deeply moved audiences since the week I wrote it.”

On the second track, “Shri Ram Jai Hanuman,” Adam notes, “this melody first came to me in a dream, and it kept reappearing during waking hours over a couple of years, so much so that for a while I thought it must be some other person’s melody that I had heard and kept remembering! It was insistent, and I found it mesmerizing, and so I’m happy to release it here for the first time. Jai Hanuman!”

The album’s penultimate track, “Arunachala Shiva” highlights Adam’s deep connection with bass sounds both vocally and instrumentally. About the song he recalls, “it came to me earlier this year, on my first barefoot walk on the sacred mountain Arunachala, considered to be the form of Lord Shiva, above the ashram of the beloved Hindu nondual saint Ramana Maharshi. I sang it as it appeared in me during my entire walk down the mountain, until I could sit down and translate it to my harmonium. I have bittersweet associations with this mountain, as the only other time I had laid physical eyes on it was right after I heard that my beloved friend Shyamdas left his body back in 2013. It felt like I’d come full circle to finally get there with time to truly be with the mountain, and I’m grateful that it gave me this song on our first real meeting.”

The album closer, and first single, “Healing Song” was also inspired by Vaidyagrama which means a healing village, and this song of healing came to Adam at the Ayurvedic center in Tamil Nadu, South India. He says, “the English verses and melody bubbled up from within as I was lying horizontal one day during a treatment, and I sang it to myself as part of my own internal healing process, then and ever since. I hope it has the same effect on all who hear it.”

His critically-acclaimed first solo record, Shyam Lila, debuted on Mantralogy Records in 2014. His sophomore album Wonderville was released in 2017 and generated more interest in his work. Adam’s music is available on major services like iTunes and Spotify, or directly from https://iamadambauer.com/

Adam was blessed to spend many years playing bass in support of sacred chant superstar Krishna Das, and later with Bhakti Yoga legend Shyamdas, both of whom nourished his love of sacred sound and the yoga of devotion. For the past decade, Adam has been on the road offering his own perspectives, teachings, and kirtan across the Americas, Europe and India, and even Antarctica. A lifelong student of the devotional life, Adam enjoys gathering with others and comparing notes on the path wherever the opportunity arises.

Saratoga Springs, New York – Noted singer/songwriter and yogi Cassandra Kubinski’s latest single “Stardust” has been given the remix treatment by one of the yoga world’s most acclaimed producers, DJ Taz Rashid. Set for release tomorrow, August 21, 2020, the track is available for pre-saving here, and a private industry listening preview is here: https://soundcloud.com/cassandra-kubinski/sets/stardust-and-remix/s-TEzs9LIBrrg.

This remix of “Stardust” in collaboration with popular yoga DJ Taz Rashid, who has performed at Wanderlust, Bhakti Fest, the Yoga Journal Conference, Sound/Off Yoga, Kripalu, and programs Spotify’s Official (and wildly popular) Yoga Playlist of the Month, is sure to find fans among yogis, electronic music lovers, and pop connoisseurs.

Cassandra is deeply enmeshed in the yoga world as well and is a 200-hour registered yoga teacher, certified by Sonic Yoga in NYC. She taught and led kirtans at Harlem Yoga for three years, playing harmonium, djembe, and leading group chants.
A music video for the remix featuring submitted clips from yogis nationwide flowing to the song is currently in production and will celebrate the yoga community coming together despite the COVID distancing measures still in place.

“Stardust” was produced by Chris Sclafani who has produced or engineered hit tracks from Ed Sheeran, Benny Blanco, Selena Gomez, Gwen Stefani, and more. Stardust’s sparkling opening piano riffs build into a pop/rock powered statement of our collective connectedness and reminder of our personal power, with Kubinski’s vocals ranging from intimate breathy inquiries to the soaring pop/theatre vocals she is known for.

Since her debut as professional singer portraying the titular character in a 20th Anniversary Equity production of Annie, Kubinski has sung alongside countless artists in clubs, and on tour through the US, Europe, Asia, and Australia; recorded with Chris Botti, the Goo Goo Dolls, Mary Ramsey of 10,000 Maniacs, Dickie Betts, Jill Sobule and more. Her recent release the EP, “Dreams,” featured singles and music videos “You Get Me,” which helped raise over $25,000 for animal rescue charities like the Humane Society of NY, Howl of a Dog, Helping Lost Pets and more. Kubinski’s previous EPs, “Holiday Magic” and “Onward,” charted at #46 and #97 respectively on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. Her music has been licensed on broadcast network TV shows, including 13 placements on the hit show “Dance Moms,” which led to millions of views on user-uploaded videos of her songs on Youtube. She was also the bandleader for two seasons of Emmy-winning new media talk show “The Never Settle Show with Mario Armstrong.”

San Francisco, California – Noted San Francisco and Marin County-based spiritual musician Ananta Govinda is releasing his fourth album Mirror of Desire via Spotify and all platforms tomorrow August 28, 2020. The album is part of a multimedia juggernaut that will see an accompanying book, set for release on Amazon in October, and an immersive show in a 360-degree projection dome, where he is forging new creative styles for combining music and visual storytelling into a groundbreaking presentation (once live events return).

Responding to the current times led to his new project, an epic album and fantasy novel, Mirror of Desire. “I truly believe that rediscovering our common heritage will help us overcome the tendency to divide and see each other on opposite sides.” Ananta has put that into the allegorical storyline of the Mirror of Desire trilogy, where White and Black wizards are competing for access to the mysterious land of the Pyramid, accessed through the Gates of Time. Ananta adds, “I wanted to show that those two colors are the range of the spectrum and they could not exist without each other.”

The opening track and also the theme for this conceptual album “Mirror of Desire” is about facing your own personal reflection and deepening the understanding of the inner workings of your personality. It’s about having the courage to face and accept with love and gratitude the better version of yourself. The track starts with harmonized Sanskrit chants by Ananta Govinda and ambient guitar textures by Alex Liapin (Sir Paul McCartney, DDT, Aquarium) and then leads into an epic production, featuring Will Calhoun (of Living Color) on drums and percussion, Scott Page (Pink Floyd, Supertramp, Toto) on sax, and others. This track is a creative collaboration with noted producer Sylvia Massy (Tool, Johnny Cash, Prince, Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Ananta Govinda. The track was mastered by Nicolas Essig (Coldplay, Madonna, Sir Paul McCartney, Daft Punk) at the East-West Studios, Los Angeles.

The next track describes the workings of the “Self-Writing Book,” a magical device that knows past, present, and future and enables the written word into reality. In the story of the Mirror of Desire, one must pass the test of detachment in the chamber of the Book and not adjust your destiny line, letting karma do its work. Featuring reggae hitmakers Indubious, adding the ragga style chants, and Will Calhoun on drums and percussion, it was recorded and mixed by Sylvia Massy who also contributed with arrangements on this track, calling it her favorite from the album. The track was mastered by Nicolas Essig.

The first single is the third track, “Golden Goddess,” a song about the Divine Feminine energy, embodied in the personality of Goddess Radharani, who is an eternal counterpart of Lord Krishna. This track is a thoughtful request to the Queen of Vrindavan to be seen and protected, just as we see the workings of the Goddess in our daily lives. In the world of overpowering masculine energy, this is a needed call to the Divine Mother for nourishment and protection. It features many world music stars, such as Will Calhoun on drums and percussion, Alan Tower on the hung, and John Wubbenhurst on bansuri flute. Jared May (Tina Malia, Simrit) is really present and glues the track well together with the 5 string bass arrangements. This track was mixed in Sweden, at the legendary Grammofonstudion by Thomas Juth (A-ha, Elton John, Cat Stevens) and mastered by Nicolas Essig.

Next up is “Mazes of the Mind” about the quest of conquering illusions of one’s imagination and finding a balanced perception of reality. Finding his identity in the present will help the pilgrim to overcome distractions of the Mind and stay on the path to the Mirror of Desire. This track is a collaboration with Grammy Winner Lili Haydn, who shared her talent on violin and vocals. Ronnie Ray played the flute and did Tibetan style throat singing, helping create stacks of harmonies based on the theory of natural harmonics. Ananta Govinda played guitar – the track started with that first guitar chord, being trapped into a delay with a repetitive pattern. This track was mixed by Thomas Juth and mastered by Nicolas Essig.

The album shifts into an Indian ambient vibe in its second half with “Into the Timelessness” a musical journey of a pilgrim who passes through the Gates of Time and steps into a new reality, not affected by Time. This track features the current generation Indian Classical star, Ayaan Ali Khan on sarod, and starts with opera singer Paulette Penzvalto invoking us on the journey by pronouncing “Vikredi”, which in the language of the BluArth means “The Word,” as to enter into the Gate you need the power of The Word to stop the Mills of Time. Sound pitch fork activation was performed by Alan Tower, with the specially adjusted tuning based on the theory of harmonic frequencies. The score for the strings was written by Grammy Winner Nahuel Bronzini (Fantastic Negrito), and recorded by Ananta and Nahuel at the Airship Laboratories in Berkley. This track is currently being mixed for a sound healing experience in a 360 surround sound format (Atmos). The overall track was recorded by Sylvia Massy at Studio Divine, in Ashland, Oregon, who also helped with arrangements. It was mixed by Grammy-nominated Ben Leinbach (Jai Uttal) and mastered by Nicolas Essig.

“River of Time” is a collaboration with Pierre Edel, the Voice of France, and the Voice of Russia (both 2014), who added lots of vocal texture and improvisation to the song. Alex Liapin, the legendary Russian rocker, who lives in California and collaborated with Ananta on previous projects, helped create multilayered guitar textures. The track shines even more with the presence of Scott Page who added another voice with his saxophone, almost singing in response to the jazzy vocals of Ananta Govinda. This song is about the mystical River of Time, that divides the worlds and brings the current of time. Likened to the material atoms, these fractals of time shape the reality to the eye of the observer, but often fill it with illusory meanings.

The penultimate track “Room of Darshan” is a short ambient track with no drums or percussion, that blends textured guitars by Alex Liapin, ethereal saxophone by Scott Page and the performance of a string orchestra arranged and recorded by Grammy Winner Nahuel Bronzini. The track concludes with the chant by Ananta Govinda, leading us right into the concluding track. The track was recorded by Sylvia Massy, mixed by Ben Leinbach, and mastered by Nicolas Essig. The word Darshan in Sanskrit means ‘being able to see truly, through the inner eye of wisdom’, which also means to be seen from above.

Mirror of Desire closes with the “Mantra of ParaDesha,” an epic version of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra, performed by Ananta Govinda in a 3-part epic musical journey. This is another take on the well-known 16 syllable chant made popular in the West by Allen Ginsberg, George Harrison, and Swami Bhaktivedanta. The introductory chant is performed by Indian Classical singer Gopal Krishna Balaram and is an invocation from Bhagavata Purana, explaining the power of pronouncing the Holy Name. The song features Will Calhoun on drums and percussion, Scott Page on ethereal saxophone, and string arrangements, and recording by Nahuel Bronzini. It was mixed by Ben Leinbach, and mastered by Nicolas Essig.

North Leverett, Massachusetts – Noted Kirtan artist Adam Bauer will release the first single, “Healing Song,” on all formats including Spotify, from his upcoming third album, Return to the Sacred (out October 2) tomorrow.

The seven-minute track (short in the Kirtan world!) “Healing Song” is a beautiful paean to the healing process that Adam has undergone in the last year as his father, Edward Bauer, and beloved teacher (and Maharaj-ji guru brother) Ram Dass, both left their bodies in late 2019. “Healing Song,” with lyrics in English and Sanskrit, unfolds as a prayer of affirmation, a timeless reminder of the reality of truth, consciousness and bliss even during challenging times.

Return to the Sacred is an inspired collection of all-original music born during extraordinary times. At the end of co-leading a pilgrimage in India, Adam landed at Depot Records in Delhi to create the core of these tracks on the cusp of the global pandemic. During lockdown in the US, the album was crafted with highly respected world music producer Ben Leinbach (Jai Uttal, Deva Premal).

The India recordings were brought together and anchored by Mohan Shyam Sharma (Ravi Shankar, Hari Prasad Chaurasia, All India Radio), one of world’s most revered players of the pakhawaj, a traditional temple drum. The Indian recording artists are an all-star team of talented musicians including Rajeev Janardan on Surbahar, Kailash Sharma on Bansuri, and Hricha Rashmi and Deepa Mishra on vocals.

The tracks were exquisitely embellished in the US, on “Healing Song” by Grammy nominated classical cellist Joel Cohen, and Ali Akbar College of Music ED Steve Oda on sarod, and on the rest of the tracks by cellist Noah Hoffeld (Phillip Glass, Natalie Merchant, Krishna Das) and lifelong Bhakta and kirtan multi-instrumentalist Visvambhar (Vish) Sheth (The Mayapuris) playing Indian drums and percussion. Leinbach brought his trademark deft production touch, and mixed and mastered Return to the Sacred at Old Bull Studios in San Anselmo, California.

In this new album of all-original compositions, Bauer honors the traditional lineage while integrating heartfelt English lyrics, presenting this rich and timely offering as a prayer for humanity’s Return to the Sacred.

His critically-acclaimed first solo record, Shyam Lila, debuted on Mantralogy Records in 2014. His sophomore album Wonderville was released in 2017 and generated more interest in his work. Adam’s music is available on major services like iTunes and Spotify, or directly from https://iamadambauer.com/

Adam was blessed to spend many years playing bass in support of sacred chant superstar Krishna Das, and later with Bhakti Yoga legend Shyamdas, both of whom nourished his love of sacred sound and the yoga of devotion. For the past decade, Adam has been on the road offering his own perspectives, teachings, and kirtan across the Americas, Europe and India, and even Antarctica. A lifelong student of the devotional life, Adam enjoys gathering with others and comparing notes on the path wherever the opportunity arises.