This music is for awakening, and these love songs have meanings that cannot be explained in words. They are meant to be experienced. They are here to answer the burning desire of the soul to express itself, and to allow the body to breathe deeply. Free yourself from limiting beliefs, impulsive sabotage, open to your potential: surrender to the positive force animating these chants.
I have spent decades digging into the roots of American music while honing my skills as a singer, guitarist, and songwriter, originally following the advice of rock impresario and musical pioneer Malcolm McLaren. Malcolm influenced pop culture, fashion and art, however he also told me “you’ve got to get your roots boy,” and as my producer at the time in LA, he handed me a cassette that I still treasure. It is full of blues classics by Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf.
Disillusioned by the struggles of the big city and music business, I moved to a wall-less dome in Maui. I had no running water or electricity, only a dry roof and a sail as a wall on the windward side. I slept under a mosquito net and read the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna by the light of an oil lamp. At dawn I would hear my host, Kapila, chanting the Guru Gita in the distance.
Om Namah Shivaya, I Am That I Am, captioned a photo of Swami Muktananda hanging from a nail. I began singing the mantra arranged to my own music. This became my ritual practice as I sat by a nearby waterfall. It wasn’t long before I realized that these sounds contained power, and produced feelings that were more meaningful than any accumulated knowledge about mantras. Combined with the vibration of the six strings of my guitar they united me with the rhythms of nature.
My revelation at the waterfall keeps guiding my life. Since then I have discovered many more mantras for which I have composed music. Their power continues to offer me a mindfulness practice, and inspired creative expression. I met my wife while singing Om Shreem Shriyei, the mantra for meeting a soulmate, and we now have two beautiful children.
Mantras are spells. I hope that by singing along to these simple compositions, you cast upon yourself the magic you long for in your life, the love you must cultivate for yourself. May they support your own spontaneous transformations, and help you discover endless possibilities for personal growth and healing.
Acknowledgements
I owe a tsunami of gratitude to more friends and supporters everywhere than I can express. Thank you Curtis Mathewson, David Nolet, Matt Pszonak, Frank Fitzpatrick and Ben Leinbach for sharing your unique gifts as composers, musicians and producers. I am deeply grateful to Shiva Rea who has believed in me from the first day I sang for her and Lorin Roche for encouraging me to keep the mantras fresh. Finally, to Anne-Émilie and my children, I thank you for showing me, a wanderer, my own strength in the real world, and that I can be a father and husband while staying true to my art and spirit.
credits
released January 8, 2016
1. BABA HANUMAN 5:55
Lyrics & Music by Krishna Das
Produced by S. Gold & C. Mathewson
2. FREE IN YOUR LOVE (Purna) 5:11
Lyrics by S. Gold / F. Fitzpatrick
Music by S. Gold
Produced by C. Mathewson & M. Pszonak
3. HAPPY & FREE (Lokah) 4:21
Lyrics & Music by S. Gold
Produced by M. Pszonak
4. STONED ON SHIVA 4:18
Lyrics by S. Gold
Music by S. Gold / M. Pszonak
Produced by M. Pszonak
5. WE SHALL LIVE (Om Namo Narayanaya) 5:02
Lyrics & Music by S. Gold
Produced by S. Gold & C. Mathewson
6. SO SWEET (Sharanam) 3:24
Lyrics by S. Gold / F. Fitzpatrick
Music by S. Gold / M. Pszonak
Produced by M. Pszonak
7. OM NAMAH SHIVAYA (Bigger Mix) 8:17
Lyrics & Music by S. Gold
Produced by C. Mathewson
8. OM SHREEM SHRIYEI 5:57
Lyrics by S. Gold
Music by S. Gold / B. Leinbach
Produced by B. Leinbach
9. GUIDE MY WAY (Om Asatoma) 5:32
Lyrics by S. Gold / F. Fitzpatrick
Music by S. Gold / M. Pszonak
Produced by M. Pszonak
10. OM NAMAH SHIVAYA 4:41
Lyrics & Music by S. Gold
Produced by S. Gold & C. Mathewson
11. TEYATA 6:37
Lyrics & Music by S. Gold
Produced by S. Gold & C. Mathewson
Steve Gold is a singer, musician, and songwriter, whose contemplative music has become a mainstay in the global yoga
culture. Through powerful storytelling and song, he also presents live, music based meditation experiences with teachers such as Deepak Chopra, Eckhart Tolle, Robert Holden, and Davidji. LA Yoga magazine describes his music as "a soulful genre-buster, destined to be a classic."...more
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