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Brink

by Dave Stringer

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  • Sheet Music + Digital Album

    Music book contains easy to use transcriptions for harmonium and guitar of all Kirtans and Bhajans recorded by Dave Stringer, both original and traditional compositions. 222 pages in A5 format fits comfortably on top of a harmonium. This is the book that Dave gives to students at Kirtan Flight Schools in Europe, Australia and North America. Includes guitar chord charts and many translations of the original Sanskrit into German, French, Spanish and English.

    A limited number of physical books are available for shipping. If physical copies are out of stock, a PDF version will be sent via email, and a book will be sent as soon as new supplies become available.

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  • Cute pocket size (5 in x 5 in) version of the Radiance Sutras, perfect for use in yoga classes. Contains 35 of Dave Stringer and Denise Kaufman's favorite selections. 110 pages includes forward by Shiva Rea and comments by Lorin Roche.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Brink via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 16 Dave Stringer releases available on Bandcamp and save 30%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Mantra Americana II, Mantra Americana, Glider, Thrum, The Udaya Sessions, Live At Bhaktifest, IQ & EQ Remix Series, Brink, and 8 more. , and , .

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1.
mano buddhya hankara chittani naham na cha shrotra jihve na cha ghrana netre na cha vyoma bhumir na tejo na vayuh chidananda rupah shivo’ ham, shivo’ ham I am not mind, intellect, ego or memory; not ears or tongue or smell or sight; not ether, air, fire, water or earth. I am consciousness and bliss. I am Shiva! I am Shiva! na punyam na papam na saukhyam na duhkham na mantro na tirtham na veda na yajñah aham bhojanam naiva bhojyam na bhokta chidananda rupah shivo’ ham, shivo’ ham I am not virtue or vice, pleasure or pain; not mantra, sacred place, scripture or sacrifice; not the food, the eater or the act of eating. I am consciousness and bliss. I am Shiva! I am Shiva! apurvanam param nityam svayam jyotir niramayam virajam param akasham dhruvam anandamavyayam I am beyond all things. I am everlasting, self-luminous, taintless, and pure; immovable, blissful and imperishable. aham nirvikalpo nirakara rupo vibhutvachcha sarvatra sarvendriyanam na chasangatam naiva muktir na meyah chidananda rupah shivo’ ham, shivo’ ham I am without thought, without form; I am all pervasive, I am beyond all senses; I am not detachment or salvation or anything that could be measured. I am consciousness and bliss. I am Shiva! I am Shiva! --- Shankaracharya (788-820 a.d.)
2.
Sleep 05:05
3.
I’m calling an impulse of light in the vacuum of night can you hear me? I’m swallowed in the heavens so bright but no one in sight is near me the satellite sky vast and empty the silence of existence that we signal through await your reply lost and lonely a siren in the distance sounding deepest blue calling for you for conversation linking up and signing off never getting close enough to quiet my heart howling to rue a separation a longing we can’t satisfy we are satellites, you and I echoes apart I’m calling an impulse of light in the vacuum of night can you hear me? © dave stringer
4.
if life were a cool calculation where all of the numbers compute, then one could sum all of creation and reduce it all down to the root. but my mind is a multiplication of chance and illusion and doubt: I’m confused and impatient, a fool at foundation. I never will figure it out. am I just a mutation with a curious urge? an endless vexation, a mistake that recurs? a singular statistic, a product of the dice? checking the arithmetic, it’s not quite right... I questioned a mathematician: my life is uncertain and strange, tell me what of the human condition can the priesthood of science explain? she said life is a state of transition, a pattern of chaos and change: of loss and division and love insufficient to answer the problem of pain. am I just a tangle of jumping nerves or a point on a line describing a curve flickering in physics’ cinema of sight? checking the arithmetic and it’s not quite right... if I only know what I am feeling and can’t prove the world outside, then standing or kneeling or staring at the ceiling you’ve gotta have faith as your guide. the world of sensation is a puzzling equation, a persistent hallucination so you’ve gotta have faith as your eye... am I just an ache in a painful world dreaming awake in a reciprocal blur i’m baffled beyond logic and searching for insight, checking the arithmetic, it’s not quite right.... © dave stringer
5.
Brink 05:26
6.
there is an ember of a fallen star in the hot springs of my veins fuel of a fusion's fire we burst aflame and then expire I lay my babe down in the water I sing: a body born of wonder, born of pain everybody we shall pass just as we came in fire and flood the earth gives issue steam and mud blood and tissue thunder rolls and then it rains flesh is brief, and labor tires I'm bathed in sweat and tears and swollen with desire in every cell, a coiled viper of wisdom and despair birthmark that I bear I sing: a body born of wonder, born of pain everybody we shall pass just as we came fire of fossil leaps in black coal fuse of a missile deep in my soul thunder rolls and then it rains when my heart is filled with fear and hunger the storm and thunder will surely tremble and subside I know I will be lifted higher into the light I sing my best in the choir I put my faith in the wounds of the martyr I send my hymn out on the wire release and reunion in the eternity of fire I sing: a body born of wonder, born of pain everybody we shall pass just as we came a child is born a billion years old diamond formed of a hot volcano thunder rolls and then it rains © dave stringer
7.
I’m guided by the homing instinct on a mission through the unknown fiercely longing, strong, insistent, intuition pilots me on love is the bearing I hold in my heart a compass unerring, the goal and the start the light of a beacon when all hope is lost the sight I am seeking, an ocean to cross home, to the warmth of my nest home, to the one I love best home, how it beats in my breast home, let my heart be expressed to be alive, to span a distance through the clouds, and by the wind blown, to face the storms of my existence navigating by faith alone eternally going astray to discern the wisdom of knowing the way to return in the spring of my nature to soar from this earth wings over water, the course of rebirth home, to the warmth of my nest home, to the one I love best home, how it beats in my breast home, where my heart is at rest migrating birds on the radar screen gliding homeward magnetic fields glowing green under polarized light by the stars of my memory i ride the jetstream climbing onward the hum of the engines propelling my dreams in their flight I’m guided by the homing instinct on a mission through the unknown a fiercely longing, strong, insistent, intuition pilots me home © dave stringer
8.
9.
yekea dardoh yekea darman pasandat yekea vaslo yekea hejran pasandat man az darmano dardoh vaslo hejran pasandam oncherah johnan pasandat one loves the pain, and one loves the cure one loves union, and one loves separation I choose what love wants i want what love chooses -Babah Tahereh Orian
10.
ganashyama ko dekhata ja raha huñ usiki jhalaka para khincha ja raha huñ I am fixed on love, I am lured to its flame. I keep watching for love, I am drawn to its effulgence. lutata hai vaha mai luta ja raha huñ mitata hai vaha mai mita ja raha huñ love is plundering me, i am being robbed. love is erasing me, i am ceasing to be. khabara kucha nahi hai kahañ ja raha huñ bulata hai vaha mai chala ja raha huñ I have no idea where I am going. love is calling me and I am going. -Mirabai (1498-1546)
11.
River 04:30
river, where will I be when the ashes are scattered and gone? forever the music and the mystery that splashes in water moves on river, in thy melody a voice is laughing and crying for all I have been and all I will be in the course of living and dying in this moment the current is flowing fast but it holds on to nothing as it’s going past when I reach my limit with travels infinite the empty places to fill I slow down a minute and look at what’s in it ‘til everything seems to stand still river, in my memory I drift in the shimmering sun deliver me please from my miseries when all of my dreaming is done river, is it my destiny to journey back where i’ve begun through the geography of my heart to the sea where everything flows into one? in this moment the future hurtles toward the past to vanish and return going nowhere fast when I reach my limit with travels infinite the empty places to fill I slow down a minute and look at what’s in it ‘til everything seems to stand still © dave stringer
12.
jaya vitthale jaya vitthale jai vitthale jaya vitthale jaya vitthale jai vitthale panduranga panduranga panduranga vitthale jaya vitthale hare hare panduranga vitthale hare hare Vitthale and Panduranga are names of Krishna, an image of the unity of lover and beloved, of inside and outside, of journey and destination, of the human and the divine.
13.
Pranava 04:16

about

"A spiritual world/folk bonanza."
--- Exclaim.ca

“Songs that unite spiritual and secular interests in a surprisingly seamless blend.”
--- Yoga Journal

"An amazing supporting cast & some of the deepest vocal, chant-oriented music in a long time."
--- Backroads

"Great work!!!!! I understand our similar musical schizophrenia... Awesome. Killer production. Great singing. Great songs."
--- Jai Uttal

Brink is a cinematic exegesis of sophisticated pop melodies and traditional Eastern music that achieves a striking level of emotional and spiritual intimacy. Ingenious arrangements incorporate a fluid mix of East Indian and Western instruments in a sequence of elegant aural rainbows. Dave Stringer's voice conveys a sense of grandeur as it plays across maturely constructed arrangements with mantras and lyrics in Sanskrit, Hindi, Farsi, English and purely improvised emotional language.

Country and and bluegrass instruments like mandolin, pedal steel and acoustic guitar are embellished with all manner of East Indian instruments such as harmonium, tamboura, santoor and swaramandala. The soul stirring "Shivo'ham, Shivo'ham" is an intense awakening that starts out in haunting solemnity and is gradually transformed into a jazz-inflected and eastern-tinged celebration. The album moves seamlessly into "Sleep" evoking mystery, imagination and spirituality with its quiet beauty.

Songs like the tabla-driven "Checking the Arithmetic" are flavored with pop melodies and sound like Stephen Fearing vacationed in Rishikesh, took up transcendental meditation and brought back a band of Indian musicians. The soaring harmonies of the Appalachian anthem "The Carbon Cycle" simultaneously invoke both wonder and pain.

Compelling in its understatement, "The Satellite Sky" is a lush balled of love and longing delivered with disarming intensity. Time seems to stop in "Ganashyama", a haunting vocal duet with Azam Ali, accented with sarangi, trumpet and piano. Brink lacks pretense and feels natural, appealing to Indian fusion music enthusiasts and West meets East spiritual pilgrims alike.

Brink is an elegant and philosophical work that seamlessly blends elements of Americana with influences from World folk traditions and Jazz, producing a new genre that might be called Country and Eastern. Dave Stringer, a well-known Mantra and Kirtan artist, explores his themes of spiritual inquiry and quandary with a well-travelled eye, and tightly woven, lyric driven songs similar to something Bruce Cockburn or Joni Mitchell might write,. The result is an album as much for the world music community as western Yoga practitioners.

Liner Notes:
when i was nine years old, i taped "within you, without you" backwards on my nana's old reel to reel, cut it into pieces of random length, and spliced it into my own order. soprano led to tenor, and curiosity to conundrum. in pursuit of some longing, i plotted sonic art installations in public spaces, studied jazz, and created experimental films.

my work as an editor took me to gurudev siddha peeth, an ashram in the indian state of maharashtra. they hired me because i appeared in kumuda’s meditation, but the only thing i was seeking was a paycheck in an exotic setting. my previous experience with eastern spiritual traditions was minimal, but the project involved cutting a series of videos about indian philosophy for people learning to meditate. so i sat and listened, and watched myself turning inward.

although at first i didn't understand the sanskrit chants i was immersed in, the experience of chanting was powerful. i had carried a dulcimer and a small accordion with me from los angeles to ganeshpuri. in my spare time, i wrote songs that were informed by the ragas and thekas i was hearing, and my sonic vocabulary expanded to include tabla and harmonium and tamboura.

since childhood, i have sung in invented languages that evoke a state that words can’t really convey. they veil meaning in an intellectual sense, but they articulate my feelings very clearly. my voice is a tool i use to gain freedom from the prison of my mind. in india, I discovered that there is a long tradition of singers like me.

every new song i write erupts as a melody conveying some babble-scat sargam solfege. sometimes i make a choice to leave the song there, in a state of pure emotion. other times, i follow the clues of the sounds until a clear subject emerges in english. in some instances, when i want to emphasize a spiritual quality, i adapt sanskrit mantras to fit the tunes.

thanks for listening, for your time and attention in a busy world. i’m grateful for all who have taught me, and for the opportunities i’ve been given to travel and connect in a space of contemplation and ecstasy.

credits

released November 2, 2015

musicians:

river
jay bellerose: drum set
caleb brennan: backing vocals
cameron stone: cello
lionel cole: harmony vocals
greg ellis: chimes, nagara, riqq, shakers, zils
girish gambhira: tablas, tamboura
candy girard: violin
dave stringer: accordion, acoustic guitar, vocals
ian walker: bass, tamboura

shivo’ham, shivo’ham
jay bellerose: cajon, drum set
michael black: backing vocals
hans christian: sarangi
lionel cole: backing vocals, piano
seane corn: backing vocals
greg ellis: dumbek, santoor, udu, zils
juliet prater: shakers
cameron stone: cello, backing vocals
dave stringer: harmonium, tamboura, vocals
ian walker: bass

sleep
hans christian: bass, cello, piano
john loose: bells, cymbals, tablas
dave stringer: appalachian dulcimer, harmonium, melodica,
swaramandala, tamboura, vocals

the satellite sky
jay bellerose: drum set
hans christian: cello
girish gambhira: tablas
juliet prater: cymbals, frame drum, shakers, triangle
dave stringer: accordion, acoustic guitar, hawaiian steel, swaramandala, tamboura, vocals
ian walker: bass
david zasloff: trumpet

checking the arithmetic
joni allen: harmony vocals
jay bellerose: drum set
hans christian: cello, santoor
susan flanner: harmony vocals
james harrah: electric guitar
juliet prater: shakers, zils
girish gambhira: tablas
dave stringer: accordion, dobro, hawaiian steel,
tamboura, vocals
ian walker: bass

brink
hans christian: cello, sarangi
greg ellis: chimes, drum set
dave stringer: acoustic guitar, harmonium,
hawaiian steel, melodica, swaramandala, tamboura
david zasloff: trumpet

the carbon cycle
greg ellis: drum set, tambourine, shakers
susan flanner: harmony vocals
girish gambhira: tablas
james harrah: electric guitar, mandolin
dave stringer: accordion, acoustic guitar, hawaiian steel
ian walker: bass

the homing instinct
hans christian: nyckelharpa
greg ellis: accordion, marimba, riqq, shakers, drum set
girish gambhira: tablas
james harrah: electric guitar
dave stringer: electric dulcimer, acoustic guitar,
melodica, vocals
suzanne teng: soprano flute
ian walker: bass

corpse waiting to happen
hans christian: cello
greg ellis: riqq, shakers, drum set, udu
dave stringer: accordian, acoustic guitar,
mandolin, melodica, vocals

i and me
hans christian: bass, cello
donna de lory: harmony vocals
greg ellis: dumbek, shakers, drum set, trumpet, udu, zils
mamak khadem: farsi vocals
dave stringer: acoustic guitar, harmonium, vocals
suzanne teng: bass flute

ganashyama
azam ali: vocals
hans christian: cello, sarangi
juliet prater: bells, cymbals, frame drum, shakers, zils
dave stringer: harmonium, piano, swaramandala,
tamboura, vocals
david zasloff: trumpet

jaya vitthale
jay bellerose: drum set
michael black: backing vocals
liz burnette: backing vocals
hans christian: bass, cello
donna de lory: harmony vocals
greg ellis: dumbek, riqq, shakers, zils
candy girard: viola, violin, backing vocals
shakti gray: backing vocals
cameron stone: cello
dave stringer: accordian, appalachian dulcimer,
acoustic guitar, harmonium, vocals
suzanne teng: piccolo

pranava
jay bellerose: drum set
girish gambhira: tablas
candy girard: violin
mark smith: viola
cameron stone: cello
dave stringer: acoustic guitar
ian walker: bass

produced by dave stringer, hans christian & greg ellis

brink, corpse waiting to happen, ganashyama, sleep:
mixed by hans christian
i and me, jaya vitthale, shivo’ham shivo’ham:
mixed by thomas barquee
river, the satellite sky, checking the arithmetic, the carbon cycle,
the homing instinct, pranava:
mixed by kirishan

all songs written by dave stringer
©2000 / 2015 magnetic melodies BMI except:
jaya vitthale: written by dave stringer and greg ellis
©2000 / 2015 magnetic melodies BMI/sphota music BMI
ganashyama: traditional - arrangement
©2000 / 2015Magnetic Melodies BMI

legal representation: andrew lurie
additional production by saul david raye
mastered by stefan hagar / fisheye music
image composites & design: lance glover/treehouse

azam ali, greg ellis and mamak khadem
appear courtesy of narada records
hans christian appears courtesy of
hearts of space records
donna de lory appears courtesy of
secret road records

front cover photo: phaedon papamichael
back cover photo: m. flint/f. williams (from the nature and art of motion by gyorgy kepes)

special thanks:

allen astin, diane baker, jon birgé, caleb brennan, joel & jennifer bridgman, ellen campbell, rae dawn chong, barbara ingmand ericson, paul gordon, julie grist, lynn grossman, uma hayes, jane hill, paul holahan, philip holahan, marjorie & robert ingmand, russell kingman, karey kirkpatrick, brad laven, laura marzec, kevin maxwell, anne mcdermott, susan moore, sheila nicholls, sapphron obois, sean o’byrne, karen pollack, chris pekoe, paul santos, yatrika shah-rais, loganatha shivam, patricia sill, tom stringer, win & christine stringer, heidi swedberg, chera van berg, carl wyant

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Dave Stringer Los Angeles

Grammy-nominated producer, singer, composer and innovative international Kirtan artist. Stringer’s sound connects the transcendent mysticism of East Indian ragas to the exuberant grooves of Gospel and the ringing harmonies of Appalachia.

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