We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Mantra Americana II

by Madi Das & Dave Stringer

supported by
rufdog
rufdog thumbnail
Wesley Covalt
Wesley Covalt thumbnail
Paulita Laing-Carpenter
Paulita Laing-Carpenter thumbnail
Jim Laughton
Jim Laughton thumbnail
kegeiser
kegeiser thumbnail
janisnelson
janisnelson thumbnail
jenniferdee
jenniferdee thumbnail
/
1.
Tam Pranamami 05:03
lyrics
Tam Pranamami Ujjvala varana gaura vara deham Vilasita niravadhi bhava videham Tri bhuvana pavana kripayah lesam Tam pranamami ca sri saci tanayam Tam pranamami ca sri saci tanayam Tam pranamami ca sri saci tanayam Gaura hari hari hari, gaura hari hari hari, gaura hari hari hari, gaura hari Gaura hari hari hari, gaura hari hari hari, gaura hari hari hari, gaura hari Krishna chaitanya, krishna chaitanya, krishna chaitanya, shri mahaprabhu Krishna chaitanya, krishna chaitanya, krishna chaitanya, shri mahaprabhu Vigalita nayana kamala jala dharam Bhushana nava rasa bhava vikaram Gati atimanthara nritya vilasam Tam pranamami ca sri saci tanayam Tam pranamami ca sri saci tanayam Tam pranamami ca sri saci tanayam Gaura hari hari hari, gaura hari hari hari, gaura hari hari hari, gaura hari Gaura hari hari hari, gaura hari hari hari, gaura hari hari hari, gaura hari Krishna chaitanya, krishna chaitanya, krishna chaitanya, shri mahaprabhu Krishna chaitanya, krishna chaitanya, krishna chaitanya, shri mahaprabhu Śrī krishna caitanya prabhu doyā koro more Tomā binā ke doyālu jagat saḿsāre Bhusana bhuraja alaka valitam Kampita bimbadhara vara ruciram Malayaja viracita ujjvala tilakam Tam pranamami ca sri saci tanayam Tam pranamami ca sri saci tanayam Tam pranamami ca sri saci tanayam Gaura hari hari hari, gaura hari hari hari, gaura hari hari hari, gaura hari Gaura hari hari hari, gaura hari hari hari, gaura hari hari hari, gaura hari Krishna chaitanya, krishna chaitanya, krishna chaitanya, shri mahaprabhu Krishna chaitanya, krishna chaitanya, krishna chaitanya, shri mahaprabhu
2.
Shri Ramachandra 03:58
lyrics
Shri ram chandra kripalu bhaju mana Harana bhavabhaya darunam Navakañjalocana kañjamukha Karakañja padakañjāruṇaṁ Shri ram jai jai shri ram Shri ram jai jai shri ram Sita ram, raja ram, raghu ram, mere ram Surya ram, chandra ram, pyara ram, mere ram Paṭapītamānahu taḍita ruciśuci Naumijanakasutāvaraṁ Raghunanda ānandakanda Kośalachandra daśarathanandanaṁ Shri ram jai jai shri ram Shri ram jai jai shri ram Sita ram, raja ram, raghu ram, mere ram Surya ram, chandra ram, pyara ram, mere ram Jai jai jai hanuman, jai hanuman Sita ram, sita ram Jai jai jai jai hanuman, jai hanuman Sita ram, sita ram Sita ram Śiramukuṭakuṇḍala tilakacāru Udāru'aṅgavibhūṣaṇaṁ Mamahr̥dayakañjanivāsakuru Kāmādikhaladalagañajanaṁ Shri ram jai jai shri ram Shri ram jai jai shri ram Sita ram, raja ram, raghu ram, mere ram Surya ram, chandra ram, pyara ram, mere ram
3.
Ramani Ramana 05:13
lyrics
Shri shri radha, jai shri radha Shri shri radha, jai shri radha Shri shri radha Ramani radha ramani radha Shri shri radha ramana, ramani radha, ramani radha, ramani radha ramana Hare krishna hare krishna Krishna krishna hare hare Hare rāma hare rāma Rāma rāma hare hare Radha raman, radha raman, radha raman, radha raman Ramani ramani ramani ramani ramani ramani ramani ramana Radha ramanaji radha ramana, radha ramanaji radha ramana
4.
Nanada Kumar 04:26
lyrics
Nanda-kumār ār nanda-kumār Eso nanda-kumār ār nanda-kumār Habe prema-pradīpe āratī tomar Prema-pradīpe āratī tomār Jīvana maraṇa tava pūja nivedan Jīvana maraṇa tava pūja nivedan Sundara he mana-hāri Nanda-kumār ār nanda-kumār Eso nanda-kumār ār nanda-kumār Habe prema-pradīpe āratī tomar Prema-pradīpe āratī tomar Nayana jamunā jhare anibār Nayana jamunā jhare anibār Tomāra virahe giridhāri Mama mana mandire raha niśi-din Krishna murāri śrī krishna murāri Mama mana mandire raha niśi-din Krishna murāri śrī krishna murāri Nanda-kumār ār nanda-kumār Eso nanda-kumār ār nanda-kumār Habe prema-pradīpe āratī tomar Prema-pradīpe āratī tomar Bandana ghane tava bajuka jivan Bandana ghane tava baju ka jivan Krishna murari giridhāri Nanda-kumār ār nanda-kumār Eso nanda-kumār ār nanda-kumār Habe prema-pradīpe āratī tomar Prema-pradīpe āratī tomar Giridhari giridhari, giridhari giridhari Giridhari giridhari, giridhari giridhari Nanda-kumar, nanda-kumar whoa Nanda-kumar, nanda-kumar Tumi nio he nio citta-nandan Tumi nio he nio citta-nandan
5.
Radhe Govinda 06:14
lyrics
Radhe radhe madana mohana Gopinatha radhe Radhe radhe syama sundara sundara radhe Radhe radhe govinda gopala radhe Radhe radhe govinda giridhari radhe Varhsane valle ki jai jai jai jai, Varshane valle ki jai jai jai jai Vrishabhanu nandini ki jai jai jai-jai-jai Vrishabhanu nandini ki jai jai jai-jai-jai Radhe govinda, radhe govinda Radhe govinda, radhe govinda Radhe govinda radhe, radhe govinda radhe Radhe govinda radhe, radhe radhe govinda radhe Radhe radhe madana mohana Gopinatha radhe Radhe radhe syama sundara sundara radhe Radhe radhe govinda gopala radhe Radhe radhe govinda giridhari radhe Varhsane valle ki jai jai jai jai, Varshane valle ki jai jai jai jai Vrishabhanu nandini ki jai jai jai-jai-jai Vrishabhanu nandini ki jai jai jai-jai-jai Radhe govinda, radhe govinda Radhe govinda, radhe govinda Radhe govinda radhe, radhe govinda radhe Radhe govinda radhe, radhe radhe govinda radhe Radhe radhe madana mohana Gopinatha radhe Radhe radhe syama sundara sundara radhe Radhe radhe govinda gopala radhe Radhe radhe govinda giridhari radhe Radhe radhe govinda gopala radhe Radhe radhe govinda sri kishori radhe Varhsane valle ki jai jai jai jai, Varshane valle ki jai jai jai jai Radhe govinda radhe govinda Varhsane valle ki jai jai jai jai, Varshane valle ki jai jai jai jai Radhe govinda radhe govinda Radhe govinda radhe govinda Radhe govinda
6.
Jaya Radhe 04:17
lyrics
Jaya radhe, jaya krishna, jaya vrindavan dhama Jaya radhe, jaya krishna, jaya vrindavan dhama Sri govinda, gopinatha, madana-mohan Jaya radhe, jaya krishna, jaya vrindavan dhama Mora ei abhilāṣa, vilāsa kuñje dio vāsa Mora ei abhilāṣa, vilāsa kuñje dio vāsa Nayana heribo sadā yugala-rūpa-rāśi Namoh namaha tulasi, namoh namaha Jaya radhe, jaya krishna, jaya vrindavan dhama Jaya radhe, jaya krishna, jaya vrindavan dhama Sri govinda, gopinatha, madana-mohan Jaya radhe, jaya krishna, jaya vrindavan dhama Ei nivedana dhara, sakhīra anugata koro Ei nivedana dhara, sakhīra anugata koro Sevā-adhikāra diye koro nīja dāsī Namoh namaha tulasi, namoh namaha Tapta-kanchana-gaurangi Radhe vrndavanesvari Srivrsabhanu-sute devi Pranamami hari-priye Dīna kṛṣṇa-dāse koy, ei yena mora hoy Dīna kṛṣṇa-dāse koy, ei yena mora hoy Śrī-rādhā-govinda-preme sadā yena bhāsi Namoh namaha tulasi, namoh namaha Jaya radhe, jaya krishna, jaya vrindavan dhama Jaya radhe, jaya krishna, jaya vrindavan dhama Sri govinda, gopinatha, madana-mohan Jaya radhe, jaya krishna, jaya vrindavan dhama Jaya radhe, jaya krishna, jaya vrindavan dhama

about

Please support our fundraiser to pay for professional promotion! www.indiegogo.com/projects/new-album-release-promotion-mantra-americana-ii--2/x/8265214#/

The second EP in the Mantra Americana series expands on the sound Madi Das & Dave Stringer crafted for their Grammy-nominated first album, combining modal melodies derived from Indian ragas with the chord structures and ecstatic vocal harmonies of American Gospel and Bluegrass. From swinging Bhangra tabla grooves to the twang of Appalachia, the sound of the band Mantra Americana can memorably be described as Roots & Ragas, Country & Eastern.

Highlights include performances from Greg Leisz, Dean Parks, and Mitchel Foreman on dobro, mandolin, pedal steel, accordion, piano and B-3 organ. Lead vocals evoke an alternative Johnny Cash that grew up in an ashram. The harmonies of the backing vocal quartet (Tulsi Bloom, Allie Stringer, Justin Michael Williams and Dave Stringer) recall the Laurel Canyon sound of the ‘70s. Patrick Richey studied tabla in India but was raised in Tennessee.

Mantra Americana is all at once profoundly devotional and playfully irreverent. It’s made of motifs that are borrowed and repurposed, but it’s also a wholly original work of art. It manages to be both blasphemous and orthodox, thoroughly modern and still grounded in tradition. It’s a tree with Indian roots growing in American soil, with fruit that tastes both familiar and exotic.

Kirtan is a folk form of mantra chanting that arose from the 15th century Bhakti movement of North India, at the same time as the Reformation was occurring in Europe. Both movements emphasized a direct connection between the human and the divine, unmediated by a priesthood. The message of the Bhaktas was simple: Joy is contagious. We all come from the same light, and it is reflected in everyone. See the divine in each other. In the eyes of Love, we are all equal.

This was, and still is, a radical message. The Hindu Upanishads were first translated into English in the 19th century and their ideas echoed in the work of Whitman, Thoreau, Emerson, Dickinson and other writers of the American Transcendentalist movement who read them. Eventually they became deeply embedded in Western culture and spirituality, to the point where few people recognized their source in the Eastern world.

The mantras contained in these songs are sung in Sanskrit, Bengali and Hindi. These languages are unfamiliar to many American ears, but the meanings are already implicit in the sounds. No translation is necessary to be moved by their beauty. They speak of both the agony of separation from the beloved, and the bliss of reunion. Perhaps the true understanding of the mantras can be found in the sense of unity, well-being and timelessness that they elicit.

Contemporary spiritual life in the West is currently undergoing a paradigm shift away from the certainties of faith and belief, and toward practices that investigate the ambiguities of experience. For the artists on this album, both yoga and music are paths of inquiry into the nature of love and consciousness. Singing, we move ourselves into a field beyond questions and answers, where the heart is free, and the mind is still.

The Christian cathedrals of Rome are literally built with old marble from the Pagan temples the popes tore down. Swept away by new cultural forces and political realities, the stones were repurposed. The myths and metaphors were translated, transformed, and transmitted again. This is how art and culture build, and remain relevant. A church is built upon the rock of every age that came before.

As Kirtan has evolved, it has absorbed and reflected many different musical influences with origins outside the Indian world. The Bhaktas used whatever instruments were at hand to express the music, drawing equally on drums brought from Persia by the conquering Moghuls, harmoniums from the British empire, and folk instruments played in brothels.

Kirtan has always been a recombinant art, and remains so in the modern day, easily absorbing the instruments of Western classical, jazz and popular music. It’s not a dusty museum piece, it’s thriving art and practice, reinventing and renewing itself right now at yoga studios, on front porches and in concert halls all over the world.

The primary musical feature of Kirtan is the use of call and response, a figure that also deeply informs Bluegrass, Gospel and Jazz. Yoga points toward awareness of the essential oneness of things, so to align the individual-dissolving Eastern tradition of Kirtan with the individual-expressing Western traditions is no contradiction. They both arise from the same impulse toward expressing what is ecstatic and liberating and transcendent within us all.

credits

released August 25, 2023

Madi Das – vocals, kartal, mridanga, cajon
Dave Stringer – vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, harmonium
Patrick Richey – tabla, drum kit, shaker, cajon
Corbin Jones – bass, tenor and baritone saxophone
Allie Stringer – vocals
Justin Michael Williams – vocals
Tulsi Bloom – vocals
James Harrah –electric guitar
Mitchel Forman – accordion, piano, Hammond B-3
Greg Leisz – dobro, mandolin, pedal steel
Dean Parks – pedal steel (Nanda Kumar, Radhe Govinda)
Aaron Janik - trumpet
Tom Stringer - backing vocals Shri Ramachandra
Susan Flanner - backing vocals Shri Ramachandra
Colin Flanner - backing vocals Shri Ramachandra
Charli Roberts - backing vocals Shri Ramachandra
Kaia Brinkmann - backing vocals Shri Ramachandra

Recorded and Mixed by Phoenix Quinn
Mastered by Stefan Heger
Written, adapted and produced by Dave Stringer & Madi Das
Label - Magnetic Melodies & Kulimela Association
Artwork & Design by Neha Agarwal and Evan Horback
Associate Producers - Chaitanya Mangala, Yamal Duryea, Kruti and Nimai Hawkins
Community Organizers - Payal and Girish Hemdev

Special thanks - Kalindi Henderson, Krishna Sanchez, Jagadambika Owens, Kitzie Stern, Gaurangi Silvers, Akash Dhurbarry, Aniruddha Prabhu, Angeli Wesson, Alexandra Hayward, Donna Netschert, Rambhoru Brinkmann, Devon Wheeler

This project is supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Dave Stringer image

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.

contact / help

Contact Dave Stringer

Streaming and
Download help

Shipping and returns

Redeem code

Report this album or account

Dave Stringer recommends:

If you like Mantra Americana II, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Featuring Riley Pinkerton (aka The Rat Queen) from the theatrical NYC rockers, Castle Rat.
listen now