a musical prelude to bhakti fest

bhakti fest 2010 is a little more than a month away; it'll be held in joshua tree, california on september 9th thru 12th. if you have no idea why you should get excited about this kirtan and yoga festival, drop what you're doing, and buy tickets RIGHT NOW, i've found a couple of online kirtan shows that will give you a taste of what four days and nights of bhakti-full chanting will feel like. multiply the bliss by ten, and maybe you'll understand why you need to be there!

and even if getting to bhakti fest this year doesn't fit in with your budget and/or schedule, you should still listen to these weekly podcasts whenever you can, especially if you can't get to kirtans that easily. honestly, these shows are THAT good. and since that's coming from someone who considers herself a kirtan connoisseur (i've been to enough chant sessions to be on a first-name basis with a number of kirtan wallahs), consider that a rave review from yours truly :)


the full lotus kirtan show is hosted by blake tedder and airs every tuesday from 1-3pm on WCOM 103.5 in carrboro, north carolina. through the magic of the internet, you can listen to the streamed 2-hour webcast from anywhere in the world via the full lotus kirtan website. you can also subscribe for FREE to the itunes podcast by clicking on this link: full lotus kirtan show

since this is in a radio show format, you'll get some interesting chatter from blake between songs. he'll intro the music, do phone interviews with kirtan artists, and sometimes talk about his yoga practice. the shows usually revolve around a theme; there have been some that have featured chants to ganesh, hanuman, the maha mantra, and every now and then, he'll have a by-request show that includes songs requested by listeners.

full lotus kirtan, episode 40, july 13th features an interview with sridhar silberfein, producer of bhakti fest, and includes the following chants by musicians who are scheduled to perform at this year's bhakti fest:

Song ~ Artist ~ Album

Sri Krishna Arati ~ Bhagavan Das ~ Now!
Bhagavati ~ Dave Stringer ~ Japa
Jaya Hanuman ~ Girish ~ Diamonds in the Sun
Bhavani Jaya Jaya ~ David Newman ~ To Be Home
Shree Ram Jai Ram ~ Deva Premal ~ Embrace
Hey Ma Durga (Compassion) ~ Sean Johnson And The Wild Lotus Band ~ Devaloka
Be the Change (Niraj Chag's Swaraj Mix) ~ MC Yogi ~ Elephant Power
Mira's Song (Mharo Pranam) ~ Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits ~ Ten Million Moons
Guru Om ~ Michael H. Cohen ~ Om Dattatreya: Journey To The West
My Foolish Heart Bhaja Govinda ~ Krishna Das ~ Heart As Wide As The World
Sunrise Hare Krishna ~ Prema Hara ~ Sweet Surrender
Govinda Jaya ~ Jai Uttal (Remixed by Rara Avis and Shaman's Dream) ~ Dial M For Mantra
Om Namah Shivaya ~ Govindas ~ Endless Surrender Kirtan Experience


another kirtan show, new world kirtan, is hosted by kitzie stern, who's based in corvallis, oregon. unlike blake's longer full lotus radio podcasts, kitzie's new world episodes run for only an hour and are more appropriate for meditation and yoga practice. kitzie intros the show, then lets the music she's curated speak for itself. you can listen to her show via the new world kirtan website, or subscribe to the FREE itunes podcasts by clicking on this link: new world kirtan

by the way, kitzie plans to be at bhakti fest this year and will be posting podcast updates. so stay tuned!

new world kirtan, bhakti fest!, august 3rd is a collection of songs from artists who will be performing at bhakti fest 2010:

SONG ~ ARTIST ~ CD

Om ~ Mercury Max ~ The Eternal Om
Elephant Power (feat. Bhagavan Das) ~ MC Yogi ~ Elephant Power
Ma Jagadambe ~ Mukti ~ Light of the Sun
Sitaram ~ Krishna Das ~ Heart As Wide as the World
Parashakti ~ Wah! ~ Maa
Hey Shiva Shankara ~ Dave Stringer ~ Japa
Bhaja Mana Ma ~ Shantala ~ Live in Love (2)
Love, Peace and Freedom/Sita Ram ~ David Newman ~ Love, Peace, Chant