BIO

Out of the blue of the western sky....came an Avalanche of Love, propelling a covered wagon of hope and promise. A promise of an opportunity to bring compassion and love in the form of respect, inclusion, and diversity to the sister and brotherhoods of our communities.
In the summer of 2017, over 20,000 people of all kinds of backgrounds, ethnicities, hopes and values gathered to hear the musical message of the Wicked Hangin Chads. They heard, “When will my eyes be decorated with tears of love?”, Jah fix it, fix my sight on this perennial light.” “From the unreal to the insane lead me to the real.” ,“All we really have is one another.”
Formed in 2008 in Arlington, MA, the WHC’s first received praise for their live show, which combined roots reggae, ska, and dub style rhythms within jamband format. Recent tours have honed their songwriting skills and musicianship across a broad spectrum of roots music earning them a reputation as innovators and artists. “There is inspired intention in this release. We worked for a mix of solid roots rock reggae and ska grooves powering our timeless message of Tolerance, Inclusion, Compassion and Love. As typified in the song JAH WORD on the new album ON THE ROOTS. This new album is contemporary. Set for the times we live in.

BIO

Out of the blue of the western sky....came an Avalanche of Love, propelling a covered wagon of hope and promise. A promise of an opportunity to bring compassion and love in the form of respect, inclusion, and diversity to the sister and brotherhoods of our communities.
In the summer of 2017, over 20,000 people of all kinds of backgrounds, ethnicities, hopes and values gathered to hear the musical message of the Wicked Hangin Chads. They heard, “When will my eyes be decorated with tears of love?”, Jah fix it, fix my sight on this perennial light.” “From the unreal to the insane lead me to the real.” ,“All we really have is one another.”
Formed in 2008 in Arlington, MA, the WHC’s first received praise for their live show, which combined roots reggae, ska, and dub style rhythms within jamband format. Recent tours have honed their songwriting skills and musicianship across a broad spectrum of roots music earning them a reputation as innovators and artists. “There is inspired intention in this release. We worked for a mix of solid roots rock reggae and ska grooves powering our timeless message of Tolerance, Inclusion, Compassion and Love. As typified in the song JAH WORD on the new album ON THE ROOTS. This new album is contemporary. Set for the times we live in.

BIO

Fanna-Fi-Allah hold the flame of traditional Sufi Qawwali music, with the blessings of their teachers; some of the greatest masters of the qawwali form in India and Pakistan. The group's founding members have spent over 20 years learning this classical art, which celebrates the great Sufi mystics of old and relishes in the love of the Divine through poetry. Sung with a powerful soaring chorus and accompanied by the energetic rhythms of tabla and group clapping, the Beloved is celebrated with ecstatic devotion.
During their 17 years of world-wide touring, they have offered audiences a unique glimpse into this rich and vibrant culture; playing at many international festivals and concerts in major cities. They have enthralled audiences in the USA, Canada, Pakistan, Europe, Indonesia, India, Egypt (etc) with their dynamic skill and passionate musical precision. With ten albums already published, Fanna-Fi-Allah now offer us an even deeper glimpse into this Sufi world of Pakistan with the production of their new documentary: Music of the Mystics.

BIO

Girish is an eclectic artist with roots in jazz, world, and sacred music. His musical talents find expression in a wide array of instruments – including tablas, world percussion, guitar, harmonium, and voice.

For as long as he can remember, Girish has created rhythm to accompany life. When he was eight years old, his parents gave him a little red snare drum as a bargaining tool to stop him from banging on everything else in the house.

Drumming has always been instinctual to Girish, flowing freely from his fingers and knowing no musical bounds. In his teens, he started experimenting with pop, rock, jazz and orchestral music. His first experience of music as sacred art came in college, playing with jazz bands. "During improvisational sessions," he recalls, "there were these unexplainable moments of synchronicity and intuition that felt like magic."

These moments came just as Girish was feeling pulled toward a sacred life. A college philosophy class inspired him to explore spirituality through Kundalini yoga, meditation, and the study of Eastern scriptures. By the time of his college graduation, Girish was so deep into these practices that he decided to move into an ashram in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Thus began an unexpected journey-a seeming detour that inadvertently nourished his musical artistry.

Girish lived in the ashram for five years, giving up music and taking the vows of a monk in the Divine Mother tradition called Dakshina Marg or Mahashakti Yoga. Yet, here, another compelling sound force emerged for Girish: the chanting of Sanskrit mantras. As a monk in the ashram he spent hours every day chanting. Girish also studied Sanskrit as a means to understand the deeper meanings of these ancient chants, and helped his teacher translate dozens of hymns.

He thought he had given up music for his spiritual practice, but one day he happened upon a set of tablas at the ashram and was instantly compelled to play them. This event set him on a life-changing course. Guided as always by rhythm, and now by his spiritual pursuits, Girish began to study tablas with Jagadish in the Nada Yoga tradition (yoga of sound current), which emphasized the spiritual import of music. He also traveled to New York to learn the art of Indian drumming at Siddha Yoga Ashram.

After New York, Girish then connected with the musician and spiritual teacher Bob Kindler, known as Babaji. "From Babaji, I learned that sacred music is a viable outlet of spirituality, one that is profoundly uplifting and transformative," says Girish. It became clear to him that his innate musical passions didn’t conflict with, but in fact lead to a spiritual livelihood. Traveling and performing with Babaji helped cement this notion.