Mantra Americana by Madi Das & Dave Stringer with Bhakti Without Borders
When the pandemic took over in 2020, with no options for live performance, chant artists Madi Das and Dave Stringer started writing together, zooming weekly, jamming, swapping ideas.
The music from these sessions was fresh and electric, eastern chants with a country twang, Sanskrit with soul! Together they dug into their backgrounds to create songs that would progress the genre and make chant music more broadly accessible.
Over the next two years, they reunited the band from Bhakti Without Borders, often recording remotely, to develop a fresh new sound that would be Mantra Americana. The new album pushes deeper into rhythm and harmony with the addition of a vocal quartet, and a rich blend of banjo and tabla, harmonium and harmonica – a unique subgenre that can only be described as Country & Eastern.
Tracklist
| 1. | Hey Gopinath | 4:31 |
| 2. | Boro Sukher | 4:15 |
| 3. | Om Namoh Bhagavate | 5:02 |
| 4. | Shri Guru | 5:07 |
| 5. | Maha Mantra Americana | 5:50 |
Credits
Madi Das – vocals, kartal, mridanga, cajon
Dave Stringer – vocals, lap steel, piano, organ, harmonium, guitar, harmonica, Appalachian dulcimer
Patrick Richey – tabla, drum kit, shaker, cajon
Corbin Jones – bass
Allie Stringer – vocals
Justin Michael Williams – vocals
Tulsi Bloom – vocals, violin
James Harrah – banjo, electric guitar
Recorded and Mixed by Phoenix Quinn
Mastered by Stefan Heger
Written, adapted and produced by Dave Stringer & Madi Das
Label - 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.
Born to an American mom and German dad, Madi Das grew up in the Vaishnava tradition of Bhakti Yoga. At age 7 he went to boarding school in India where he studied kirtan, became fluent in Hindi, and made lifelong friends.
Now living in Melbourne, when not sharing kirtan with his community, he works in film. His albums Bhakti Without Borders and Mantra Americana have been nominated for Grammys.