Ananda Das Music Bio

Ananda Das is an internationally loved musician, song composer and mantra enthusiast.  His musical offerings complement his yogic practices with a deep devotional spirit.  His music channels a powerful blend of modern and ancient soundscapes that touches the heart.  Infused with mantras in Sanskrit and Gurbani, his music offers blissful energy currents woven into lyrical heart songs. He is a self taught singer, guitarist, harmonium player and bansuri flautist. 

His latest release is his album called the "Flow Like the River".  

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Longer bio...

Ananda started his musical interests in grade school playing the violin and later in high school picking up guitar.  In high school 2001-2002), he started a skater type punk band called After Eight with his best friend which lasted for a couple years.  He was the lead singer and guitar player along with his best friend.  They played almost all original music. 

Then in college (2003-2008), he formed another band called Coastline, again with a new best friend and again shared the role of lead singer and songwriter with him.  The music was more in the lines of singer songwriter, rock, alternative, reggae and ska. That went fairly steady for 4+ years. 

After Coastline he went on to do a short solo stint called The Wandering Minstrel (2009).  The music was again more singer songwriter style, uplifting, with a bit of moral offerings. That was short lived as he did not resonate so much with the solo offering and also began a deep and dedicated journey into Yoga, travel and essentially, a soul searching journey.

In Spring of 2006, Ananda took his first Kundalini Yoga class at the University of Oregon.  That changed his destiny.  It wouldn't be until years later, but the seeds on mantra had been planted.  In 2009, he sold his Gibson electric guitar for a plane ticket to Guatemala.  There, with just an acoustic guitar, he stayed for 3 months, teaching Kundalini Yoga and sharing songs in his classes and at restaurants. 

By this time mantra music was seeping deep into his consciousness. He had attended a couple Summer Solstice gatherings in New Mexico with the 3HO community, Yogi Bhajan's inspiration for a healthy, happy and holy community and world.  There he received an incredible amount of inspiration in regards to chanting, singing, sharing this music in yoga classes and as a more concert type of experience. 

He continued on a very dedicated path of yoga, in particular with the Kundalini Yoga tradition as taught by Yogi Bhajan but also teachings from other lineages influenced by the Vedas, the ancient teachings from India.  In the spring of 2010, Ananda was compiling a series of devotional songs and chants that would emerge onto the album, Live at the Altar of Love, Disc 2 (2011). He had a deep prayer to connect and serve the divine mother. His prayers were answered. 

In fall of 2010, he started playing with Jaya Lakshmi.  They were both in Eugene and Jaya Lakshmi was in the need for a bass player.  They were both connected to the Dharmalaya community there and new of each other.  Once they started playing together, they soon realized there was more than what they had ever expected.  An intimacy also quickly formed between the two of them.  By December they began collaborating and decided to record the albums, Live at the Altar of Love.  Disc 1 was a compilation of songs Lakshmi had wrote and Disc 2, Ananda's songs.  

The two of them were huge inspirations for each other.  Jaya Lakshmi had been a long time devotee in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition and she shared with Ananda her love, inspiration and devotion from that tradition.  Likewise, Ananda shared with Lakshmi his dedication, devotion and love for the teachings of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan.  In addition, their devotion to other deities in the Vedic pantheon flourished, in particular to Maha Lakshmi.

They went on to start touring regionally and then expanded. Songs started pouring through both of them and with their dedication and commitment to share mantra, music and devotion with the world, albums and touring were a natural result.  

Together they released 16 albums since 2010.  They started touring in 2011 and especially since 2013 have toured year round.  

In 2020, they decided to part ways intimately and pursue their solo careers.  In 2021, Ananda will release his second studio album, Flow Like the River. 

 

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