Greetings! Hello! And thank you for checking out our campaign.
We are Rob and Melissa, kirtan singers, musicians, husband and wife, lovers of life, spreaders of love and joy….(goof balls...shhhh....). Nothing brings us more joy than to gather in community and sing. Fortunately, we found kirtan which satisfies these dreams and desires and the most exquisite part - we get to do it together, with you! We discovered kirtan about 5 years ago and never dreamed we’d be here now, with one record, ‘Bolo,’ under our belts and infinite possibilities ahead.
Now, we’re in the midst of recording our first full length CD, TEJASE, eight songs of music for kirtan and yoga. TEJASE is a Sanskrit word that means the vital essence of illumination. The CD is being produced by the super-skilled and inspiring Ben Leinbach. He has worked with many of our favorite kirtan artists and musicians from around the world and we are beside ourselves with joy to create this music with Ben and ultimately share it with you.
A little about Ben:
Ben Leinbach is an award-winning producer, composer, recording engineer, and multi-instrumentalist. In the studio and on the stage he has worked with scores of illustrious artists in a myriad of genres. He primarily produces world music, alternative pop, singer-songwriters, and has also delved into rap and r+b production and composing music for videos, radio, and TV. He has recorded projects with E-40, Joan Baez, Joshua Redman, Ledisi, and Orestes Vilato, to name a few. As a drummer he has performed with Kurt Elling, Chico Freeman, Michael Manring, Jose Neto, and David Balakrishnan, among others. In the world music realm he has produced recordings with Jai Uttal, Deva Premal and Miten, Snatam Kaur, Shiva Rea, Donna De Lory, David Newman, and many others. He co-produced and co-composed several tracks on Jai Uttal's Grammy-nominated album, Mondo Rama.
We are delighted to have the extremely talented Daniel Paul join us again on tabla. Daniel will be laying down his tracks for TEJASE in early November, and we know his beats are going to lift the vibration to a new level.
A little about Daniel:
Daniel Paul is an India Fulbright Award winning tabla drummer and graduate of the Ali Akbar College of Music who for more than two decades has been the principal singing tabla accompanist to Grammy nominee Jai Uttal, as well as to many of today’s top kirtan singers.
We are also feeling pretty darn lucky to get to work closely and a little more frequently with stellar musician Lucas Cheadle. He joins us on bass guitar at many of our local kirtans in Seattle. We are grateful to have his smooth bass lines on the record.
A little about Lucas:
Bainbridge Island native Lucas Cheadle plays electric and acoustic instruments for the stage and studio, having traveled far and wide spreading the musical word. Under the moniker "Lukashi Sounds" he has most recently delved into a more meditative and spiritual musical mode pairing with his wife Candice for group sound healing concerts called Koto-Toma (way of the soul). Lucas is very excited to be a part of Rob & Melissa's latest endeavor.
About the Project:
This project got its first "kick-start" by a beautiful angel whose generous donation got us back to the studio and into our first recording session with Ben. We have since returned to the studio, financing the next session ourselves, and we are about halfway there, both in terms of budget and production. We anticipate release of the CD first thing next year and we’re asking for your support to help us complete the project.
The funds we raise will go toward guest musicians and the finishing touches of production, mixing, mastering, duplication, distribution, cover design and artwork. If we happen to surpass our goal, we will put it toward touring the record and hopefully, visiting a studio or venue near you!
In gratitude...
We can’t thank you enough for the support you’ve given us so far and many bows to your offerings here and now. We are so excited to get this out to you, to celebrate and sing. We celebrate you for the courage and leaps of faith taken in your own life as well as supporting us in ours. It is through you that we see the light within….the vital essence of illumination. Tejase.
Joyfully,
Rob and Melissa
Connect:
Risks and challenges
Every creative project comes with its own particular risks and challenges, but the good news on this one is that we're well on our way to completion. We have our producer, our designer, our release party dates and venues....adding the momentum of this campaign, we're ready to hop back into the studio and finish it up.
Of course, there could be unforeseen delays, but our enthusiasm and dedication to our music, our life on the Bhakti path and this project will see us through.
We have a history of finishing records that we've started, even on time, if not early, so our track record is solid.
That, and Ganesha's got our backs.
Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha!
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Funding period
- (27 days)