Eero Heinonen - Rock music and Sahaja Yoga

Eero Heinonen – a Sahaja yogi, who is not need to be introduced. Rock fans all over the world know him as a bass guitarist of a Finn group The Rasmus, but he is also famed as a leader of another music project – a band Hay and Stone. Here Eero plays not only rock but also blues rock – he returns to the roots of blues and rock music of 70s. The first record Making Waves was made in 2006 and got good review. Eero is a modest and nice young man, who can be seen with a cameo with Shri Mataji at Rasmus concerts, giving Self-realization to his fans. Eero is talking about his project Hay and Stone, music on this record and Sahaja yoga.

Why is the title of your band called Hay and Stone?

It comes from my surname, Heinonen, that means hay in Finnish. Stone is there to give balance, not to be too light.

How long do you enjoy Sahaja yoga?

I tried it first time in autumn 1998.

How did you get to Sahaja yoga?

I had a friend in the same music school where I was studying, he recommended Sahaja yoga for me. I went for the program and after that I got curious about it.


How do you compose your songs? Do you compose first words or music?

Sometimes lyrics or just an idea of what the song is about comes first. Sometimes I just pick up an instrument and might create a melody or a chord progression first. Then slowly add more melodies and usually write the lyrics last anyway.

I was kindly surprised by the sounds of your band. It sounds like music of 70´s. I like bands from this period, especially 70´s, because I grew on this – blues, rock, southern rock. Is it the return to the roots?

Well, in a way it's returning to the roots. my father used to listen to lot of blues and bluesrock, John Lee Hooker, Jimi Hendrix, ZZ Top... I always liked also Paul Simon's stuff and some Nirvana, some grunge music, to me Hay & Stone is a mix of these things.

I like songs Prayer songs, Earth People and Dig the Vibe. I can hear blues roots there and I like slide guitar and harmonica… How did you come to the idea to create these three differents songs ?

Prayer Song
I wanted to have as the album opener, to tell listeners that music is sacred thing.

Love is vibration of heart
Love is vibration of heart
Sound is vibration of air, the sacred blow
In the dream of the sound begins the song

I wanna be one with the sound
I wanna walk as one with the wavemaker, wanna
Be one with the sound
And I ask you, and I ask you to come along

Music speaks the language of vibrations, would you
Listen to the language of vibrations
Our heart hears the call of vibrations beyond

I wanna be one with the sound
I wanna walk as one with the wavemaker, wanna
Be one with the sound
And I ask you, and I ask you to come along

Earth People
Is basically a song for my father, we had a kind of crisis with him when I started to work on the song, it's about those feelings.

Dig the Vibe
Is inspired by a visit to one yogi family in Hamburg, they were expecting their first child, and there was such a beautiful atmosphere in their home...


Music means connection with divine. How do you feel this connection of Sahaja yoga, meditation and loud rock music?


I feel that playing music, or playing any instrument should be a moment where you just listen to the sound and let it vibrate in your body. If your mind is open and attention is on the spirit, just playing any simple sounds can be elevating for our Kundalini energy.


I know that you cooperate with TEV. How does this job fill you up and how do you feel about it?

I haven't been very active with TEV, but i was part of Magic Flute opera in NY in year 2000 (was it 2000?). I enjoyed this happening a lot. One of the memorable moments was when the whole Symphony orchestra did a namaskaar for Mother.



You are famous, you are member of famous band. What this fame means for you? How did you learn to live with the fame?

I feel that fame is a good thing in some extent. Fame means to me that people can easier connect with me when they already know something about me. I think that in general people like to have some guiding image in their head of a person that they are working with... but then of course the whole experience can be something different that they expected. But I guess people feel easier to talk with someone that they know a little bit about from before.

Links:


MYSPACE http://www.myspace.com/hayandstone


YOUTUBE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbRuKAu_Ngg .... more videos

New CD and EP

Jai Shri Mataji !

Dear all,
we are pleased to inform you that we have added to the broadcast one new album and one new EP. The first one is „Ambika" – CD of Russian Indian group from Velikiy Novgorod.

Jay Ganesh,Jay Ganesh
Mauline Thothavile Daar
Mohabbat ka Khazana
Bolo Bolo Sadashiva Bolo
Durga Adi Shakti
99 Names Of Allah
He Govind
Hai Mata Mahan Ap.Ni
Amhi Bi Ghadalo

The second EP is CD „Om Bhuh" - Bhajans Of Africa. This very nice CD is first CD of Bamba Seydou - sahajayogi from Ivory Coast.

Nikasse

AdiShakti

Benediction

OM-Bhuh

Bolo

Nikasse

You can visit his blog: http://bambsey.magicrpm.com/home/

Sergio Elías - Music from Canary Islands

On our sahaja blog we introduce various types of music and musicians, we write about ragas, bhajans, but also about folk, rock, and pop. We notice connections between East and West which blend together in several cultures and nations. We would also like to bring to your attention music which is different and which has never been here before. It is light, ethereal and made for resting.
This music is music of Sergio Elias from Canary Islands.

Below you can find interview of Christina Radu with Sergio.

Hi Sergio!
Hi Cristina!

How do you remember your music beginnings? By the age of 14 you had already played the guitar and the piano, and the first teacher who used to teach you the island music was your father… What were those times like?

Well, these were very joyful times. My father liked very much the local folklore of the Canary Islands, and we used to rehearse together. My father mainly taught me how to play the guitar, and also a local instrument, typical of the Canary Islands, which resembles a very small guitar, with 5 chords, called „timple“, and with him I learned how to play these instruments and how to sing the so-called „cantos canarios“ (Canary songs) which are typical songs for these islands. Then I also learned basic notions about harmony and chords. Those years were very special for me as we practiced music very frequently, my father and I.

You travelled and performed in various clubs and Spanish restaurants all over Europe. What is playing in such places (different from music clubs or halls) like, what is the contact with the people?

I did these many years ago, and the main objective was simply to finance my travels. As at that time I was a student and I didn’t have much money, and so what I did was, when I arrived in a city, I looked up the Spanish restaurants in the Yellow Pages of the telephone book, and I called them, went there and sang some typical Spanish songs, and so I made some money in order to keep on travelling. It was an alternative way of getting resources in order to be able to travel. This turned out very well, the public was very open and was reacting very well, because in other countries in Europe, in general, Spanish or Hispanic music is usually very well received.

Your first album Sergio Elias is full of peace and rhythms. For those of us who cannot speak Spanish the album is percieved mainly by music and mood. The compositions seem to be very light. Is it difficult for you to write songs in the style of jazz, bossa, folk, bolero, samba etc.? Is it an echo of your previous experience?

Well, we Sahaja Yogis have a great blessing, which is having our Kundalini awakened by our Mother, and this Kundalini gives us the connexion, which is the Yoga, and the inspiration comes very naturally hand in hand with Kundalini awakening. And so many of these songs have come up after a meditation. The first song, for instance, came up after a siesta, and music, really, when you have this inspiration... the effort is practically zero, it’s like if the music was being dictated to you, it’s something very simple and joyful.

On your web you also talk about your spiritual faith. Sahaja yoga is the only possible way for you how to be connected to Divine. How did you come across it?

I was studying in Madrid and I had some flatmates, one of which was himself a seeker of the truth, and we had done some meditations, we had followed some other practices. And this colleague who was a seeker once told me that „there is an Indian lady who is going to give a conference on Yoga in Colegio Mayor“, an University college. I remember I was that day at the University and I didn’t know what to do, when I remembered about that conference, and I also remember that I got there very late, but Shri Mataji hadn’t arrived yet. For me it has been very special, because although my level of English was very limited at that time, Shri Mataji spoke in very plain language, that reminded me of the words of Jesus from the Bible, with a wisdom that I only had seen before in Jesus’s words...

Let´s say something about one of your new song on your web – Ady Shakty. Can you tell us anything?

This song came up during a sahaj tour of Spain, which was very special for me, because one of the participants in this tour was professor Subramanian of the Vaitarna Academy in India. We went through various cities, and when we reached the North, in a city called Gijon, in the Asturias region, he told me „it is good that we sing in Hindi, Marathi and Sanskrit, but as we are now addressing to Spaniards, we should also sing something in Spanish“ and just after he told me that, after about an hour came to me the idea of this song, and the text is very simple, „Shri Adi Shakti Nirmala Devi...“, but the intention is just to let the seekers know that the moment of truth has come.

As a musician and a yogi, you are the "author" of an interesting concept that many artists would like to master: "Shine without showing off". Could you please explain this?

Well, there is a talk of Shri Mataji where she speaks about the attention, and it is very interesting because she says that when we have successes, our ego gets inflated, and when we have like small failures, our superego inflates. I think the play consists in having successes and then abandoning them to the feet of Mother, so that our ego doesn’t inflate, because if it does, we are going against our spiritual growth, because growth happens in humility. So this „shine without showing of“ means, on one side, that Mother is the one who does everything, and it is thanks to Her that we can shine, and the „not showing of“ part means not to inflate the ego, because if we do that we hamper our evolution, and if it gets very big we become like stupid, we do very stupid things.

You can spread on the message of Shri Mataji with your music. You have concerts quite often, how could listeners see or hear you? Have you got a dream which you would like to realise?

All these questions can be combined: on one side, for listening to my music, there is the web page http://www.sergioelias.com/,

and then there is also the MySpace page,

www.myspace.com/sergioeliascantautor,

and I intend to do everything possible to make my music known.
The dream I have is to be able to give concerts, to sing in the name of Shri Mataji, to be able to transmit the joy of the Spirit to the audience - be they only 4 or 5 persons, for me it is still a great joy. I would be very happy to travel anywhere in the world to give concerts for Sahaja Yoga, and I can cover all expenses related to my travel including air fares, within a reasonable limit.

Thank you very much, Sergio.

Thank you, it has been a pleasure.

She said, come ( Ella dijo ven)

I was seeking Her in the morning
At dawn before any light
I was seeking Her in the mountain
In the blue horizon

I was looking for Her as the spring waters
Seek the sea
I was looking for Her and She came
to quench my thirst of loving

She said, come
I will quench you
She said come
You are going to be reborn

I abandon today to my deceits
So as to clean my heart
I want to give Her my years
for Her, this song

I want to dress in white,
to shine without presuming
to be a son of the Goddess
called Shri Mataji

She said come ….

Leave all of you the ploughing
Stop running without end
The Goddess has incarnated
She is called Shri Mataji

Remove your masks
the truth already reigns
The Goddess has incarnated
She irrigates freedom

She said come ….

Hope has arrived
Already the drums resound
Dance all of you this dance
For a new humanity

Stop your vain thoughts,
The Goddess already speaks,
Her words are the mantras
that will cure the land

She fills today my cup
With Her nectar. Elixir that
Whoever drinks it
Never exhausts the joy of living

Silence sounds cheerful
Virtue excels ,
Darkness fades away
Its existence is already ending
She said come ….

You can find and listen on Sahaja radio !!!

Michal Czachowski - Indialucia

Michal Czachowski
Born in 1974, Michal grew up under the influence of flamenco music. When he was twelve, he started to learn the guitar. In 1992, he founded a music group “Viva Flamenco”, which won already some musical awards.
In 1998, after the performance at the international festival in Italy, he accepted an invitation to go to the Musical Academy in Nagpur, India. There he worked as the guitar teacher and at the same time he learned to play an Indian musical instrument - sitar.
He composed a lot of music for telvesion and radio programs, performed in India and many European countries. We too were fortunate to witness his performance at the concert in Borotin in 2004.

I have got this CD as a present during the Adi Shakti seminar in Poland. It is one of the most incredible CDs I have ever heard. The synthesis of the flamenco guitar and sitar in conjunction with the other Indian musical instruments is unbelievable. I picked up the phone and called Michal. The Sahaja Yogis already knew him from the performance at the Borotin Festival 2004, where he fascinated the audience with his guitar mastery. Afterwards, via e-mail, Michal answered a few of my questions.

Indialucia
This musical project combines two musical styles – Classical Indian Music and the Flamenco. The album was being made over a period of ten years 1994 - 2004, mostly in India and Spain. Many excellent musicians agreed to participate in the making of this album.
The original concept is from producer / musician – Michal Czachowski himself. The result of his work is an album which shows how much Flamenco and its “distant roots” - Indian Music have in common.



When and how did You meet Sahaja Yoga?

I encountered Sahaja Yoga for the first time when I was sixteen. At that time I was seeking something spiritual and eastern. In our religious education class I discussed this search with the priest. Then I became a vegetarian and switched to Tao philosophy and the Old Testament. Finally, thanks to the music of Beatles, I discovered Indian Music and then after that came Sahaja Yoga. Actually, I saw a poster for Sahaja Yoga and came to the meeting.

The recording of Indialucia took almost five years. Why so long and recorded in so many European countries?

I was starting in the Academy in Nagpur. It was not possible to record everything there, because it is very difficult to make any exact appointments and dates for the recording and rehearsals with the Indian musicians. I came back to Poland together with Pierluca Pinerolli (the percussionist) and we put together an arrangement. Then I went to his home in Madrid, where we recorded part of the percussion and the guitar. I again came back to Poland and started to work on my own. I had no money to pay the whole production, so I went to the studio only when I could pay. Then I got financial help from the argentinean yogis, who lent me part of the money for the recording and production. In between, my two children were born and it was very difficult to devote oneself to the recording. In the end, after five years, everything came to the happy end and I am glad the CD is out and the Sahaja yogis can buy it. I feel joy, when I see the CD in the shops and Shri Mataji´s picture on the cover, or when I see a good reviews in the music press.

The second composition is called “Nagpur”. How are your memories of the Academy and the stay there?

This CD arose by reason of the Nagpur Academy, because there I met Avaneendra Sheolikar, thanks to whom six compositions were composed, the singing teacher Prasad Khaparde, Sandesh Popatkar – the tabla player, and as well Pierluca Pineolli.
I remember the time spent in Nagpur as the most beautiful in my life. I wanted to link up to this place where it all started, that’s why the name “Nagpur”.

The composition number five is dedicated to Babamama. Did You meet him and what was this meeting like?

The whole CD is dedicated to Babamama. He and Shri Mataji invited me to Nagpur and the Academy itself came into existence thanks to him. But in the meantime, during the recording of the CD, he died. The same day I gave myself a commitment, I would dedicate the whole album to him. I also wished for one of his lyrics to be on it. I chose this composition, because it has a nice text and soothing melody for the ears.

The CD is very popular on the internet Sahaj Radio. What do You say to such a success?

I don’t know what to say. I feel joy and have hope it will bring a lot of joy to the people. I wish it would be accessible to all Sahaja Yogis.

When will a new album come out? Will it be something different?

I would already like to start to record it and I would like to link up to the first CD, to stay with a similar sound – the guitar, sitar, tabla, cajon. I would also like to add more components from the carnatic music – the bansuri flute, ghatam and canjira, and additional flamenco singing.
Simply to make a few light compositions, which could become a hit in World Music.

How do You remember your concert in Borotin in 2004? It was something new, unusual for the sahaja yogis.

It was a very nice event and a nice place. I was very sorry I couldn’t stay longer and listen to the other musicians. I hope this event will develop from year to year further on and will promote Sahaja Yoga, good music and everything that is good. Thanks a lot and I wish you all the best.

Link: http://www.indialucia.com

New albums and songs

Jai Shri Mataji !
Dear all
we added on radio album "Live Underwater" - Maery Lanahan and four tracks from album "Lessen" too.

Here are the list of the songs:

The Birds

Sculpting My Desire With Discomfort

The Yearning Intro

The Yearning

Tangibly Ghostish

Circling Currents

Ave Maria

Piece Of Flint

The Promise

Corey

Two Silhouettes

From Lessen:

Waiting

Hydrate

Coil

With Your Breath

Please continue to enjoy the radio!
Radio team

Maëry Lanahan - Live Underwater

Maëry Lanahan is a performing songwriter with a sweet and soulful vocal prowess that captivates all who listen. She has just enough experimental attitude towards songwriting to create a truly unique sound that still touches the heart. Her songs have been about many highly personal things like overcoming abuse, realizing your creative potential, loving with a truly open heart, seeking spiritual fulfillment, and getting lost in the beauty of nature. Some songs tell a story with real people and dialogue and others just give a more abstract and poetic impression. Her style has the mystical originalty of Björk mixed with the somber emotion of Damien Rice. Matt Malley, formerly of the Counting Crows has said: „Maëry has a very organic spiritual style…“
These days, Maëry resides in Seattle with her percussionist/husband and they are working on a collaboration of art and music under the name „Elbows Touching“. Saying: „For so many years I have written songs and done paintings separately. Now I feel compelled to release them as one.“
We asked Mary for interwiev about her last album „Live Underwater“.

VH: Why the title „Live Underwater“? Is it different under the water?

ML: Water is a symbol for the unconscious, and when you’re under the water, you’re in another world. When I’m writing and performing songs, I’m really in such a creative space that is is another world to me. Also I’m striving to show people something otherworldy through music.

VH: Your music is something special then „normal music“. Although it is plugged-in, it connects the elements of the acoustic quitar, tablas and a violin. The violin is a very interesting element here. Does it fulfill the role of the solo musical instrument instead of the classical guitar?

ML: Yes, defintiely. When forming the band, I wanted to have the soloing instrument reflect how I hear the music. Violin is so ethereal and it’s like another voice. We wanted a sound that was rockin‘-but not exactly a rock band with a solo guitar….something in between.

VH: Why did you avoid the additional mixes, corrections and common procedures when mixing the CD? Was it the „first, raw“ sound you were interested in?

ML: When you get into the art of production, there really is no end to what you can do with a band’s sound, and with the songs. We wanted to release the CD as close to the live show as we could because it really documents what we were doing at the time. We just played a show inside the studio and then took the best recordings from that and released it-simple. We put so much work into our live shows, that’s where our energy was, not in production and studio time. For the time it was the best that we could do with our resources. With Lessen, our release in 2000, we spent all year in the studio and actually wrote parts in the studio. It was very laborious. We didn’t want to do that again. Our fans wanted the new songs to take home with them! Although I’m proud of both, I like the energy of the live sound better, even if I sacrifice some polish.

VH : Your voice is urgent, pressing, calling, thrilling, it evolves the feeling what it is going to be next in the song. Your compositions have a very special feeling, sometimes full of melancholy, sometimes with rock feeling. How did you get to the the guitar and to composing?

ML: When I was 14, I would sit with my mother’s guitar in our backyard which overlooked the little miami river in rural Ohio. I started to confide in music, all my deepest fears, desires, philosophies. It was a really difficult time for me as a teenager I was kind of a desperate and passionate type. I would not give in to accepting the world as my culture saw it. I knew there was a different way of life, I could touch it with music because music made me feel like I could be myself. What started out as therapy and self discovery turned into prayer and seeking something higher than myself. I would sneak out on a night walk at midnight, walk around my small town singing the whole time and not get home until sometimes 4am. I would write songs out of this space and just enjoy being alone and discovering what came out of me as it came out. Even still, I think back to that time and feel the inspiration of conjuring up my desire power.

VH: In the booklet you devote special thanks to Shri Mataji. Did the music connect you with Sahaja yoga or was there another impuls?

ML: When I was able to explore my desire power through creating music, I was able to realize that I would not give up until I found something that would help me reach my goals, in a spiritual sense. I started going to Sahaj Meditation classes across the street from my house when I was 16 and still in high school. Ever since then I have been able to grow into my spirit in a very fulfilling way. Music kept me real, and in prayer mode… and Sahaja Meditation was the answer to my prayers. If I look at where I was in the beginning, confused about the world, desperate to know the truth, very depressed and discouraged-even self destructive, and now 15 years later with so many blessings in my life and so happy- it’s all because of finding my spiritual path and following it! (to my best ability) It’s all because of what I’ve learned from Shri Mataji over the years. So yes, that core element gets special thanks on the CD jacket!

VH: You support the independent music, you say that it is very important. What does it mean to you?


ML: The main thing it means to me is that artists are able to stay true to their creative vision and not get molded by corporations who think they know what people want to hear. Artists should have complete freedom when it comes to making music. It is difficult to stick to these ideals because the whole music industry is set up to cater toward fitting into molds and genres. Luckily though, things in the music industry are changing and now the internet is allowing people to reach their audiences more directly.

VH: I woud like to ask you about the three songs which caught my attention:

The song Coil with the introductory didgeridoo can be found on your first CD Lessen. Very interesting vision of solo singing and a native instrument. Inspiration?

The didgeridoo is such a powerful droning instrument, when you sing on top of it it’s like sitting perched on top of a rock looking out over a cliff. I wrote the song Coil when I was all alone in the forest in Seattle in 1997. I returned several times to the same tree to finish out all the words and intonations. It never seemed to need or want any instrumentation, and didgeridoo seemed like the perfect thing to give it something to sit upon.

VH: Two Silhouttes belongs to my favorite. It appeared in the selection 1+1 and also on the CD which was as a present at the puja. What was the beginning of this song? How did it originate?

It’s a true story-love song. I was wanting to write a song that reflected true love, where you are so much part of someone that you hardly even notice that they’re there. Like you hardly notice that your fingers are on your hand, doing things all day long. It’s not that you don’t appreciate them by not noticing them, but rather that you just live your life using them all the time and are happy and complete. I really wanted to write a love song that had a nice sentiment that was genuine and hearfelt. I actually surprised my husband by singing that song to him on our wedding day in Ohio September of 2000! I had to keep my eyes closed the whole time because I peeked out at him once and he was bawling.

VH: I liked to watch in the NY subway small performances of various musicians. I was also attracted by your clip Brahma Shodhille, shot on the mobile exactly in NY subway. Was it a spontaneous action?

It was 2am after our show at the C-Note in the East Village. (I think there’s a recording of us doing the song Between that night at that show) We were staying in Queens with a friend and had to cart all of our equipment back after the show on the subway. As we waited, Brian, my husband/drummer got out his tablas and started playing very spontaneously-and the acoustics were great. The steps were full of really tired looking people waiting for the subway, and my bass player, Alessandro nudged me to start singing. The videographer that was traveling with us started recording. As we finished the song, our subway arrived. It was very spontaneous and short. It was one of those moments in life where you feel like you’re living inside a poem.



Maëry Lanahan on YOU TUBE :
Coil song, Brahma Shodhille song, Circling Currents song,

http://www.maerylanahan.com/

http://cdbaby.com/cd/lanahan2

New albums

Dear all,
We are pleased to inform you that we have added to the broadcast one new album and one single track. The first one is "Puja Songs" from various artists. The second single track is "Raag Bhairavi" - music fusion from Romanian´s group Turya Classical.

Mahamantras

Ganesh Stuti

Namami

Binati Suniye

Tujhya Poojani

Nirmala Kiti Varnavi

Hasat Ali Nirmal Ayi

Jago Savera

Ai Giri Nandini

Vishwa Vandita

Sab Ko Dua Dena

Turya Classical is a sahaj musical group from Romania dedicated to spread Indian Classical Music on string instruments. Their music is fusion two cultures, Eastern Classical Music with Western Classical Music. Turya Classical designed to be a string instrument assemble, offers an authentical classical music presented at its purest form.

Enjoy and keep listening!