Back in 1973, a young man left an up-and-coming rock band called Cat’s Cradle to walk the spiritual path, embracing the Sikh faith and the practice of Kundalini Yoga. It was a hard choice. But his spiritual guide, the world-renowned Kundalini Yoga master Yogi Bhajan, told the young man, “Whatever you leave behind to walk this path will re-manifest later, in a higher form.”
Today the world knows that man as GuruGanesha, a guitarist of exceptional grace and expressiveness, a singer, songwriter, producer and entrepreneur who has been a leading figure in establishing world sacred music as one of the fastest-rising and creatively fertile genres on the current scene. Having worked with celebrated vocalists like Snatam Kaur, Seal and Tina Malia, GuruGanesha is now stepping into the limelight with his own project. Simply named "The GuruGanesha Band," it is a true labor of love for the gifted musician, not to mention the fulfillment of Yogi Bhajan’s promise all those years ago.
"This is a project that I’ve had in my heart for many years," says GuruGanesha. "Upon turning 60 recently, it became clear to me that this was the perfect time to launch it. The idea behind The GuruGanesha Band is to bring to the world sacred music genre a true guitar band sound reminiscent of the great guitar bands of yesteryear, but with lyrics totally focused on our better angels, i.e., our Divine nature! All the spiritual and musical work I’ve done for the past 39 years has been preparing me for this."
Players and singers in The GuruGanesha Band include Jai Kartar (Michelle), Hans Christian, Daniel Paul, Sat Kartar Singh, Gurusangat and Russel Green. GuruGanesha describes his band's sound as "a unique blend of raga, kirtan and rock. I will primarily be playing electric guitar and I’m hand-picking the musicians not only for their musical virtuosity but also for their ability to channel the spiritual energy that the band will be serving. The vocals will be a group effort with plenty of rich two and three part harmonies. The audience will be encouraged to fully participate, whether it be singing along, dancing or just meditating deeply on the music."
Long noted for the effortless grace and mellifluous lyricism of his acoustic guitar work, GuruGanesha’s music journey has gradually but steadfastly brought him back to his first love, the electric guitar.
"For me, it’s the way I can most totally express my heart and soul," he says. "Back when I first got into the spiritual path, I put the electric guitar in the closet and did what most of us did when we joined an ashram—switched to an acoustic. And for 30 years, I was strumming chords and leading chants."
GuruGanesha’s electric guitar first came out of the closet at a landmark live performance with pop icon Seal at the 2000 Summer Solstice celebration in the Jemez Mountains near Santa Fe, New Mexico. He returned to the instrument midway through his 2011 Song of the Soul tour, which he co-headlined with Tina Malia.
"The first time I played electric guitar on that tour was during our May concert in Berkeley, CA," he recounts. "It was beautiful for me to see how quickly people's faces lit up. It was an exhilarating experience!"
Always a consummately expressive guitarist, GuruGanesha soars to new heights when he picks up an electric. With shimmering, glassy tonalities and evocative textures, he takes the vast sonic potential of modern guitar electronics to a blissful place. And like all the great instrumentalists — from Manose to Ravi Shankar to John Coltrane — GuruGanesha can make his chosen instrument sing with the plaintive emotional intimacy of the human voice itself.
The GuruGanesha Band made its debut on September 16, 2011 at Spirit Fest in Waynesboro, PA, offering the ecstatic crowd a selection of songs from GuruGanesha’s deep back catalog of solo albums, which includes Pure Ganesh, Joy is Now and his newest release, Kundalini Surjhee. Audiences across the country can experience The GuruGanesha Band in concert during the band’s inaugural tour, which kicks off on March 15th in Encinitas, CA and crosses the continent from coast to coast. Look forward to an intimate evening with one of the great innovators of world devotional music.
“Though the concerts will feature the music,” says GuruGanesha, “I’ll also be sharing stories from my 40 years on the spiritual path, including many about Yogi Bhajan. Some of the stories are quite hilarious, while others I’m hoping folks will find to be deeply moving.”
