Shen's News: Well the Snow Lion Japan tour with Tenzin Choegyal and Taro Terahara was a big success and lots of fun. Tenzin and Taro have just put out a beautiful, meditative CD entitled "Snow Lion" in Japan and "Tibet: Awakened Heart" in Australia. I've posted photos and video of our concerts and mountain walks on my blog and on Facebook, as well as some overdue photos of Tibet2Timbuk2 and Nabanita Chowdhury concerts last month.
The big news this week is Tibet2Timbuk2's concert at Byron Community Centre on Friday. We'll have some very special guests - Yuki Taniguchi fresh off the plane from Japan will open with melting mantras, and T2T2 will be joined by Peter Hunt from Kooii and Byron bansuri player Armando Ornano. Tenzin wrote some beautiful new songs in Japan which we're looking forward to playing in such a nice venue as Byron Community Centre. Please share the news - here's the Facebook event page.
Yuki will give a Nada Yoga workshop at Zen Central this Saturday and a butoh workshop the following Saturday. I'll be playing in the kirtan part of the Nada Yoga workshop this week.
Shen's News: Concert season is upon me and I'll be participating in 4 events this weekend, before embarking on a big adventure. On Friday I'll be accompanying beautiful Indian classical singer Nabanita Chowdhury at a home concert in St Lucia (flier attached), then on Saturday Tibet2Timbuk2 are playing from 12-230 in the Queen St Mall. Saturday evening I'll be participating in the Bengali Society of Queensland's Durga Puja celebrations, but I'm sorry I don't have details to share on that one. Then on Sunday it's the huge annual Qld Multicultural Festival, where I'll be quite busy with Tibet2Timbuk2, Saikat Bhattacharya, and Feridun Avar.
Next week Tenzin and I are heading off to Japan for a month-long tour with bansuri whiz Taro Terahara. We've created a tour page on Facebook, so if you have any friends in Japan please share that page with them. More Tibet2Timbuk2 news: We are happily past 1000 fans on our Facebook page but we'll still be giving away a few tracks from "Music is Life" to every 100th fan. If you're already a fan, suggest us to your friends and one of them might be a winner. While you're there, click on the Boxes tab and vote for some of our songs or share them with your friends. In fact there are at least 20 easy ways to help Tibet2Timbuk2.
Shen's News: I'm really looking forward to Tibet2Timbuk2's concerts this weekend in support of the most excellent Kooii's CD launch, firstly on Saturday at Northey St City Farm (we're on around 7) and then on Sunday up in Crystal Waters (we're on around 3pm I think). Our next shows are in October, at Bellingen Global Carnival Oct 1-3 and then a couple of shows Oct 16-17 including Qld Multicultural Festival. Tenzin and I will be off to Japan for a few weeks after that.
More Tibet2Timbuk2 news: We are happily past 1000 fans on our Facebook page but we'll still be giving away a few tracks from "Music is Life" to every 100th fan. If you're already a fan, suggest us to your friends and one of them might be a winner. While you're there, click on the Boxes tab and vote for some of our songs or share them with your friends. In fact there are at least 20 easy ways to help Tibet2Timbuk2.
Shen's News: I'm just catching up on a lot of work after my visits to Victoria and concert tour with Vinod a few weeks back, and still haven't done any blogging on those events as I'm waiting on photos. Anyway, the tour with Vinod, my tabla school concert, and Yuki's mantra workshop last weekend were all lovely, to be sure.
More Tibet2Timbuk2 news: We are happily past 1000 fans on our Facebook page but we'll still be giving away a few tracks from "Music is Life" to every 100th fan. If you're already a fan, suggest us to your friends and one of them might be a winner. While you're there, click on the Boxes tab and vote for some of our songs or share them with your friends. In fact there are at least 20 easy ways to help Tibet2Timbuk2.
Shen's News: I've had a busy couple of weeks with Tenzin and Tibet2Timbuk2, and have duly posted photos and a couple of nice vids of our concerts in Hervey Bay (and Refugee Day Festival), Sacred Music and Winter Solstice Festivals. The trip up to Hervey Bay was a great success and most excellent concert, which raised around $3000 for Tibet earthquake relief.
I'm off to Victoria for my sister's wedding this weekend, but I'll be back next week with brilliant Banarsi bansuri player Vinod Prasanna doing concerts in Currumbin, Ocean Shores and Grange (north Brisbane) from Friday 16th to Sunday 18th July.
The 3rd Annual Ashu Babu Memorial Tabla School Concert is coming on Sunday July 25 in Mt Gravatt. My top students will be presenting tabla solos and I get my chance to play a full length solo as well. This year I'll play some unusual taal. Please come along, you'll be surprised. It's always an evening full of love and joy. I'm attaching fliers for both Vinod's bansuri concerts and my tabla school concert - please pass them on to your friends, thanks.
More Tibet2Timbuk2 news: We are happily past 1000 fans on our Facebook page but we'll still be giving away a few tracks from "Music is Life" to every 100th fan. If you're already a fan, suggest us to your friends and one of them might be a winner. While you're there, click on the Boxes tab and vote for some of our songs or share them with your friends. In fact there are at least 20 easy ways to help Tibet2Timbuk2.
More Tibet2Timbuk2 news: We are happily past 1000 fans on our Facebook page but we'll still be giving away a few tracks from "Music is Life" to every 100th fan. If you're already a fan, suggest us to your friends and one of them might be a winner. While you're there, click on the Boxes tab and vote for some of our songs or share them with your friends. In fact there are at least 20 easy ways to help Tibet2Timbuk2.
Shen's News: I've posted some photos from the recent Tibet2Timbuk2 concerts in Eumundi and West End (which raised $540 for Tibetan earthquake relief), as well as the show with Feridun at the Powerhouse on Saturday.
Tibet2Timbuk2 don't have many shows lined up except for next Friday June 11 at the Temple of Melodious Sound (home concert) in Ocean Shores - a special acoustic show and actually our first show in NNSW! We'll be joined by bansuri player Armando and hopefully a few more special guests.
Shen's News: It's a big Tibet2Timbuk2 weekend with 2 shows on Saturday and one on Sunday. We're doing a 15 minute set at Arana Hills Carnivale then zipping up to Eumundi to play a home concert with Harii Bandhu. Then on Sunday we're playing a home concert on Elliott's patio in West End. Email info@talkinthedrum.com.au if you don't know Elliott's place.
Tibet2Timbuk2 news: We are fast approaching 1000 fans on our Facebook page, and to celebrate we'll be giving away a download of our album "Music is Life" to every fan from #1000 to #1008. If you're already a fan, suggest us to your friends and one of them might be a winner. While you're there, click on the Boxes tab and vote for some of our songs or share them with your friends. In fact there are at least 20 easy ways to help Tibet2Timbuk2.
Shen's News: Turkish singer Feridun Avar has pulled together a last-minute World Music Afternoon at The Shire in West End from 4pm Saturday, featuring Yuki (mantras), Shen (tabla), Feridun, Tenzin, Asim Gorashi and more.
Tibet2Timbuk2 @ Crystal Waters was a legendary night, with opening mantras by Yuki accompanied by soundscapes by Peter and Marcello, then some songs by Peter with Shen on tabla, and finally a massive 100 minute set from T2T2 with all the songs from our CD plus a few new ones. Thanks very much to Scott and Rosie from Crystal Waters for pulling it together!
Shen's News: I've had a wonderful round of concerts with sarangi master Sangeet Mishra this weekend, taking in Caloundra, Brisbane and Ocean Shores. Photos and full round-up are on my blog. You have one last chance to catch Sangeet and I, along with meditative Sanskrit mantras by Yuki Taniguchi and hopefully some Qawwali influenced Pakistani geets by Tahir Qawwali, at our final concert 730pm Wednesday night at the Sai Baba Temple, 1614 Sandgate Rd, Virginia.
Now that Tenzin's back from touring with the Tibetan Monks, Tibet2Timbuk2 are getting busy with some concerts starting with Crystal Waters on May 2, with special guests Yuki (mantras) and Peter Hunt from Kooii.
But first, this Sunday I'm going to see upcoming Brisbane tabla player Ravikesh Singh's workshop and concert at BEMAC. Ravi is just back from his first trip to India and I'm looking forward to seeing how he's progressed.
Shen's News: It was a pleasure accompanying Saniya Patankar in two concerts this weekend, at the Brisbane Hindu Temple and then a morning home concert. I then went over to Stradbroke Island for the big triple 40th birthday bash, amongst whose birthdays we celebrated Marcello's (Tibet2Timbuk2) and Elliott's (Spankinhide), with bands including Kooii, Spankinhide and Toothfaeries. What a blast! This week I want to give a special mention to my friend Eric Mandala, who I met in Kyoto, Japan. He'll be playing at The Shire on Saturday night (and I guess I'll be sitting in?).
There are a lot of upcoming shows in my calendar this week, but watch out especially for brilliant North Indian violinist Kala Ramnath and tabla master Yogesh Samsi on March 14 - you can book tickets at the EthnoSuperLounge Shop at absolute bargain prices. I have to emphasise that this really is a top-class Indian classical event, not to be missed. I have a special giveaway for the upcoming Djan Djan concert at Judith Wright Centre on March 19. A free double pass for the first person to email me with the correct answer to this question: "Who is Bobby Singh's tabla guru?" Tibet2Timbuk2 news: We are targeting 1000 fans on our Facebook page, and as such are giving away a download of our album "Music is Life" to every 100th fan. While you're there, click on the Boxes tab and vote for some of our songs or share them with your friends. In fact there are at least 20 easy ways to help Tibet2Timbuk2.
FRIENDS' NEWS - THIS WEEK
Shen's News: I had a big week after getting back from India - first up a wonderful concert with Jai Uttal in Byron, and then I ended up playing 3 times at the Melting Pot Festival on Saturday and once more on Sunday! Tibet2Timbuk2 will be at Melting Pot Festival again next month.