By cnews Date posted: April 4, 2014

Krishna Das, Grammy Nominee Kirtan Wallah, Headlines Two Miami-Dade Events Hes made Kirtan (devotional music) a best seller. Hes moved millions with his heart-felt vocals and harmonium playing. Hes performed on the Grammys. Hes the subject of a documentary that was released in 2013. Hes the Kirtan Wallah (maker), aka Krishna Das, and hes in Miami in conjunction with the release of his 14th CD.

The Kirtan rock star, Krishna Das, will conduct a workshop at Miamis Unity on the Bay, Friday, April 11 from 2 to 5 p.m. The next day, he will be on stage from 8 to 10:30 p.m., at the Julius Littman Performing Arts Theater in North Miami Beach.

Krishna Das is the Sting of Kirtan. Hes energetic, passionate, and has a message to share, said Hal Martin, founder of Stop, Breathe and Smile. South Floridians have been craving this type of performance, as we saw earlier this year when Stop, Breathe and Smile hosted concerts with Mirabai Ceiba and last year with Deva Premal & Miten, GuruGanesha Band and Snatam Kaur. We expect to sell out both events with Krishna Das.

Krishna Das doesnt just perform. As a Kirtan artist, he engages as he leads everyone in the call and response singing of mantras. His workshops include the participatory chanting, interspersed with his personal anecdotes about his spiritual path, and a forum for questions and answers. He has a winning personality, with a dry sense of humor. Possibly thats what led to the recent documentary that chronicled how a young Jewish boy from Long Island, with the birth name of Jeffrey Kagel, ended up as Krishna Das (servant of the Lord) in India, dedicating his life to spread devotion, or Bhakti.

With chanting, says Krishna Das, You spend less and less time in heavier negative states of mind. Youre letting everything gocategorizingjudgingthe volume on this stuff comes down. Were living in a very harsh world. Our lives move so fast. Its not so easy to find love and peace.

Alina de la Paz, a founding member of Stop, Breathe and Smile, acknowledges the difference that Kirtan has made in her life. It has brought her hope, clarity and calm within a storm-filled sea of uncertainties. I wake up to Krishna Das resonant voice every morning chanting, chanting, chanting with him. The Bhakti practice has saved my life and I am grateful for KDs devotion that inspires me to be more every day. Experiencing him and his practice in person is an awesome experience that I look forward to again and again.

de la Paz has attended several of Krishna Das workshops in the past, but this is the first one in her hometown, and shes grateful that South Floridians will be able to absorb the positive energy and spirituality that exudes from his persona, along with his steady baritone voice.

Krishna Das stumbled upon Kirtan in 1969 after he met the American spiritual icon, Ram Dass. The next year he turned down an opportunity to sing with Blue Oyster Cult, and followed his heart to India. He remained on the other side of the ocean for decades until his guru, Neem Karoli Baba, sent him back to America.

In 1994, he packed up his harmonium and went to American yoga centers, where he began chanting for an ever-growing audience. While his chants are, were, and will always be rooted in the spiritual sounds of India, his unique natural music soon began to inform his melodies.

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