A Musical Celebration of Global Prayer - ONE LOVE Devotional Chant - News

Our Fun Weekend

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Last weekend we had a blast. Friday night we led kirtan at Integral Yoga Institute in NYC. What a lovely center that was! They have a fabulous bookstore, a health food store, and a staff of very wonderful and helpful folks. We can say with certainty that we were in heaven (because the 5th floor room that we played in was called "Heaven."). It was one of those "quality not quantity" gigs--not a huge crowd, but the folks who were there seemed to really drop into their hearts and groove on the music.

On Saturday we played in Washington Square Park. The forecast was for thunderstorms all day. We got there, and the first miracle that happened was that we found a parking place right at the entrance to the park, near the statue where we were going to play. So I guess that made us feel lucky, and since it was not yet raining, we decided to haul our entire sound system out of the car and set it up. After much shlepping, we had the whole thing ready to go and were tuning up when it started to sprinkle. Quickly, we struck everything down and scrambled to get it all back in the car before the skies opened. When we got everything packed up back in our vehicle, the rain had completely stopped. Sigh. So we decided to go with a pared down version, with just a little amplifier, and the harmonium instead of the big keyboard. That way, if the thunderstorm hit, we could easily get our stuff under cover. But, amazingly, we played for two hours with no rain, despite the forecast saying we would surely get dumped on. I guess the gods/goddesses were pleased!

We spent Sunday morning at the Jersey Shore, in Ocean Grove, where we did a house concert of sorts. It was actually an interfaith service in the home of a minister who is one of Jody's colleagues from The New Seminary. We had about 30 people in this beautiful, intimate space, and we loved singing with everyone. In the afternoon we had a chance to relax on the beach before heading back to Ithaca.

Thanks to all who came out to chant with us and who support us in doing the work we love!

The Big Time

Mon, 24 May 2010 00:00:00 -0700

We've had a great couple of weeks. Kristin joined us last weekend when we played at Namaste Yoga Center in Woodstock, and then at the New Seminary Center for Interfaith Studies in NYC (which happens to be on Broadway). So now we can say we've hit the "Big Time", since we've played at Woodstock and on Broadway! Then this past weekend we had a very sweet evening playing at the Methodist Church in Endicott, NY. Some of the folks there were new to chanting, and it was delightful to see them all melted and in Love when the evening was over. This was a totally new kind of worship experience for them, and we were happy to offer it. And, of course, there were some of our "regulars" there as well, who were not shy about dancing in the aisles. We love that! Maybe it was because we had fabulous percussion section, as Rose Husted and Sarah Lam joined us---so it was a Djembe Djamboree!

Gearing up for Spring/Summer Gigs

Thu, 06 May 2010 00:00:00 -0700

A lot has happened since our last entry. Jody has finished her yoga teacher training program and is in full-swing teaching yoga classes in Ithaca, including classes that begin and end with chanting. Joe is on his knees in the dirt, taking care of many beautiful gardens, including the lovely grounds at our local Hospice. Doug has been jet setting around on business trips in between gigs, and Kristin is busy with her studies in NYC. Amidst all this, we have had a couple of sweet gigs, one at The Spring in central NY, and another at Ahimsa Yoga Center in Ithaca. For the latter gig, we were joined once again by Henrike on vocals, and by Jeffrey Hellman on percussion. Jeffrey will be joining us for some of our upcoming gigs, and we are really blessed to have him grace us with his mastery on congas, bongos, and small percussion. Welcome Jeffrey!

Upcoming, we'll be playing around New York State, including Endicott (we'll be joined by our friend Rose Husted on Djembe), a return to Woodstock, and New York City. The biggest challenge with all of this is fitting ourselves and all of our gear into Jody's Subaru. I hear that in India some folks ride on the top of the buses and trains--we may have to try that!

Taking a break

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

We had a fabulous gig at Ahimsa Yoga Center on Friday Feb. 5th. We had three percussionists joining us that evening--our friend Larry Hirschberger on Djembe, Rose Husted from Binghamton on Djembe as well, and a surprise visit from Derek Goddard (former drummer for The Clash) on dumbek. Derek has just moved from London to Ithaca with his wife, Selima, who sat in on flute as well. Those wonderful musicians, along side Doug, Jody, and Henrike, made it a juicy and uplifting evening. Joe is off traveling in warmer climates for the winter months, and Kristin is immersed in her studies at NYU. So we've become one of those bands with fluid personnel, which allows each gig to be fresh and unique. Kind of like changing the recipe a bit each time we cook our favorite soup.

Jody is going away for a month to do the yoga teacher training program at Kripalu, so ONE LOVE will be taking a hiatus until April 2nd, when we'll be back at Ahimsa with Joe and special guests. Hope to see you then!

Tune in and listen 1/14

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Sorry for the short notice, but we wanted to let you know that our new CD will be featured on "In The Spirit", an inspiring radio show on WRPI FM, Troy NY. It's also broadcast on the web, so you can hear it anywhere in the world! Host Gary Goldberg will interview Jody and play cuts from the CD on Thursday, January 14th at 2 PM (EST). The show actually runs from 11-4 PM, and our segment will be at 2.

If you live in the Albany/Troy area, you can tune in at 91.5 on your FM dial. If you live anywhere else, you can listen live at http://www.wrpi.org/listen .

A Fabulous Week!

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Wow, it's been a really incredible week for us. We played at Kripalu Yoga Center in Stockbridge, MA on Wednesday night, and we had about 80 or 90 people there in the big main chapel, with the big statue of Shiva dancing behind us the whole time. We love playing at Kripalu--we get to chant with wonderful people who come from all over the globe, and we get to stay a couple of nights and take great yoga and dance classes, eat their amazing food, and relax in the whirlpool and sauna. It sure beats playing in a bar!

Then, last night, we had our CD release celebration at Ahimsa Yoga Center in Ithaca. We had a great turnout, and the room was bursting with energy--lots of great chanting, dancing, happy children running around, and folks enjoying an amazing spread of food. Thanks to all who came out to sing, dance and celebrate with us!

It's Here!!

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0800

We have the CD now, and it looks and sounds beautiful. Wow! We are delighted with it, and we think you will be, too. If you live anywhere near Ithaca, NY, we hope you'll come celebrate with us at the CD release party on January 8th. We'll have complimentary desserts and chai and other goodies, and of course, lots of juicy chanting!

CD Update

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0800

We just found out that we will have the CD by Wednesday the 16th! And, we've just made it easier for you to order! Just go to our "Buy CD" page and click on the link, which will take you to CCNow, where you can order safely and securely with the credit card of your choice. It's not too late for Santa!

order our CD now!

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Well, it looks like the CD will be back from the plant JUST in time to fling it into Santa's Sleigh as he's pulling out for the big ride! So, you can have it in your stocking for Christmas. We don't have ordering set up on this site yet, but you can order it from Jody's website: www.jodykessler.com . Just click on the music page and you can order with your credit card via a secure processor!

Update on our CD

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Well, the good news is that our CD is at the plant now being pressed. Yay! The bad news is that we're not sure whether it will be shipped backed to us in time to get it out for the holidays. So we're kind of hanging out in limbo here, waiting for news from the plant as to when they'll have it ready to ship. Even if it will be ready before Christmas, it will be just barely under the wire--we'll have to fling it into Santa's sleigh just as he's heading out for his big ride. But, our official release date will be January 8th, when we'll have our big CD release bash in Ithaca, NY. More on that later!