RASA To visit RASA's Website click here.   Devotion by Rasa

Devotion: TWPT Talks with.... RASA ©2000-2005 TWPT TWPT to KW: When was it that you first discovered the joy of singing and how did that affect the way that you ordered your life? Was singing something that you viewed as a potential career or was it something that you simply loved to do? KW: I loved it when our mother sang with my sister and I , usually before we went to sleep at night. She is also a passionate music lover and more often than not, there was music in the background- usually opera. When I was twelve, I bought a beat up old guitar with some baby sitting money, refinished it and managed to put some new strings on it. I taught myself a few chords- very basic but enough to accompany myself singing the folk songs and ballads I was discovering at the time. Mostly I learned from listening to artists such as Joan Baez. I still really enjoy singing Donovan's songs. I guess I did entertain the fantasy of being a singer for a while but never pursued it seriously. For the most part, my artwork took precedence but music was always something I loved with a passion. TWPT to KW: Most of us are happy if we can say that we do one thing competently but you seem to have two artistic talents within yourself, singing and art. Was it difficult for you to focus on both of your talents simultaneously so that each of them developed equally as you grew up? KW: I consider it a great blessing to enjoy both forms of expression and I always thought they enhanced each other. In fact I see them as inseparable. A degree of shyness and insecurity contributed to my not pursuing the singing more. I never had a voice lesson and with the exception of playing at social gatherings occasionally, it was mostly something I did by myself. TWPT to KW: Was spirituality something that was always with you or was that something that entered into your life later? Did your spirituality immediately impact your music and art or was there a gradual time of evolution that took place before it became apparent that change indeed was taking place? KW: In retrospect, there seemed to be a natural transition for me from painting my dreams and pure fantasy, influenced by the fairy tales and myths I grew up with, to the exploration of spiritual and religious subjects. I was introduced to some of the mystical teachings of the Vedic culture, its philosophy, poetry, music, cuisine, and art in the early 70's through A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and some of his disciples. I became fascinated by the incredible visual imagery, which was exotically beautiful, sensual, and spiritual. It was an extremely inspiring period. I had such a desire to develop a higher consciousness and I was so happy to have found at last, a way to seemingly transform my existence. At the risk of sounding corny, I essentially turned everything I loved to do into a devotional practice. So the chanting and music became my meditation and I spent many hours listening and singing as I painted spiritual images. My first illustrated book, 'Illuminations from the Bhagavad Gita', took close to six years to complete, so by that time many of these songs became engrained in me. That was a rather reclusive period and I never imagined I would some day record these songs and give concerts. Nor did I imagine that my 17 year marriage would end and as I struggled with that pain, the songs took on an even greater meaning and I took shelter in them. Not only are the melodies hauntingly beautiful, but the songs express such a deep spiritual yearning, which is something I have felt all my life. And that is what I recognized in Hans' playing as soon as I heard him. He possesses a rare sensitivity and talent. He immediately responded to the songs with the most exquisite arrangements I could possibly have imagined. TWPT to KW: Tell me about some of the early exterior influences that affected your music, i.e. radio, TV and music that you listened to at home. KW: I loved different kinds of music- rock and roll, blues, folk, and classical, but it was through the music of the Beatles, who I adored (especially George Harrison), that I discovered Indian music. In 1970, George produced an album called The Radha Krishna Temple album which had a profound effect on me. A couple of the songs on our CD I learned from that recording. That led to many other discoveries. The sounds resonated deeply in me and were a great source of inspiration. I loved listening to Ravi Shankar and Hari Prasad Chaurasia . Their music was very conducive to the mood of the illustrating work I was engaged in at the time. There was also a vast collection of recordings of Swami Bhaktivedanta, both singing and lecturing, that I became absorbed in. Little did I know the extent of the effect all of this would have on my life. TWPT to HC: Having started playing the Cello when you were but 9 years old has given you many years of growth in your musical abilities and tastes. When you started way back then was it something that you wanted to do or something you had to do as a dutiful son? HC: My parents introduced me to music and encouraged me to learn an instrument but they never insisted that I would pursue it beyond my desire. In fact, they were probably quite shocked when I decided to move to the U.S. to study music at Musicians Institute in Hollywood. I definitely was a musician at heart from early on. But I did play in church many times, since my father was a minister, and my service often consisted of playing for elderly people, etc. It was somewhat expected from me to do this. TWPT to HC: Do you think that if your teacher had not been so strict it might have taken you longer to develop your talents and looking back from your vantage point now what did those early lessons teach you besides the discipline to make music? HC: My early lessons provided me with a proper technique of playing the instrument and with a desire be good at it. It set high standards for me that I upheld throughout my musical life, standards that I had to live up to. With it came intense self criticism, both constructive and not so constructive. The biggest challenge later on for me was to break away from the classical tradition without compromising my standards of quality. I had to invent my own musical language and style that would stand up to my own criteria for quality. TWPT to HC: Were you ever tempted to continue on and become a professional Cellist just as you were being trained to do? HC: Not really. For me, playing music was a path of rebellion against the norm, and how can you rebel when you play the classical repertoire? I considered it for a while but felt that many classical musicians held something in common with postal workers- trying to fit in, getting a secure job, living a regular life. I hated those things and felt a deep calling to find my own way. Of course, today I am not nearly as critical of the classical world, but I still see a difference in mentality. TWPT to HC: When was it that rock music found its way into your repertoire and how did that affect the kinds of music you played? Did rock and roll change the way that you approached music in general or did it just become another piece to the puzzle of what you would eventually be doing with your talents? HC: As a listener I discovered rock music when I was about ten years old. My older sisters introduced me to the 60's music culture and my first favorite artists were Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, listening to them right around 1969. I also listened to pirate radio stations late at night who were broadcasting from offshore ships anchored in the North Sea. There was great music on the radio all night! By the time I turned 14 I had discovered the bass guitar and was totally inspired to play it. I loved the passion of rock music, the sensuality of a good bass line, the chilling crunch of a good drum beat, and the soaring longing of a great guitar solo, all the while I was still studying the classical repertoire. I never listened to any lyrics- my choice of favorite singer was based on the sound of their voice and their melodies. Rock music found its way into my life because I was looking for it, and after getting a taste of it I wanted more of it. But I never rejected the cello- instead I started to improvise, expand, and explore music. TWPT to KW: When was it that you first realized where your singing was going to take you in terms of a career? And was this before or after meeting Hans? KW: About a year before I met Hans and moved to California from Washington DC, I had started singing with my dear friend Radhika. She is from India and has a very beautiful and unusual voice. We discovered the joy of singing together and not long after, began a group called LiLaLe'. We started a recording project and performed a bit locally. The CD was never completed but it was a wonderful learning experience. At that point, I really did not think I would necessarily make a career of it. Even as Hans and I worked on our CD, I didn't imagine we would be performing to this degree. I am surprised how much I love doing the concerts, because I have had to overcome my shyness in the process. But my love for this material, and Hans' amazing and inspired playing, always makes it an extremely enjoyable experience. The response from our audiences has also been very rewarding. TWPT to KW: Tell me about your first meeting with Hans. How did it come about and was there any indication in that first meeting as to what you would eventually be doing? KW: I was visiting California because I had done some artwork for Hari Prasad Chaurasia, the great bansuri player, also one of my favorite musicians. He had invited me to attend a concert he was giving in San Francisco. I went to a party one evening with a dear friend and student of Hariji's [John Wubbenhorst - also a wonderful player]. I met Hans that evening and was captivated by the sound of his heartfelt playing. It was his idea to do a CD together not too long after we met, when he invited me on a trip to Wisconsin where he was to record a beautiful CD called The Lake. We stayed in a magical old cottage by Lake Michigan, where he and his collaborators had set up a temporary recording studio. One afternoon, we sat on the porch and he heard me sing some of the songs. I believe it was then, that he felt inspired to do something with me. TWPT to KW: In terms of your artwork, how was that coming along during this time period? KW: More often than not, I've had one or more art projects going on regardless of what else was happening in my life. Certainly I have taken occasional breaks from it, but I am happiest when I'm in that flow. Some of my projects have taken a few years to develop and several of them only recently came out after a long time in the making. It's a great feeling now to finally come to completion on them and move on to some new ideas. TWPT to KW: Give our readers some background on where most of the lyrics from this CD came from and why you chose to use those particular words.  KW: The songs were written by a few different Indian writers. All of them were extraordinary souls expressing deep spiritual yearnings. I didn't change the lyrics, but I did omit some as many of the songs are quite long. I took certain liberties in my renditions of them, sometimes varying the melodies a little, and emphasizing certain phrases I particularly liked. Hans recorded me singing them as I always have, he created the incredible arrangements around them and RASA was born. TWPT to HC: Tell me about your early days in California, why California and how that choice affected your music? HC: I came to California in 1982 to attend a music school in Hollywood called 'Musicians Institute'. The school was located right at the corner of Hollywood Blvd and Highland Ave, above the Wax Museum. I found out about it while living in Cologne and studying musicology. My arrival to the US was a classic immigrant story- no friends, no contacts, but a fierce dream to find my way as a bass player. Within a couple of months I was playing at the Whisky A-Go-Go in front of 600 people, after hooking up with my first local band. The early days in LA were very exciting for me because I connected with the local music scene and quickly joined local bands, some of which developed into very famous groups later on. I became very, very active on the local music scene and managed to land better and better gigs. Every club in the LA area became familiar to me, and I played some of them dozens of times. I hung out with the death rockers, the folk rockers, the weird performance artists, and saw the good, the bad, and the ugly of it all. Eventually I started to play television shows, like Solid Gold, American Bandstand, etc, and got a taste of that whole scene as well. MTV videos were also part of my activities, with some well known singers. So, overall I had a first hand experience of the entertainment world, from the darkest whole in the wall to bright television studios. It was a shallow world that I discovered, where musical talent often seemed to serve narcissistic inspirations. I slowly discovered my own musical voice in this process and started to compose my own music around 1984. But it took another four years before I made my own music a priority. TWPT to HC: When was it that you decided to open a recording studio? Having been on the other side of the microphone for so long was it difficult to get behind the mixing board and work? HC: I started my first studio after leaving LA in 1988, after moving to San Francisco. I had worked in studios as a musician since my early days in Hamburg and Hanover, since I was 16 years old, and I was always fascinated by the engineering aspect. So, having a sincere interest in the creative process of recording, plus having done quite a bit of it in Germany and LA gave me a good foundation to pursue it more seriously. To this day I am working in a one room studio, where the "engineer" and the "musician" are sitting close together. Often I record myself for whatever project I am working on, especially since I am often composing/producing the music. TWPT to HC: What were your first impressions of Kim and her singing abilities? Did you immediately see the potential that was eventually going to become RASA or did that take a little longer? HC: Within a split second I recognized her talent and the potential for a great project! I had actually noticed her voice on a tape that she was singing on before we met and was immediately drawn to it. Kim has a quality that only a very few singers offer to this world, and I treasure it today as much as the first time we played together. TWPT to HC: When was it that the two of you sat down and discussed the formation of RASA? How clear was the picture at that time of what RASA was to be and the roles that each of you would play in it? HC: We never really discussed it until the CD was a reality. The picture was clear in my mind of what I wanted to do and Kim went along with the flow of the project- she even moved from Washington DC to the Bay area to be closer together. As the work on the CD progressed we started to recognize the potential of our association and got more and more excited. Naturally, Kim's role was the keeper of the chants- she held the knowledge and wisdom of the material. I came in as a manifesting entity- listening to her and then acting accordingly. She also had a musical sensitivity that I liked to consult- if something didn't feel right to her than it probably wasn't right. TWPT to HC: Tell me about the roles that each of you play as members of RASA. HC: Because of my knowledge of the recording process I tend to be more in the producer/ arranger role. Kim is the source of the initial ideas, by singing a particular song or chant that she learned years ago or recently discovered. We are trying to share the logistical work of RASA, the business end of it, and the booking. We make all our decisions as partners. Kim's dedication often keeps me going when things get difficult or overwhelming, and hopefully I can reciprocate that support sometimes. TWPT to KW: Tell me about some of the illustration projects that you have finished over the years? If our readers wanted to check them out are they available for purchase anywhere? KW: My first illustrated book, 'Illuminations from the Bhagavad-Gita' was recently republished. Mandala Publishing Group spared no expense in making it a high quality production with very fine color reproductions. I am also thrilled by the addition of a beautiful poem written by Donovan which was inspired by one of the paintings. There is also a miniature version available now. I have a children's book called 'The Butter Thief' which is a charming story of one of Krishna's childhood pastimes. I wrote and illustrated a book called 'Enchanted Tales' an ABC fantasy which I was inspired to do for my son when he was a baby. He didn't actually receive the book until he was seventeen. Most recently, I designed a series of fold-out portable altars, two of which just came out in large and small sizes. [ The Devi Temple and Buddha Altar ] There is also a fold-out Indian courtyard called The Vrindavan Activity Set which comes with an envelope containing characters of Krishna, cowherd girls and boys, animals, trees and temple. You can find them or order them from various bookstores or they can be ordered through the Rasa website or from Mandala Publishers. I also illustrated a vegetarian cookbook called Angel Foods written by a wonderful woman named Cherie Soria who self published it. TWPT to KW: What kind of feedback have you gotten from those who are discovering your music? Was it what you expected? KW: The response has been quite incredible. We hear from people every day who have been very affected by it. Many express that it has an addictive quality and they listen to it over and over again. We have received some great reviews and just this morning found out that Amazon.com named it the number one new age album of the year. So I am both surprised and delighted. TWPT to KW: Do you tour as RASA? If yes what's it like when you hit the road and where can your fans get information on where you will be and when? KW: We do tour as Rasa and I actually love being on the road. It's both exhausting and exhilarating. There is a wonderful freedom in being in the present moment. Within the framework of your commitments, there's a lot of spontaneity and surprise. I love meeting new people in new places and getting glimpses into other worlds. Fortunately, Hans and I travel very harmoniously and really enjoy the adventure together. The information on our whereabouts is posted on our website if anyone is interested. TWPT to KW: Do you have any plans for your next illustration project at this point in time? KW: There are several ancient Indian texts I'm beginning to research. A beautiful collection of spiritual love poems called The Gita Govinda is something I may consider. I have illustrated a few of the poems of Rabindranath Tagore but whether these will end up in book form, I'm not sure yet. They may appear as prints instead. I'm currently discussing with my publisher the idea of illustrating the stories of various demi-gods such as Ganesha. I think it will become clearer in the next couple of months. Just released is a new book/CD called Darshan - sweet sounds of surrender, which will give a historical background on the writers of the songs on our CD, information about the instruments and about us, and about the tradition of Vaisnava devotional music. The book is be beautifully and profusely illustrated mostly by the incredible Indian artist BG Sharma whose painting is on the cover of our CD. Darshan will be available just before Christmas. TWPT to Hans: Give me an idea of what it takes for you as the engineer to move a project from initial idea through to finished master. HC: That is a complex issue. The first step involves selecting material and mapping out rough ideas, determining the stylistic parameters and the production technique for a project. RASA's recordings were built around Kim's singing, meaning that we recorded her vocals first. After that I worked with several different drummers to record a variety of drum parts. These parts were all loaded into the computer and edited, to shape the groove and texture of the rhythm section. Then came the melodic embellishments and background parts, and after that another look at the vocals, with possible redos and harmony parts. Finally, the mixing of all parts, with various submixes and edits that were used to change an arrangement yet again. This whole process involves countless hours of dealing with technical issues as well as musical ones- they are completely interwoven. As part of our preparations for the next album I am currently going through a technical upgrade, with the hopes that we have an even greater flexibility and higher quality in our mode of working. TWPT to HC: How hard was it to master some of the instruments that you used on the making of Devotion? HC: Any of the instruments that I play are endless in their complexity. I have been playing cello for thirty years now and could theoretically study it for the rest of my life. The sarangi is legendary for its difficulty, and even the nyckelharpa presents its challenges. However, having spent so much time on the cello has allowed me to absorb the sarangi much faster than a novice musician. The sarangi has revealed itself to me, although I would not call myself a master of the instrument. TWPT to HC: What do you see ahead for RASA? Is there more music that we can expect from the two of you in the near future? HC: Yes. We are entering a phase of preproduction for our next CD and will start to record in the near future. A second version of Devotion, called Darshan, has just been released, with a 56 page book that describes the background of these songs. We hope to release a steady stream of new music and of items that also show Kim's extraordinary artwork. In addition, we will tour again next year. TWPT to HC: What kind of final thoughts do you have for those who might be following in the footsteps of groups like yourself? How do you begin to pursue your dream of being a musician? HC: You pursue it by allowing yourself to be yourself and by getting really good at what you do. If you are meant to be a musician in this lifetime then you will be able to cope with the many challenges that will come your way. I believe that any serious artist needs to go through a process of refinement-usually a long and arduous way that will deal you many life lessons. Overnight successes only exist in Hollywood- you are in it for the long term, and you are faced with difficult choices. Austerity will become your teacher- no great artist has ever been able to avoid that. You will have to embrace your challenges and use them to strengthen your art. If you can do that you will be successful. TWPT to HC and KW: How does it feel having Devotion named the best new age CD of 2000 by Amazon? Does it make you feel like your music is definitely reaching the audience towards which it was aimed? KW and HC: We are very pleased with that recognition because there are people within the commercial system that have ears and a heart. It is very encouraging indeed! Amazon.com's choice shows that RASA has a chance to delight a large audience and we will do our best to provide beautiful music for this purposeh of you for taking the time to talk to TWPT and congratulations on Devotion being named the best new age CD for 2000 by Amazon. May Devotion be the first in a long string of inspire