The beauty of music is that it can be used for so many purposes. There is music to expand and nurture every emotion you may have. Some songs can even lead you down a path that you were not fully sure you wanted to go down. That seems to be the case for me with my most recent discovery Dada Veda.
The singer-songwriter currently based in Urbana, Illinois, is also a highly regarded meditation and yoga teacher. Dada Veda was born in New York City in 1946 and graduated from Colgate University in 1968. Shortly after graduation, Dada hitchhiked to California attracted by the allure of the “counter-culture” and the then-flourishing hippie movement. He dove deep into the scene and fell in love with the power of yoga and meditation. In fact in 1976, Dada Veda went to Sweden and entered training to become a full-time yoga monk. After the training, he became an orange-robed monk of Ananda Marga. His name “Dada Veda” is a shortened form of his full monastic name Acarya Vedaprajinananda Avadhuta. This became his life’s work but music was a big part of who he was and he used his guitar in many of his teachings.
In 2002 Dada Veda began composing his own songs fusing the wisdom of yoga with folk, country and rock music. He worked with many talented collaborators to create record after record without the boundaries of any particular genre or influence. His travels around the world aided in this freedom and provided many ideas for meaningful songs.
Come Relax With The Sounds of Dada Veda
Earlier this year Dada Veda released Trickle on Down, a full-length album of world music produced by Kali Wale Amen. This latest record includes reggae, funk and Afro-pop inspired tracks.
The title track “Trickle On Down” is a lively reggae-tinged song with a message. As Dada says, “It is modern economics explained in four minutes.” The guitar melody places you on a relaxing beach while interesting random noises and vocal harmonies pop in to grab your attention. There is a prettiness to the music that will make your head bop and a smile grow on your face. This is what music is all about.
Learn more about Dada Veda HERE.
