Playlist Rewind: Krishna Das, Deva Premal, and Miten at the Keswick

Sitting on chairs—weird slidy chairs no less—for a kirtan show is awkward. When Premal asked the audience if they liked the venue, the audience didn't mind saying "no." But that's where the discontent ended. The rest of the night was a celebration of shared voices and great music.

Kirtan is not for everyone, especially three hours of it, but if it is your gig, the show was great. Krishna Das played for over an hour—4 songs. As he sat on the floor playing his harmonium decorated with om symbols, Das led the sold-out audience through mellow chants that eventually worked into fast paced frenzies. Das's song "Hare Krishna," a crowd favorite, would perhaps elicit some eye-rolling outside the theater, but in the end, each participant takes away something different from the show. Das was backed up by a dreadlocked guitar player, a shaggy "bongo" player, and a stunning tinshaw bell player.

Deva Premal and Miten played an entertaining and inspiring set. Their sidekick Manose, a wooden flute player, stole the show, adding the energy needed to buoy the audience through the second half. I had heard rumors that Premal admonishes audiences in her German accent: "We do not clap!" Instead, she kindly gave us the night off from clapping and invited us to enjoy the silence at the end of every ethereal song. Their latest CD contains mantras chanted 108 times (or a mala); as Premal sat on the floor, she led the audience in mantra dedicated to protection.  The silence at the end was stunning.

But the real highlight of the night was when Das joined the other three artists for the finale: a bluesy kirtan chant. The audience rose to its feet as Miten grooved on the guitar and Das showed us his chops at the blues genre. Even Premal took om shanti to a new level, adding a soulful blues tone. These artists tour regularly, so if chanting for three hours surrounded by other blissed out folks sounds appealing, be sure not to miss them the next time they are in town.