ELECTRIC GANESH: World Devotional Guitarist and Pioneer GuruGanesha Singh Plugs In

Following a triumphant debut at Sat Nam Fest last September, the GuruGanesha Band has embarked on its inaugural tour, delighting and inspiring audiences up and down the West Coast. This entrancing new group is the latest project from the mind, heart and guitar of the world devotional music pioneer GuruGanesha Singh. Renowned for his work with sublime vocalists like Snatam Kaur, Nirinjan Kaur and Tina Malia, GuruGanesha steps into the limelight with his most recent musical venture, leading a multi-talented ensemble culled from the A-list of players and singers on today’s rapidly-expanding kirtan/chant/yoga music scene. “This is a project that I’ve had in my heart for many years,” says GuruGanesha. “The idea behind the GuruGanesha Band is to bring to the world music scene a group that can musically hold its own with the great guitar bands of all time, but instead of using conventional lyrics, singing mantras and divine poetry to transport audiences to a profoundly beautiful and transcendent place. All the spiritual and musical work I’ve done for the past 39 years has been preparing me for this.”

Long noted for the effortless grace and mellifluous lyricism of his acoustic guitar work, GuruGanesha has turned his talents to his first love, the electric guitar, to ignite the incandescent sound of the GuruGanesha Band. With shimmering, glassy tonalities and evocative textures, he takes the vast sonic potential of modern guitar electronics to a new and blissful place. Accompanying him on this musical journey are master cellist/multi-instrumentalist Hans Christian (who has performed in the past with RASA, Krishna Das, Robbie Robertson, Harry Manx), tabla/percussion stalwart Daniel Paul (Jai Uttal, Jaya Lakshmi, Donna De Lory, K. Sridhar), beguiling and unforgettable newcomer Michelle Hurtado on vocals, Spirit Voyage recording artist/ kundalini yoga teacher Sat Kartar Singh on acoustic guitar, and kundalini bass guitar magician Gurusangat Singh (recording artist and producer of the popular Miracle Mantra Series).

GuruGanesha describes the GGB sound as “a unique blend of kirtan, raga, rock, and deeply meditative folk music. I’ve hand-picked the musicians not only for their musical virtuosity but also for their ability to channel the spiritual energy that the band will be serving. The vocals are a group effort with plenty of rich two and three part harmonies, though Michelle regularly steps out front with amazing vocal improvisations. The audience is encouraged to fully participate, whether it be singing along, dancing or just meditating deeply on the music.”

In a sense, the roots of the GuruGanesha Band go back to the late ‘60s and early ‘70s—back before GuruGanesha was even called GuruGanesha. He was the lead guitarist in an up-and-coming rock band named Cat’s Cradle. But in 1973, the young guitarist left rock and roll behind to walk the spiritual path, embracing the Sikh faith and practice of Kundalini Yoga. It was a hard choice. But his spiritual guide, the world-renowned Kundalini Yoga master Yogi Bhajan, told the young man, “Whatever you leave behind to walk this path will re-manifest later, in a higher form.”

Donning the white garb and turban worn by Sikhs, commencing the growth of his now-iconic long white beard and adopting the spiritual name GuruGanesha, the new yogi moved over to an acoustic guitar.

“Back when I first got into the spiritual path,” he recalls, “I put the electric guitar in the closet and did what most of us do when we join an ashram—switch to an acoustic. And for 30 years, I was strumming chords and leading chants.”

The acoustic guitar served GuruGanesha well in his spiritual and musical journey, particularly when he founded the Spirit Voyage record label in 2000 to launch the career of a mesmerizing young singer named Snatam Kaur. She soon became one of the best selling artists in world devotional music. And GuruGanesha’s supple acoustic guitar stylings became an integral part of Snatam’s sound, also grounding his own well received solo albums Grateful Ganesh, Pure Ganesh, Joy is Now and Kundalini Surjhee.

But GuruGanesha never abandoned his first musical love. The electric guitar came out of the closet at a landmark live performance with pop icon Seal at the 2000 Summer Solstice celebration in the Jemez Mountains near Santa Fe, New Mexico. He returned to the instrument midway through his 2011 Song of the Soul tour, which he co-headlined with Tina Malia.

“The first time I played electric guitar on that tour was during our May concert in Berkeley, CA,” he recounts. “It was beautiful for me to see how quickly people’s faces lit up. It was an exhilarating experience!”

Always a consummately expressive guitarist, GuruGanesha soars to new heights when he picks up an electric. One can still hear the graceful lyricism and deeply devotional flavor of his acoustic playing. But the marvels of modern guitar electronics awaken new dimensions of tone and expressiveness.

“For me, it’s the way I can most totally express my heart and soul,” he says.

This expanded tonal palette became the foundation of the GuruGanesha Band. Multi-instrumentalist Hans Christian’s masterful handling of saranghi, sitara, cello and nickel harp add a breathtaking range of instrumental colors. Bassist Gurusangat Singh and tabla player Daniel Paul anchor the sound with earthy east-meets-west grooves. Longtime GuruGanesha cohort Sat Kartar Singh lends an organic flavor on acoustic guitar. And every beautiful note sung by the gifted Michelle Hurtado is deeply drenched in devotion.