Ayurveda (band)
Encyclopedia
Ayurveda is an independent rock-based band with a progressive style that is ambient, heavy, and alternative with electronic and Nepalese influences. They are based out of Ithaca, NY when not on tour. The five member band is: Tom Burchinal (vocals and keys), Diwas Gurung (guitar and vocals), Shikhar R. Bajracharya (guitar), Dan Halperin (bass and laptop), and Mike Parker (drums).
word (संस्कृतम्) meaning the knowledge of life. The band chose its name based on their connection to Ayurvedic and humanistic principles; its members strive to express this connection through their music and their personal spiritual practices. Burchinal, Bajracharyia, and Gurung met one another at Ithaca College and in the Ithaca, NY community during the 2002/2003 school year and after several different bassists and drummers, settled on the current quintet lineup in early 2006. They record under their own independent label.
Between 2005 and 2010, Ayurveda recorded and released 6 discs—3 LPs and 3 EPs. From 2008 to 2011 they produced and released six live (HD) videos and one concept video from Diwas Gurung's album Rato Mato, "Domestic Bliss". All videos were shot in collaboration with Joe Zohar and Moving Box Studios. Ayurveda is a U.S. touring band with thousands of followers in the United States and internationally. Ayurveda has a large following among the Nepali community both in the U.S. and Nepal. Their Nepalese connection comes through band members Diwas Gurung, who was born and raised in Nepal
and Shikhar Bajaracharya, the son of first generation U.S. immigrants from Nepal.
meets Radiohead
...with a little Led Zeppelin
...and a Beatles
/Pink Floyd
base.". In the same interview and with regard to their progressive style, Parker added, "[Ayurveda is] progressive in the sense [that] our first record sounded like one thing and the second record sounded like something else; and then we did another record and that sounded completely different...there's a natural progression to life and we welcome that in our music."
The band is strongly committed to the protection of the environment. Ayurveda recently joined thousands of New Yorkers in the fight to keep drinking water and soil safe by keeping oil and gas companies from using New York state land for the purpose of hydraulic fracturing
. At the international level, the band co-hosts fundraisers for an orphanage in Kathmandu, Nepal --Ghar Sita Mutu – House with a Heart.
H. luminous (2010) H. luminous was released in May, 2010. It is a 25-minute, eight-movement, concept piece
recorded live in the studio at Pyramid Sound Studios in Ithaca, NY. H. luminous takes the listener on a shamanic journey of humankind's transformation and evolution from homo sapiens
to homo luminous. The piece was conceptualized by lyricist, Tom Burchinal, and offers an anti-apocalyptic viewpoint of the popularized end-date of the Mayan Long Count Calendar
in 2012.
CD sleeves for H. luminous were silk-screened and printed by the band using 100% post-consumer recycled cardboard. The 16-panel album insert features artwork from five Ithaca-based artists and follows the symbolic transformation from homo sapiens to enlightened beings as portrayed in H. luminous. Under Burchinal's direction, Nicoli Schwiep designed both the album cover and insert layout.
Down the Staircase (2009) Down the Staircase was released in September, 2009. All songs on Ayurveda's sophomore full-length album are original and were written collectively by the band with lyrics by Tom Burchinal. Down the Staircase represents Ayurveda's first real album as a collective in that several compositions on their previous release, Being, were written before Mike Parker and Dan Halperin officially joined the band.
Down the Staircase was recorded simultaneously with their EP, Veda, during the Veda Sessions. It includes "Polyphagia", "Xenocide", and "God Ain't". The majority of the songs on Down the Staircase were written while four of the five band members (minus Parker) shared a house in Ithaca. An early rehearsal video of "Happy Little Pills" was shot at the house in one take by videographer, Joe Zohar. For the most part, the album was recorded and produced in Mike Parker's basement with Parker at the engineering controls. The remainder of the recording process and the album's subsequent mixing were done at Pyramid Sound Studios under Parker's direction with support from Alex Perialas
. Perialas is known for his work with Overkill
, Anthrax
, Testament
, and Bad Religion
. Just as with H. luminous, the CD sleeves were silk-screened and printed by the band on 100% post-consumer recycled cardboard. The album insert was designed by Nicoli Schwiep.
Veda (2009) - Veda was released in July 2009—several months before the official release of Down the Staircase. It is primarily a covers record but includes slightly different mixes of two tracks from Down the Staircase, "Polyphagia" and "Down the Staircase". An in-session video of one of the EP's covers, "Army of Me", accompanied the release of the EP and provides perspective into the band's process of tracking vocals. The video was shot by Joe Zohar.
Rato Mato (2009) - Rato Mato was released in May, 2009 under the band's lead guitarist, Diwas Gurung's name. It is primarily a collection of traditional Nepali folk songs transformed into what the band refers to as NeoNepalese folk rock. Although it is not considered an official Ayurveda album, Mike Parker and Dan Halperin were major collaborators. It includes one original from Diwas--"Domestic Bliss"--which was written early in his career and was influenced by Paul McCartney
; Burchinal provided the vocals on this track. It also includes a track written by Diwas' father and Nepali folk singer, Om Gurung, entitled "Mai Runchu" (Om Gurung performs under the stage name, O.B. Soaltee.) For the most part, the album was recorded and mixed in Mike Parker's basement.
The band has incorporated several of Rato Mato's tracks into their live shows, particularly "Sanjha Ko Belama" which was captured live in 2009 by Joe Zohar at the Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance in Trumansburg, NY.
Being (2008) Being, an original 13-track LP, was released in April, 2008 and is the band's first official release. It features the first compositions written by present day members of Ayurveda and includes "Universal Mind", "Porkchop", and "Live to Grow". It also features several tracks from the pre-Parker/Halperin days, including "White" and "(Kept In) Limbo". The album was produced and mixed by Alex Perialas, engineered by Mike Parker, and all tracks but "Disciple" were recorded at Pyramid Sound Studios; "Disciple" was recorded in Mike Parker's basement. The band released a supporting video from the album, "Universal Mind".
Ayurveda (White-cover) EP (2006) This self-titled work is Ayurveda's initial foray into the studio and second EP. It was recorded in the Fall of 2005 at Pyramid Sound Studios in Ithaca, NY and was produced and mixed by Alex Perialas and engineered by Mike Parker. It is an all original EP. At the time of recording, Parker and Halperin were not yet full members of the band. Parker, who was a studio engineer and musician at Pyramid Studios, collaborated with early Ayurveda and played on the record but it wasn't until the EP's release show on February 24 that Parker and Halperin officially joined the band. The EP contains 4 songs, "Shopwench", "White", "Harmful Armful", and "Red Flag".
Ayurveda (Green-logo) Demo EP (2005) This untitled demo recording was sold at local area shows on CDRs during the summer of 2005 and is a mix of live and studio material. The disc had a different stylized green logo and contained the songs "Treason in the First Degree" (live & studio editions), "Manpower", "Shopwench" (live), and "(Kept in) Limbo". Both live tracks were taken from a recording of the June 24th (2005) show at The Haunt in Ithaca, NY.
Planck Time > Xenocide - Live at Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival (Spring 2011) Moving Box Studios
Kashmir - live (Led Zeppelin Cover) (2010) Moving Box Studios
Live @ Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance (2009) Moving Box Studios
God Ain't (2009) Moving Box Studios
Army of Me (2009) Moving Box Studios
Happy Little Pills (2009) Moving Box Studios
Universal Mind (2008) Moving Box Studios
Jenkins, Mark "CD Review: Ayurveda's H. 'Luminous'." Washington Post 10 Dec 2010. Online. retrieved 17 Dec 2010.
Abnormally "Ayurveda." sputnik music 18 Aug 2010. Online. retrieved 17 Dec 2010.
Fenchel, Luke Z. "Time on their side: with new album, Ayurveda is ready for prime time." Ithaca Times 12 May 2010. Print.
Gurung, Malin. "Diwas Gurung: Ayurveda's Alter Ego." Wave Issue #171 March 2010. Online. retrieved 17 Dec 2010.
Rana, Pranaya SJB. "Rato Mato: Young musician offers a fresh take on Nepali folk." V.E.N.T.! Magazine 29 Jun 2009. Online. retrieved 17 Dec 2010
Shen, Maxine. "MPFREES." New York Post 9 Dec 2008. Online. retrieved 11 Jun 2011.
Background
Ayurveda is a SanskritSanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
word (संस्कृतम्) meaning the knowledge of life. The band chose its name based on their connection to Ayurvedic and humanistic principles; its members strive to express this connection through their music and their personal spiritual practices. Burchinal, Bajracharyia, and Gurung met one another at Ithaca College and in the Ithaca, NY community during the 2002/2003 school year and after several different bassists and drummers, settled on the current quintet lineup in early 2006. They record under their own independent label.
Between 2005 and 2010, Ayurveda recorded and released 6 discs—3 LPs and 3 EPs. From 2008 to 2011 they produced and released six live (HD) videos and one concept video from Diwas Gurung's album Rato Mato, "Domestic Bliss". All videos were shot in collaboration with Joe Zohar and Moving Box Studios. Ayurveda is a U.S. touring band with thousands of followers in the United States and internationally. Ayurveda has a large following among the Nepali community both in the U.S. and Nepal. Their Nepalese connection comes through band members Diwas Gurung, who was born and raised in Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
and Shikhar Bajaracharya, the son of first generation U.S. immigrants from Nepal.
Influences
In a 2010 interview in St. Cloud, MN, Tom Burchinal and Mike Parker described their music sound as "something like ToolTool (band)
Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
meets Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
...with a little Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
...and a Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
/Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
base.". In the same interview and with regard to their progressive style, Parker added, "[Ayurveda is] progressive in the sense [that] our first record sounded like one thing and the second record sounded like something else; and then we did another record and that sounded completely different...there's a natural progression to life and we welcome that in our music."
Activism
Ayurveda participates in a number of causes and activities in support of community organizations such as the Ithaca Health Alliance which focuses on providing affordable health care to un- and under-insured Tompkins County residents. They routinely collaborate with and support local designers, artists, and photographers in the design of their CD sleeves, inserts, and shows.The band is strongly committed to the protection of the environment. Ayurveda recently joined thousands of New Yorkers in the fight to keep drinking water and soil safe by keeping oil and gas companies from using New York state land for the purpose of hydraulic fracturing
Hydraulic fracturing
Considerable controversy surrounds the current implementation of hydraulic fracturing technology in the United States. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is the process of utilizing pressurized water, or some other liquid, to fracture rock layers and release petroleum, natural gas, or other...
. At the international level, the band co-hosts fundraisers for an orphanage in Kathmandu, Nepal --Ghar Sita Mutu – House with a Heart.
Recordings
All Ayurveda recordings after Being have been produced by the band and engineered by drummer, Mike Parker. The initial mixing phase falls on Parker's shoulders while the final mix is a collaborative effort involving all members. A window into Ayurveda's give and take mixing process can be seen through their video "God Ain't" from Down the Staircase.H. luminous (2010) H. luminous was released in May, 2010. It is a 25-minute, eight-movement, concept piece
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
recorded live in the studio at Pyramid Sound Studios in Ithaca, NY. H. luminous takes the listener on a shamanic journey of humankind's transformation and evolution from homo sapiens
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
to homo luminous. The piece was conceptualized by lyricist, Tom Burchinal, and offers an anti-apocalyptic viewpoint of the popularized end-date of the Mayan Long Count Calendar
Mesoamerican Long Count calendar
The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar is a non-repeating, vigesimal and base-18 calendar used by several Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures, most notably the Maya. For this reason, it is sometimes known as the Maya Long Count calendar...
in 2012.
CD sleeves for H. luminous were silk-screened and printed by the band using 100% post-consumer recycled cardboard. The 16-panel album insert features artwork from five Ithaca-based artists and follows the symbolic transformation from homo sapiens to enlightened beings as portrayed in H. luminous. Under Burchinal's direction, Nicoli Schwiep designed both the album cover and insert layout.
Down the Staircase (2009) Down the Staircase was released in September, 2009. All songs on Ayurveda's sophomore full-length album are original and were written collectively by the band with lyrics by Tom Burchinal. Down the Staircase represents Ayurveda's first real album as a collective in that several compositions on their previous release, Being, were written before Mike Parker and Dan Halperin officially joined the band.
Down the Staircase was recorded simultaneously with their EP, Veda, during the Veda Sessions. It includes "Polyphagia", "Xenocide", and "God Ain't". The majority of the songs on Down the Staircase were written while four of the five band members (minus Parker) shared a house in Ithaca. An early rehearsal video of "Happy Little Pills" was shot at the house in one take by videographer, Joe Zohar. For the most part, the album was recorded and produced in Mike Parker's basement with Parker at the engineering controls. The remainder of the recording process and the album's subsequent mixing were done at Pyramid Sound Studios under Parker's direction with support from Alex Perialas
Alex Perialas
Alex Perialas is an American audio engineer, mixer, and record producer, best known for his extensive work during the "golden age" of thrash metal in the mid–1980s to early–1990s...
. Perialas is known for his work with Overkill
Overkill (band)
Overkill is an American thrash metal band, formed in 1980 in New Jersey. They have gone through many line-up changes, with singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and bassist D.D. Verni remaining from the original lineup. Along with Anthrax , the band is one of the most successful East Coast thrash metal...
, Anthrax
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
, Testament
Testament (band)
Testament is an American metal band from Berkeley, California, formed in 1983. They are often credited as one of the most popular bands of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
, and Bad Religion
Bad Religion
Bad Religion is a punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Their current line-up consists of Greg Graffin , Brett Gurewitz , Jay Bentley , Greg Hetson , Brian Baker and Brooks Wackerman . Gurewitz is also the founder of the label Epitaph Records, which has released almost all of the...
. Just as with H. luminous, the CD sleeves were silk-screened and printed by the band on 100% post-consumer recycled cardboard. The album insert was designed by Nicoli Schwiep.
Veda (2009) - Veda was released in July 2009—several months before the official release of Down the Staircase. It is primarily a covers record but includes slightly different mixes of two tracks from Down the Staircase, "Polyphagia" and "Down the Staircase". An in-session video of one of the EP's covers, "Army of Me", accompanied the release of the EP and provides perspective into the band's process of tracking vocals. The video was shot by Joe Zohar.
Rato Mato (2009) - Rato Mato was released in May, 2009 under the band's lead guitarist, Diwas Gurung's name. It is primarily a collection of traditional Nepali folk songs transformed into what the band refers to as NeoNepalese folk rock. Although it is not considered an official Ayurveda album, Mike Parker and Dan Halperin were major collaborators. It includes one original from Diwas--"Domestic Bliss"--which was written early in his career and was influenced by Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
; Burchinal provided the vocals on this track. It also includes a track written by Diwas' father and Nepali folk singer, Om Gurung, entitled "Mai Runchu" (Om Gurung performs under the stage name, O.B. Soaltee.) For the most part, the album was recorded and mixed in Mike Parker's basement.
The band has incorporated several of Rato Mato's tracks into their live shows, particularly "Sanjha Ko Belama" which was captured live in 2009 by Joe Zohar at the Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance in Trumansburg, NY.
Being (2008) Being, an original 13-track LP, was released in April, 2008 and is the band's first official release. It features the first compositions written by present day members of Ayurveda and includes "Universal Mind", "Porkchop", and "Live to Grow". It also features several tracks from the pre-Parker/Halperin days, including "White" and "(Kept In) Limbo". The album was produced and mixed by Alex Perialas, engineered by Mike Parker, and all tracks but "Disciple" were recorded at Pyramid Sound Studios; "Disciple" was recorded in Mike Parker's basement. The band released a supporting video from the album, "Universal Mind".
Ayurveda (White-cover) EP (2006) This self-titled work is Ayurveda's initial foray into the studio and second EP. It was recorded in the Fall of 2005 at Pyramid Sound Studios in Ithaca, NY and was produced and mixed by Alex Perialas and engineered by Mike Parker. It is an all original EP. At the time of recording, Parker and Halperin were not yet full members of the band. Parker, who was a studio engineer and musician at Pyramid Studios, collaborated with early Ayurveda and played on the record but it wasn't until the EP's release show on February 24 that Parker and Halperin officially joined the band. The EP contains 4 songs, "Shopwench", "White", "Harmful Armful", and "Red Flag".
Ayurveda (Green-logo) Demo EP (2005) This untitled demo recording was sold at local area shows on CDRs during the summer of 2005 and is a mix of live and studio material. The disc had a different stylized green logo and contained the songs "Treason in the First Degree" (live & studio editions), "Manpower", "Shopwench" (live), and "(Kept in) Limbo". Both live tracks were taken from a recording of the June 24th (2005) show at The Haunt in Ithaca, NY.
Veda Sessions
The term was adopted by the band to describe a six-month period in 2009 when Ayurveda recorded both Down The Staircase and the Veda EP. It was a transformational period when they adopted a new sound—a change from the direct, hard-edged and heavy rock heard on Being, to a more subtle fusion of influences.Discography
- H.luminous (2010)
- Down the Staircase (2009)
- Veda Sessions (2009)
- Rato Mato (Diwas Gurung w/Ayurveda) (2009)
- Being (2008)
- (White-label) EP (2006)
- (Green-logo) Demo EP (2005)
Videography
Domestic Bliss (2011) Moving Box StudiosPlanck Time > Xenocide - Live at Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival (Spring 2011) Moving Box Studios
Kashmir - live (Led Zeppelin Cover) (2010) Moving Box Studios
Live @ Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance (2009) Moving Box Studios
God Ain't (2009) Moving Box Studios
Army of Me (2009) Moving Box Studios
Happy Little Pills (2009) Moving Box Studios
Universal Mind (2008) Moving Box Studios
Reviews
Atreya, Gagan "Ayurveda Interview." ktmROCKS. Online. retrieved 25 Mar 2011.Jenkins, Mark "CD Review: Ayurveda's H. 'Luminous'." Washington Post 10 Dec 2010. Online. retrieved 17 Dec 2010.
Abnormally "Ayurveda." sputnik music 18 Aug 2010. Online. retrieved 17 Dec 2010.
Fenchel, Luke Z. "Time on their side: with new album, Ayurveda is ready for prime time." Ithaca Times 12 May 2010. Print.
Gurung, Malin. "Diwas Gurung: Ayurveda's Alter Ego." Wave Issue #171 March 2010. Online. retrieved 17 Dec 2010.
Rana, Pranaya SJB. "Rato Mato: Young musician offers a fresh take on Nepali folk." V.E.N.T.! Magazine 29 Jun 2009. Online. retrieved 17 Dec 2010
Shen, Maxine. "MPFREES." New York Post 9 Dec 2008. Online. retrieved 11 Jun 2011.