My interest in music began when I was 12 years old, when I began playing the electric guitar. My first gurus were rock and roll legends like Jimmy Hendrix, Angus Young and Eddie Van Halen. In high school, my creative passion expanded into acting, eventually leading me to study theater in England at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. After returning to the US, my artistic journey shifted again, and I found myself behind the camera, working for over a decade in Los Angeles as a filmmaker.
I discovered kirtan in 2002, when Krishna Das released a version of the Maha Mantra with Sting singing the response vocals. The track, Mountain Maha Mantra, got airtime on the local public radio station, KCRW.
I absolutely loved the track, bought the CD and when I attended my first Krishna Das kirtan at a yoga studio near my house in Hollywood, a seed was planted that would change the course of my life.
Though the movie biz was paying the bills, I felt something essential was missing. Shortly after my first kirtan experience, I began attending Agape Spiritual Center, a new age church led by Rev. Michael Bernard Beckwith. The message was all about Love, and it woke something up in my heart. That, and the amazing music I heard every Sunday, inspired me to pick up my dusty guitar again. And that’s when the music and the songs started to flow.
In 2009, the same year that Melissa and I were married, I released an EP of 5 songs. A yoga teacher discovered it and began playing one of my songs, Breathe, in her classes. Then she invited me to lead a kirtan at her studio and although I didn’t really know anything about leading kirtan, I said yes! I pulled out my Krishna Das CD's, learned a bunch of his chants and did the kirtan. It wasn't long before I persuaded Melissa to join the band, and we’ve been chanting ever since.
Through kirtan, I found a gateway into the stories of the deities, yogic philosophy, and ultimately, my guru Neem Karoli Baba. My background in acting and filmmaking continues to inform my teaching, allowing me to bring vividness, humor, and humanity to the rich stories of Bhakti yoga.
I've been an avid student of Bhakti Yoga for over 15 years, and received my yoga teacher training from Bhakti Yoga Shala in Los Angeles and Akhanda Yoga in Rishikesh. I am eternally grateful to all my teachers and those who came before me on this path. My great joy is sharing this heart-centered wisdom through music, mantra, and storytelling.
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