CD releases
April 2010
I am not sure if you got a chance to listen to my Tibetan New Year song. If you did, I hope you liked it?
Semshae-Heart Songs CD Release Tour
I am excited to announce the release of my long-awaited Tibetan Children's music CD, Semshae: Heart Songs. This album is the first of its kind to be produced in exile. The mission of Semshae is to ensure that the Tibetan language and compassionate culture is preserved through children's music. To learn more about my project, please visit: MySpace.com/semshae. This album will be officially released in New York on May 22, 2010, at the Tibet House. The first copy of the CD, or we call it "Par Phu" in Tibetan, will be offered to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and will receive his blessing. After that auspicious event, I will be conducting a CD release tour in Tibetan communities in North America, and possibly Europe and Asia.
The official Semshae website SemShae.org will be up soon. Do check it out and you might win a Semshae CD for free by signing up at the website. And of course you can pre-order Semshae: Heart Song through this website.
On this tour I will be also releasing two more CDs simultaneously. The second CD is by Bu Dhola, an elderly folk singer/dancer from Kathmandu. I know Bu Dhola from Dharamsala, India. I saw Bu Dhola playing during a Thoepa Kyiduk Thuk to, an annual gathering and party of the Tibetans from western Tibet, Thoe. I think it was in 1982 at our Institute, TIPA. We weren't allowed to attend the party because it was only for Thoepa members. However, my room was close to their hall and I was able to hear their event. Towards the evening the elders gathered in our hall and after Changma (wine ladies) had served Chang (Tibetan wine), the elders started singing in the microphones. Luckily I had a cassette tape and I started recording. I recorded Bu Dhola that night. Bu Dhola normally does not play in public. But that evening he played, danced and sang. I clearly remember his remark before one of the songs. He said, "in Thoe, we have 108 songs about the snow mountain tops, 108 songs about the snow mountain bottoms, and thousands in between ...", and I happened to record it.
The songs have impacted me a lot in appreciating the songs of our elders. After all these years, last November with support from Door Dog Music production, I was able to get to Nepal and meet Bu Dhola again. I took him to a studio and recorded 24 songs. I was also able to video tape his interviews. I am only bringing one CD right now but hopefully, they will be out soon. I am quite sure that everyone who appreciates a genuine song from Thoe would appreciate this CD and Budho la's nice voice.
The third CD is my own — a Lhasa Thoshae CD. Listen to a sample song here. I wrote about this in my previous news. I am also releasing Changshay - Tibetan wine songswhich I originally recorded in 1999. Now that I have announced these releases, I have about two months to mix, design, and organize the whole tour. As of now, New York (May 22), Minnesota (June 9), and Portland (June 19) are confirmed. As you read this and know that I will be in your city, do write to me a note through my contact. I might need your help, and also would like to say hi to you.
Another special news is that my songs with Lhasa Spirits will be part of a very important Native American film — A Good Day to Die, a feature-length documentary film about Dennis Banks, one of the Co-Founders of the American Indian Movement (AIM). It was directed and produced by the incredible David Mueller and Lynn Salt. The couple followed Dennis around the USA and Japan for an entire year. They did all the production work — David shot it, Lynn recorded the sound, and somehow they managed to direct and produce all at the same time! More at LimitLessSky.net
And finally my promoter in Japan, The Ray-Light-Japan, just announced that they will be releasing A Live Enhanced CD titled Techung at Suntory Hall on April 8th 2010. The cd will be released in San Francisco and in Kobe, Japan, simultanously. More at Ray-Light.net
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