Jonas Magram Music

 
 

Welcome to the Spreading the Light Tour

March 25, 2009

After two well-attended performances in Fairfield – at the Mother Divine Church – and Iowa City – at Heartland Yoga – during the last week, we are finally refocusing our attention on refining our marketing strategy for both the tour and workshop. Before I talk about that, though, I'd like to offer my deepest gratitude to Rev. Connie Huebner of the the Mother Divine Church and Betsy Rippentrop, owner of Heartland Yoga, for there very warm hospitality. 

There are so many people out their offering their music to the world and at least as many offering workshops on relationships. So, when someone receives an email from us about the Spreading the Light tour and the Yoga of Attraction workshop, he or she has no way of knowing that we have anything particularly special to offer. Even if people read our email, and even if they take the time to listen to some audio clips and workshop intro on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLZNblTmmwQ), it is difficult for them to know just how much love, joy, and inspiration is created.

It seems there are two complementary approaches to really getting people’s attention. The first, if possible, is to have someone who is a fan of the music, who knows the center owner or music coordinator. Having someone like this “on the inside,” who already has a relationship with the people we need to reach, is ideal. Unfortunately, I haven’t found too many fans/supporters who fall into this category. (If you have a relationship with a church, yoga center, or other venue where I might perform and/or teach, PLEASE let me know.)

The second approach, which also may help with the first, is to build a powerful public presence through the internet, specifically at fan sites like MySpace and YouTube. Of course, to maximize the power of these sites, I need to create some effective videos. I’ve tried videotaping some concerts in the past, put just haven’t been satisfied with outcome. These efforts even have included hiring a professional videographer but even these videos haven’t quite cut it.

Still, I’ve got to keep trying, as I’m sure the right videos could help create more and more demand for my music.

By the way, you may notice that I often use words like our, we, and us, when referring to the music, rather than saying mine, I, and me. That’s because I truly believe that the best part of both the music and concerts comes from a higher Source, not from me/Jonas. Using these inclusive terms reminds me not to be too attached and that I am just a conduit through which the music and the joy flows. It might seem like an artificial or superficial distinction, but I find useful.

Spread the Light.

I love you,

Jonas

Next Gig: Jonas and the Seventh Ray will take part in the Nature's Compassion Benefit Concert, April 10, Stephen Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts, Fairfield, Iowa



March 17, 2009

Goodbye Florida; hello Iowa.

Yes, I’ve begun my 22 hour drive home. It was a great four weeks, with some great wins and some key marketing lessons too. The biggest turnouts – both for the Spreading the Light concerts and for the Yoga of Attraction workshop – definitely were in places where I had well-connected friends who were willing and had the time to get others to come. Obviously I don’t have those kind of contacts everywhere, so it’s clear, particularly for areas where I don’t, that we need to refine our strategy. Yes, even where the offering is spiritual in nature, the same marketing principles seem to apply. It would be so nice if I could just say, “God, I’m heading out to spread Love, Light, and knowledge in the world and I would appreciate your arranging standing room only turnouts wherever I go,” and then all I had to do is show up and do the easy and joyful part. But, at least so far, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

I would like offer my deep gratitude to a number of people who made the Florida tour the success that it was. First those who opened their homes to me, Joel Hamaker, Michael and Suzanne, son Ale – Ale tormented me a ping pong – and daughter Isabel, Mark and Rengé, Ernesto and Inder Kaur and their daughters who were kind enough to give up their bunk beds for me, and Ronnie Newman.

Of course, I am grateful to the centers and churches that hosted our events: Yoga Village in Clearwater, The Yoga Salutations in Danai Beach, The Center to Self Reliance in Ft. Myers, and Discovery Yoga in St. Augustine.

Thank you to Ronnie Newman for getting a number of friends to attend our The Yoga Salutations concert in Dania Beach, and to Jill OBrien was responsible for getting 13 ladies to the Yoga of Attraction workshop in Ft. Myers.

Thank you also to David Essel of the Church of Spiritual Light in Ft. Myers and Jim Toole at the I Am Healing Arts Center in Sarasota for inviting me to perform at their Sunday morning services.

Thank you to Chana Neisen for the wonderful teas and to Steve Sperber, Mark Waters, and Fletcher Harley Davidson for the assistance get the bike on and off my truck.

And last, but definitely not least, to all the wonderful beings who attended the workshop and concert and who purchased CDs. May each of you be consciously awakened to the beautiful Light that you Are.

I love you.

Spread the Light!

Jonas

February 18, 2009

You may not remember the band, Canned Heat, but as one of there more popular songs proclaimed, “I’m on the road again.”

After a little more than two days of driving from Iowa, I’m sitting in Tampa, biding my time, until my daughter, Sai Mayi, arrives later tonight. Once we rendezvous, it’s on to Sarasota, where we’ll be teaching a weekend workshop together and performing.

Compared to winter in Iowa, Tampa feels a lot like Kauai; gentle breeze, palm trees, motorcycle-riding-warm weather. Speaking of motorcycles, I did bring Natasha, my HD Road King Classic, with me to Florida. With a little luck, Sai Mayi and I will enjoy a beautiful ride to St. Augustine on Monday. We’ll stay at Rengé and Mark’s house there, and enjoy what I hear is a very cool little town. Of course, I’ll continue working on the Spring, Summer, and Fall tour schedules while were there, so we’ll officially call it a “working vacation.”

More song and kirtan ideas continue to come. Last week I started a song about invoking the blessings of different angels.

Some days, I feel like I’m almost home,
Some, I feel I’m so far away,
Some days, I feel, I could sink just like a stone,
Some I feel I could spread my arms and sail away.”

I’m calling on the angels of love,
I’m calling on the angels of light,
I’m calling of the angels of hope,
Bless me and all beings …


January 31, 2009

These weeks of really focusing all my energy on the tour have been incredibly satisfying. It seems as soon as I made the commitment to expand the reach of the music, all sorts of wonderful things started happening. Let me give you the short list.

In my first blog post, I thanked a number of supporters for whose help I remain most grateful.

Since then, many more beings have offered their assistance.

Megan Starks, who happens to have a lovely voice, introduced approached Eddie Ellner, who own Yoga Soup in Santa Barbara, on my behalf. After Eddie heard the music, he put me in touch with his person in charge of booking events there. We have chosen August 22 as a tentative date to give me time to book more west coast concerts.

And speaking of the west coast, Ganesha’s son, Alkal Sahai, who handles bookings for Snatam Kaur’s Celebrate Peace band, shared with me some ideas of where I can book concerts in cities all through the West.

Then Rengé Waters, a friend in Florida, stepped to help me book a concert (and workshop) in St. Augustine. W’ve just wrapped up an agreement for a March 14 performance and workshop there. Rengé also has encouraged me to move forward with my afternoon workshop idea, which I promised in my last blog to tell you more about.

Next, I located the perfect person to assist my booking my Spreading the Light tour. Ananda Ma is a dear friend from Australia. She is bright and personable and, most importantly, she loves my music. She’ll begin this-coming week. We should be able to get her contact info up on our “Contact” page soon.

And there’s more. Another friend, who has asked to remain anonymous, has underwritten the purchase of a Fender PD250 portable PA (sound system) that should be perfect for the tour. He also helped purchase a Shure SM58 vocal mic which is known for both its quality and ruggedness.

Meanwhile, Heartland Yoga, in Iowa City has asked that I return for another kirtan event. It looks like that will take place toward the end of March. I’ll let you know as soon as it’s firmed up. The Seventh Ray band played at Heartland’s grand opening last summer and had a great time.

Even while all this has been going on, I managed to finish one new kirtan and write another. The first combines the celebration of Christ consciousness with a beautiful vedic chant:

Yeshua, Yeshua, Holy Master Yeshua,
Asato Ma Sad Gamaya,
Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya,
Mirtyor Ma Amritam Gamaya

(Lead us from unreal to real,
Lead us from darkness to light,
Lead from cycles of death to eternal bliss of liberation.)

The second is based on a traditional Vedic puja (invocation) of the holy tradition. Though many traditions use similar invocations, I learned this particular one in 1970, when I enjoyed the great blessing of being with His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. I have created an original “chantable“ melody, but the spirit and beauty of the original puja is intact.

The chorus is the familiar adoration of the guru:

Gurur Brahma, Gurur Vishnur, Gurur Devo Maheshwara,

Guru Sak-shat, Param Brahma, Tasmai Shri Gurave namah.

We will be doing both of these chants this Thursday (February 5) in Fairfield (Iowa) and then take them to Florida for the Spreading the Light tour.

All right, last blog I promised that I would let you in on my plans to add an afternoon workshop to the tour. Though everything is subject to change - I guess you already knew that - I intend to offer a workshop for women called:

“The Yoga of Attraction; Creating Deeper Satisfaction in Your Relationship Though Nurturing Masculine/Feminine Polarity.”

The truth is that I have two passions in my life. The first is obviously music, or, more specifically, writing and performing music. I love connecting with an audience and pouring our love and shakti back and forth, until the room is filled with light and bliss. For me, there really is nothing else like it.

Well, almost nothing. Pretty much equal to my love of music and performing is my passion for teaching. Empowering others to come to their own truth, their own priorities, their own passions, brings me a profound sense of satisfaction. And while I have engaged in this advocation for many years, with both men and women, I take particular pleasure in supporting the latter.

I suppose there are several reasons for this. First, even though I primarily identify with my own masculine essence, I embrace my own feminine energy as well. This is probably why I enjoy relationships with so many people, a joy and a skill that are based in the divine feminine. It’s no surprise that Venus is strongly positioned in my natal chart, according to both eastern and western astrology.

A second reason that working with women appeals to me is that I believe that the fate of the world rests primarily in the hands of women Why? One reason is that all of the great imbalances we see in our world - whether war, repression, or the degradation of the environment - are the results of masculine energy run amuck; or more specifically, the result of the absence of adequate feminine love.

And since women tend to be more feminine in nature than men are, they - women - are the primary custodians of the divine feminine. That is why most women care more about their relationship more then most men do. It is beyond cultural influences; it is an authentic expression of their natural energetic state.

What will I teach? First, of course, is a basic understanding of the differences between men and women, or, more accurately, the differences between masculine and feminine energy. I also want to give women an understanding of the things they do that diminish the dance of feminine and masculine energy in their relationship. I’m not telling them what they should or shouldn’t do, mind you; I just want them to be aware of the impact their choices have on the relationship.

I also want to give workshop participants an understanding of what they can do to magnify the feminine/masculine polarity of their relationship, while remaining completely true to themselves.

I’ve offered this workshop several times in the past as both a one day and two day event. Each time, I have received great feedback. Now, it seems, the time not only is right for me to take the music on the road, but the workshop as well.

I love you.

Spread the Light,

Jonas



January 23, 2009

Beloved Friends,

I am so pumped. Since announcing my plan to do the Spreading The Light Tour, so much support has manifested. My dear friend Susie Zolo has underwritten our new website, with focus on me as an individual - as opposed to a Seventh Ray Band - performer. Steve Garner has done a great job creating the site, and, now, with this first blog entry, it’s ready to roll.

Longtime friend, George Foster (www.fostercovers.com), has designed a great poster that I’m sure will help maximize attendance at our events. You can see it on our Events page. George’s design included a fractal design contributed by another long time friend, Alan Leeds (www.fractalrevelations.com).

When I decided to do the tour in late December, I sent out an email to about 125 friends and acquaintances across the country asking if they would recommend appropriate venues where I might perform. The response was overwhelming. Nearly 50 people have emailed me to express their support and enthusiasm and share their ideas about where to play. Now that the websites up, we can begin following up on all their suggestions.

One friend, Reverend Michael Milner of Oneness Florida, has already set up a concert for February 28, at Yoga Village in Clearwater. Please see the Events link above for details.

And there’s more. Guru Ganesha, Snatam Kaur’s most excellent guitarist and business manager, has given me great advice about where else in Florida we should set up gigs for March. He also encouraged me to let venue managers and producers know that I’ve opened for Snatam Kaur and that he (Guru Ganesha) recommended I contact them.

Before the year ends, I hope to play in Ft. Lauderdale, St. Augustine, Sebastian (Florida), Austin, L.A., Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Berkeley, San Francisco, Sonoma Valley, Denver, Boulder, Vancouver (Washington), Santa Fe, Taos, Albuquerque, Sedona, Chicago, Indianapolis, Syracuse, NYC, Redding, Mt. Shasta, Ashland, Vail, and many other cities. Please email me with any suggestions you might have.

Finally, I want to thank my wife, Sandy, for her unwavering love, support, and encouragement. I am so very blessed.

Next blog, I’ll share some ideas I have for an afternoon workshop I’m thinking of adding to the tour. Your feedback will be important.

Spread the Light.

Love,

Jonas