Ten Laws with East Forest

Brian Koch is a musician, artist and founding member of Blitzen Trapper and Dead Lee. Blitzen Trapper is a Portland, Oregon-based experimental country/folk/rock band associated with Sub Pop Records, Vagrant Records and Lojinx. Formed in 2000, the band currently operates as a quintet, with Eric Earley, Erik Menteer , Brian Adrian Koch, Michael Van Pelt, and Marty Marquis. Blitzen Trapper self-released its first three albums. "Wild Mountain Nation" was No. 98 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007. Blitzen Trapper released its third album, Wild Mountain Nation, in 2007 to much critical acclaim from critics such as Pitchfork Media, The Nerve, and Spin Magazine. The group signed to Sub Pop Records in the summer of 2007. The release of Furr in 2008 was a high-water mark for the group as their eclectic new songs received a two-page feature in Rolling Stone. The album was ranked No. 13 on Rolling Stone's Best Albums of 2008 while the title track was ranked No. 4 on the magazine's Best Singles of 2008. The albums Destroyer of the Void and American Goldwing followed, to similarly high acclaim. On October 1, 2013, the band released VII, their first on Vagrant Records in the US; the album also appeared on British indie label Lojinx in Europe on September 30. In mid-December 2014, the band self-published their first live album, Live In Portland, followed by the Record Store Day exclusive, a live cover album of Neil Young's Harvest record titled Live Harvest. Their eighth studio album, All Across This Land, was released on October 2, 2015. Their ninth studio release - marking a return to the band's own label LidKerCow - is titled Wild and Reckless and was released on November 3, 2017. deadlee.bandcamp.com blitzentrapper.com

This week we take a look behind the song "I Am Loving Awareness (feat. Krishna Das)" from the new East Forest x Ram Dass record. Discover the process into how the song went from simple beginnings in 2017 to become a deep mantra dive with two heavyweights of spirituality: Ram Dass and Krishna Das in their first joint recording process. Hear the song in hi def and in full at http://music.eastforest.org Hear more about Krishna Das' process with the song in episode #41!

The first in a series of looks 'behind the song' - so you get a glimpse at the inspiration and how a track comes together from start to finish. In this episode we explore the song "Home", from Chapter II of East Forest x Ram Dass where Ram Dass discusses is first experience with psilocybin (aka magic mushrooms) and how it served to propel him on his spiritual path. You can hear the full song and album at, Chapter II - https://open.spotify.com/album/7keeucmBz1BKOKt1c8Zma4?si=vtS7CRYcR0KQH_jBMt75yw Chapter I - https://open.spotify.com/album/0VS6IDF8414tXSVqkpJVk1?si=DrDrDzmASViW7ADvwe1vWA Chapter III hits the streets June 21 2019 and the full album on August 9 2019. eastforest.org

Emerging from his own distinct corner of the West Coast electronic music scene, Random Rab offers a powerful and unique contribution to sonic exploration. Often referred to as “The Master of Emotion” his music is patently beautiful and melodic. With diverse influences ranging from trip-hop, classical and Arabic to bass driven compositions, his songs are considered anthemic and timeless. As a multi-instrumentalist and singer, his tracks are organic, uplifting and stand on their own as a distinct genre. Listeners of all types of music can find something they can relate to in his sound. He has toured extensively across North America, including tours with Bassnectar, Shpongle, Emancipator, Beats Antique, and has headlined dozens of festivals across the U.S. and internationally. There is no doubt that Rab understands a multitude of musical styles. He has been the front man of a heavy metal band, toured as a classical trumpet player, played bass in a country music band, was a scratch DJ for a jazz fusion project, was the singer for a rock band in Mexico and has collaborated with countless musicians of all styles. From acoustic performances in the Himalayas to rocking packed clubs in New York, Random Rab has found a way to connect with people of all kinds. With a dedicated fanbase born from the San Francisco underground, Random Rab has become known world wide for his sunrise sets that have now become one of his most sought after performances. Having played before 3 solar eclipses and at the Pyramids of Giza, Random Rab has created a unique niche for his equally danceable, yet thought-provoking compositions. His current popularity can often be traced to his breakout album, The Elucidation of Sorrow and in particular his first hit, The Riddle and followed up by hits such as Release, Falling Tao, For My Corpse and Apparently. His critically acclaimed current and 10th album Formless Edge, catapulted him into the state of momentum that is now taking hold internationally. randomrab.com eastforest.org/podcast

You can use this short guided meditation to end your day with gratitude and drift softly into sleep as a gentle East Forest musical bed continues while you transition to dreaming. http://eastforest.org/podcast

Sol Rising’s original soundscapes evoke feelings of inspiration and bliss through an eclectic mix of electronic music, mid-tempo house, chill-trap, ambient and hip-hop. Born in Vancouver BC, raised in Fairfield Iowa, Sol Rising began meditating at age four with a walking mantra technique. His mother took him to visit numerous spiritual teachers, who inspired him on the spiritual path he walks today. As a teenager, he became a hip hop fanatic. His rooted interest in hip hop led him to learning the art of scratching — using turntables as musical instruments. Sol Rising soon became one of America’s top scratch DJs, winning second place at the DMC, the world’s most prestigious DJ competition. After graduating in the top 5% of his accounting class at University of Iowa, he realized accounting was not his path. A journey to India with Sai Maa illuminated his true calling — to light up people’s awareness of their true nature through music. This lead him to study audio engineering and production at Pyramind Studios in San Francisco, CA. Now a successful Producer with over 10 albums released, Sol Rising has licensed music for brands such as Apple, Clarks Shoes and US Polo as well as a placement in Academy Award winning director Paolo Sorrentino’s latest film “Loro.” Sol Rising has been featured in major media outlets including The Washington Post and Yoga Journal, and has also been streamed over 10 million times on Spotify. Sol Rising has toured in the US, Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia at festivals such as Wanderlust, Burning Man and Lightning in a Bottle. http://www.solrising.com http://eastforest.org

Julie Holland, M.D., is a psychiatrist specializing in psychopharmacology, with a private practice in New York City. She majored in the Biological Basis of Behavior at the University of Pennsylvania and received her M.D. in 1992 from Temple University School of Medicine. At Mount Sinai Medical Center, she completed a residency program in psychiatry, where she created a research project that treated schizophrenics with a new medication. In 1994, she received the Outstanding Resident Award from the National Institute of Mental Health. From 1996 until 2005 she worked weekends running Bellevue Hospital's psychiatric emergency room, and she's penned an autobiography of this time, Weekends at Bellevue: Nine Years on the Night Shift at the Psych ER. Holland is the editor of Ecstasy: The Complete Guide - A Comprehensive Look at the Risks and Benefits of MDMA, and The Pot Book: A Complete Guide to Cannabis. Holland also provides expert testimony and forensic consultation on a range of drug-related behavior and phenomena, with a focus on PCP and MDMA. naturalmood.com eastforest.org

DJ Drez is in demand as a producer, musical director and sound ambassador. A master of his craft in the studio and on stage, Drez cuts and composes profoundly original tracks that facilitate body movement practice of all forms— be it dance, yoga asana or after-hours intimate/ecstatic. Drez transforms the vibe of any scene his sound is set upon. Rooted in underground L.A. hiphop, Dr. EZ applies precise turn-table skills to a cutting edge vision for truly universal music, intelligently integrating elements of hiphop, world music, soul, funk, jazz, and reggae into his trademark sound and production. Drez’s peacefully determined demeanor makes him a highly sought-after contributor to a variety of dynamic projects. In the midst of a non-stop, world-wide tour schedule, Drez has prepared another solo effort (Alpine Swift, available June 7 via Nectar Drop Music) while simultaneously producing a Sānskrit mantra record with his wife, vocalist Marti Nikko, and a straight-up hiphop album with longtime collaborator, Zaire Black, both expected to be ready for release in 2016. Drez has too deep a resume to mention in its entirety here, suffice it to say he has worked with a who’s who of top artists (Blackstar, KRS 1, Black Eyed Peas, Macy Gray, Eminem, Project Blowed) and organizations (Adidas, X Games, ABC, Okay Player) while maintaining an extensive worldwide touring schedule, variously involving artists like Moby, Ziggy Marley, Common, Femi Kuti, De La Soul, Capleton, Nas, Lee Scratch Perry. djdrez.com eastforest.org/podcast

Marc Lesser is a mindfulness teacher, CEO, author, and speaker. He is internationally recognized for pioneering work in mindful leadership supporting profound wellbeing. He has led mindfulness and emotional intelligence programs at many of the world's leading businesses and organizations including Google, SAP, Genentech, and Kaiser Permanente, and has coached executives and led trainings in Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, health care, and government. Marc helped develop the world-renowned Search Inside Yourself (SIY) program within Google - a mindfulness-based emotional intelligence training for leaders which teaches the art of integrating mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and business savvy for creating great corporate cultures and a better world. Deeply rooted in science, the program has been taught to thousands of executives worldwide. He is the author of Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader: Lessons from Google and a Zen Monastery Kitchen, Know Yourself, Forget Yourself, Less: Accomplishing More By Doing Less, and Z.B.A. Zen of Business Administration. Marc founded and was CEO of 3 companies and has an MBA degree from New York University. Prior to his business and coaching career, he was a resident of the San Francisco Zen Center for 10 years, and director of Tassajara, Zen Mountain Center, the first Zen monastery in the western world. He has keynoted at Mindful Leadership Summits in Washington DC, Toronto, and Sydney and has led "Search Inside Yourself" 2-day trainings in San Francisco, Japan, Hong Kong, and Toronto. marclesser.net eastforest.org/podcast

Guided meditation emphasizes connection to nature, breath's power. Explores gratitude exercise and interconnectedness. Emphasizes acceptance of experiences without judgment.