Kirtan with Mike Cohen & the Shakti Groove
Join Mike Cohen & the Shakti Groove to chant your heart open at Nevei Kodesh in Boulder. Mike, Dawnia and Michele will blend masculine and feminine energies as they share original chants from their 4 full albums and 2 EP’s. These accessible chants are grounded in the Sanskrit, Kundalini Yoga and Mashup (Mantra + English) lineages, blending Shakti (Divine Energy) and Groove (funky music). Ken and Bill provide the groove, while James adds hauntingly beautiful cello lines throughout. You are the choir, and are invited to chant, harmonize, clap and dance. Together we will drop into an exquisite flow state of loving awareness.
Our amazing band features:
Mike Cohen – harmonium and vocals
Dawnia Dresser, Michele Heaphy & Robyn Broyden – vocals
Ken Matarazzo – percussion
James Hoskins – cello
Bill McCrossen – bass
ABOUT MIKE COHEN & THE SHAKTI GROOVE
Formed in 2016, this high-energy Kirtan band features three outstanding chant leaders (Mike Cohen, Dawnia Dresser, and Michele Heaphy), who lead original chants, and have collectively released four albums and two EP’s of original, accessible sacred chant music. A collection of accomplished Boulder, Colorado-based musicians, the Shakti Groove blends masculine and feminine energies with devotion and prayer to lift the spirit and awaken the soul. Their effervescent style brings brightness and warmth to energize and nourish the body.
This group has played at numerous Kirtan & Yoga Festivals (Bhakti Fest, Telluride Yoga Festival, Hanuman Festival, and more), regularly tours Colorado, and teaches hundreds of students annually through their Kirtan Leader Institute (see below). They delight mantra enthusiasts at their regularly scheduled Boulder & Denver area Kirtan events. More at www.MikeCohenKirtan.com.
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Mike Cohen has released four critically acclaimed Kirtan albums Om Dattatreya (2009), Soul Contact (2012), Illumination (2016) and Chants for Challenging Times (2020), the last two albums with Grammy nominated producer Ben Leinbach. For close to two decades Mike has shared his brand of accessible & potent sacred chant across North America. Mike was honored to lead Kirtan immediately before the legendary Krishna Das at 2015 Bhakti Fest Midwest. Listen to his music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/0nMwM2JeNhQowSDW2IlvIU?si=rLESgdElQCCXrBD2SOXwrg
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Dawnia Dresser’s sweet and soulful style has been turning heads in the Kirtan world since the 2019 release of her From the Soul EP. She is beloved for sharing her heart so fully. Listen to her music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/20dSjhwIZwTD6Vu0fAuW0a?si=lLAtQAvTSCqBBvQpOBzkhA
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Michele Heaphy’s deeply moving and inspiring original chants have been delighting chant audiences since the release of a series of singles beginning in 2022. Listen to her music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/06GRosja9D4o7lj7RGbg5c?si=qf3zt0Q3QNan1sBuyv-iNg
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The Shakti Groove features accomplished professional musicians including cellist James Hoskins, bassist Bill McCrossen, vocalist Robyn Broyden, percussionists Ken Matarazzo and David Hinojosa and more!
Listen to the "Greatest Hits" of the Shakti Groove (recorded music by Mike, Dawnia & Michele) at https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0t9EXZ5odwAe0ipBocUqQw?si=b101ddd30beb46de
ABOUT KIRTAN LEADER INSTITUTE
Mike Cohen is also the founder of the Kirtan Leader Institute where he has trained and apprenticed thousands of aspiring Kirtan Leaders since 2010. Mike and the KLI teachers provide Kirtan education for all levels of students from total beginners to the highly advanced. They have guided students to share with others, build thriving chant communities, and write/record compelling original chants. KLI is a full-service school providing online group classes, self-guided (on demand) classes, and sacred chant mentorships throughout the year that lead up to KLI’s master classes and in-person intensives (in Boulder, Colorado) during the warmer months.
We are so proud of our twenty Kirtan Leader Institute students and alumni who have gone on to release professional recordings of their original chants – listen at https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3TWabpPyyMfmfdR5HhbzAI?si=c53a23036bd04008 Both Dawnia Dresser and Michele Heaphy are senior teachers within Kirtan Leader Institute. Learn more at www.KirtanLeader.com.