nagdeo collaborators
Nagdeo studios is located at GaiaYoga Gardens
our music is emerging out of this intentional community
and holistic vision of conscious human living.
Want to meet the folks who co-create Nagdeo? Here you go…
About Ano
Ano Hanamana
I’m the principal songwriter and lyricist for Nagdeo. I almost exclusively compose songs on a cutaway acoustic electric guitar (often in alternate tunings) and I play rhythm guitar on all Nagdeo albums. I can play lead guitar, but it is not “my thing.” I also can mess around on the keyboards, but I’m far from being a keyboard player. For the 3rd album, in exasperation, I decided that I would learn bass to finish the album. Much to my surprise, my guitar skills transferred easily over to bass, and my ear and creativity let me create bass lines for 6 songs that I’m very proud of. I sing my heart out, but I am quite disappointed and frustrated at my ability to sing the way I’d truly like to. I’ve given it a lot of effort and I keep getting better, but I’m not really competent enough to be a lead singer of a band. Oh well!
My passion for songwriting, music, Nagdeo, and bringing the songs that have come through me to the world is not a mission of art, per se, it is a mission of raising consciousness and changing the course of humanity. First and foremost these songs have been ways to do this for myself. They are mantras and prayers to keep me on course and clarify what is true and what blocks the truth so I can be free and happy and have freedom be sustainable.
I’m the principal songwriter and lyricist for Nagdeo. I almost exclusively compose songs on a cutaway acoustic electric guitar (often in alternate tunings) and I play rhythm guitar on all Nagdeo albums. I can play lead guitar, but it is not “my thing.” I also can mess around on the keyboards, but I’m far from being a keyboard player. For the 3rd album, in exasperation, I decided that I would learn bass to finish the album. Much to my surprise, my guitar skills transferred easily over to bass, and my ear and creativity let me create bass lines for 6 songs that I’m very proud of. I sing my heart out, but I am quite disappointed and frustrated at my ability to sing the way I’d truly like to. I’ve given it a lot of effort and I keep getting better, but I’m not really competent enough to be a lead singer of a band. Oh well!
Nagdeo, for me, is a vehicle for spreading and sharing GaiaYoga Consciousness and Culture with the world. My devotion to GaiaYoga has inspired me to write two books, An Introduction to GaiaYoga, and True Human Freedom (see merch page) and to create GaiaYoga Gardens Intentional Community on The Big Island of Hawaii (see About GaiaYoga page). Nagdeo is an integrated part of this mission, not a side project or a separate project.
As a young adult, I noticed that the musicians and bands that really inspired me (Rush, Yes, U2, The Grateful Dead, and others) had beautiful messages to communicate but ultimately didn’t provide any real leadership once they had gathered everyone’s attention as to how to change the course of humanity. Bono tried the most – he moved fans towards political action and joining organizations like One. Seeing this, I’ve been reluctant to get peoples’ attention if I didn’t know what to do with it. I want to take myself and others A-Z, not just for a little ride.
So, at this point in my life, I’m 52, I think I’m not going to get any riper in this. Time to make a real effort at it. and see if I can do my part to lead people into the beauty I see in my dreams and out of the nightmare I see dominating this planet. We’ll see… I’m giving it my best shot. And if nothing else, hopefully, I make some beautiful and honest songs that will contribute to other peoples’ lives as much as they have to mine.
My passion for songwriting, music, Nagdeo, and bringing the songs that have come through me to the world is not a mission of art, per se, it is a mission of raising consciousness and changing the course of humanity. First and foremost these songs have been ways to do this for myself. They are mantras and prayers to keep me on course and clarify what is true and what blocks the truth so I can be free and happy and have freedom be sustainable.
Nagdeo, for me, is a vehicle for spreading and sharing GaiaYoga Consciousness and Culture with the world. My devotion to GaiaYoga has inspired me to write two books, An Introduction to GaiaYoga, and True Human Freedom (see merch page) and to create GaiaYoga Gardens Intentional Community on The Big Island of Hawaii (see About GaiaYoga page). Nagdeo is an integrated part of this mission, not a side project or a separate project.
As a young adult, I noticed that the musicians and bands that really inspired me (Rush, Yes, U2, The Grateful Dead, and others) had beautiful messages to communicate but ultimately didn’t provide any real leadership once they had gathered everyone’s attention as to how to change the course of humanity. Bono tried the most – he moved fans towards political action and joined organizations like One. Seeing this, I’ve been reluctant to get peoples’ attention if I didn’t know what to do with it. I want to take myself and others A-Z, not just for a little ride.
So, at this point in my life, I’m 52, I think I’m not going to get any riper in this. Time to make a real effort at it. See if I can do my part to lead people into the beauty I see in my dreams and out of the nightmare I see dominating this planet. We’ll see… I’m giving it my best shot. And if nothing else, hopefully, I make some beautiful and honest songs that will contribute to other peoples’ lives as much as they have to mine.
About Steve
Steve Campbell
I am an Australian-born drummer working and living in the United States. I began the art and practice in the summer of 1988 in the small college town of Lawrence, KS. As a product of the ’80s, at heart, my passion is as much in the act as it is in the journey. I’m an instructor and student, performer, and player. Drumming for a living is my greatest passion and it has carried me through my journey of life, study, gigs, and musical projects.
Island life is a huge part of this band. As is health and connection to the earth. So for the music to express that connection, “a powerful drum is the method by which I wish to forward this music and our message.”
Nagdeo is my 14th independent original project/collaboration to include studio recording and composition. As a working drummer, I can perform live and pay the bills and as an artist, on the drums, I can be in a band playing original music on the island. My bands have varied in style proving to be vastly different from one another. From commercial Hard Rock to underground Shred Metal, Urban Ghetto Metal is driven by energy and intellect and a message that usually held a political overtone. All styles were explored. From a young age I was conditioned into a self-damning career of putting people before their promises, the party before the paycheck, and the panhandle before pride. A day job always came second. A career outside of music seemed pointless. I only just got one through enough roadie work and freelance audio-visual tech jobs. Fun… just not as fun.
I am one of those rare people who has put bands and music above career and family. “The objective of the campaign is lost before it was started if it began with a distraction.” So, I don’t want distractions from making music At a young age I chose to go “all in” and suffer the poverty of being a musician for the sake of happiness and fulfillment as appose to a life of redundancy and security. To come to the end of a life like that would leave me feeling like I had missed out on something.
It is a great irony that after all my attempts at being a touring musician that I am now in a band on an island that does not tour. (Or at least not yet.) The art of recording can finally be explored to its fullest. The learning is free. The process is challenging and spontaneous.
As a Drummer, the Nagdeo project differs the most from the others. Nothing is performed live. The songs are dissected and worked until they are recorded into history and time. A Nagdeo album is written to be like an ancient manuscript you dust off in the attic of an abandoned home after the apocalypse and end up using as a manual to re-generate a working society. It’s bigger than territories and for some, it’s even scarier than John Lennon. Nagdeo flips the script and changes the narrative to stimulate a discussion about much-needed change. In addition, a conscious effort is put into using the percussion as an element of the lyrical dialog much like a theater play or a radio show might. So the parts are challenging.
The aspirations I have for this band’s live shows are too expensive to produce without the sale of several thousand records and songs, so we just keep making records and improving the records we have recorded. This group’s live production cannot be compromised due to its concept element. Contributing to the development of this band is fulfilling because it now requires a theatre element to brand the show. Media is inevitable. An all-star line-up is eminent. So may it be.
The “gypsy” drummer is here to stay. For Nagdeo is the invitation to live our dreams and it is for this reason that this gypsy drummer always comes home to play.
About Ken
Kenny Watson
I was really excited about my first meeting with Ano to talk about being a part of the newest Nagdeo album. We played guitars together, discussed our musical tastes, our philosophies, and our life stories. What I thought was going to be a short meet and greet turned into a day of jamming. The vibe felt really good to me.
Two days later I got back together with Ano and Steve and there was no doubt that we were all feeling and hearing a musical match. Playing with these guys feels very refreshing, natural, and organic. I’m really looking forward to being a part of Nagdeo.
My music roots started in Detroit. I played trombone, then tuba in the school band, playing guitar in the bedroom along with the bands of the moment on the radio. In High School, I was able to join the school’s Jazz Band and started playing bass guitar, which would become my favorite instrument. I played in hard rock and alt-rock bands around the local club circuit in The Motor City before making the move to Florida. There I continued to play bass in a pop-rock band, wrote music, and did studio work before switching back to guitar and singing with an art-rock band in Key West. From there things took a wild detour as I took on stage roles performing as Elvis in That’s Vegas, then in the musicals, including Hair; I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change; and Assassins. Later I picked up my bass again to play in a band with an American Idol finalist. I also wrote instrumental songs, which resulted in some of my music being used in a Joseph Gordon-Levitt video project.
Music has been and always will be the greatest joy of my life. Music is Life. And right now, Life is good in Hawai’i, with Nagdeo!
About Michaeloha
Michaeloha Elam
Plays trumpet with Nagdeo when he can at live gigs and is recorded on The Pan Piper and Liberating Love.
About Diga
Diga Kern
Since 1992 I’ve had the pleasure of musically collaborating with Ano a number of times. We met at the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies where he was learning guitar and I was learning to express my piano skills creatively. Together, in 1990 we decided to move to Eugene, OR, and found The Hippocritters, consciousness-raising rock-n-roll with a US flag-themed stuffed Hippopotamus staring proudly from the kick drum. Ano’s raw food path took him to Hawai`i, and he provided the inspiration (and the permaculture employment) for me to relocate here myself.
On and off over the years, we have played music together and listened to each other grow. I have tremendous respect for Ano’s songwriting abilities and aspire towards a world remarkably similar to the one he portrays and paints in his songs. Perhaps this is why I have always found it relatively effortless to discover piano and synthesizer expressions that complement his projects. I’m impressed with the breadth of collaboration manifested in the latest album and honored to be among its contributors. Have your lyric sheets in hand, and listen closely!
About Freeya
Freeya Raye
I am grateful for the time I spent collaborating with Ano as a featured vocalist on the Pray Yang For Yintegity album and for everyone who contributed their magic to this creation! Pray Yang’s message is a strong one – to come back to the remembering of who we really are… I hope these songs are received with an open heart, open mind and maybe a curiosity to question the status quo.
About Bhakti
Bhakti Jai Hanamana
I am deeply grateful to be a part of Nagdeo. I’m a vocalist, harmony creator, and videographer for Nagdeo’s music. I hope to see Nagdeo’s work become accessible to audiences through music videos, concert performances, and a staged musical. Much Love!
About Morgan
Morgan Unger
I consider myself a non-committed ensemble member/singer of Nagdeo. This would ideally mean that I am featured on certain tracks and (hopefully) even when performing live but am not a committed member who is an activity a part of regularly scheduled rehearsals and/or performances. I would love to explore more with the band and help with the music Nagdeo is sharing with the world.
My passion for the arts goes hand-in-hand with my passion to live life through my fullest expression of the self. I’m humbled to be on this journey as I reclaim the artist that lives within.
I look forward to connecting in hopes of inspiring the world to create and explore their inner creatrix through these beautiful bodies we have been gifted. Recent credits include: Escape to Margaritaville National Tour, Elf the Musical National Tour, Original Production of Beauty and the Beast Disney Cruise Line. New York Theatre’s include: Hammerstein Ballroom, The Public Theater, Dixon Place, and Inwood Art Works. www.ungermorgan.com
About Farley
Farley
Trumpeter, mixing engineer, and quality control person for the Pray Yang For Yintegity album.
Over the years there have been many other people involved with Nagdeo, including Kaniela Lurie (bass), Aisha DeCosta (vocals), Dave Webb (bass), Mountain Ross (drums), Jonny Lurie (lead guitar), Eric Berger (bass), Maxence Dessureault (lead guitar), Lalita Karst (vocals), Tony Martin (bass), and a handful of others. Much appreciation to all these musicians and their contributions.