Biography
Dave Stringer launched his sonic explorations at age nine by capturing “Within You, Without You” on reel-to-reel tape, slicing the ribbon into uneven segments, and reassembling them without pattern. From that point he moved through jazz groups, choral ensembles, sound installations, experimental cinema, and an apprenticeship at Columbia Pictures. A subsequent film-editing assignment took him to an Indian meditation ashram, where his course was set. Prior to the trip his only contact with Eastern disciplines had been occasional hatha yoga sessions for back relief. Once inside the ashram he absorbed the Sanskrit mantras recited daily, at first reproducing the melodies on dulcimer and accordion purely for amusement. The practice soon drew him deeper; he remained in India after the assignment ended. Although he took a few lessons from the ashram’s resident musicians, his real schooling in kirtan came through volunteer service at a nearby primary school. Back in Los Angeles, editing work covered expenses while chanting claimed his attention. He began offering classes in meditation, chanting, and hatha yoga to incarcerated men through a volunteer program. Around the same period he cut his first tracks and received invitations to lead kirtan gatherings, first locally and later in New York, Chicago, Phoenix, Detroit, and additional cities. Chanting gradually became his sole occupation, opening collaborations with Donna De Lory, Lionel Cole, Greg Ellis, Azam Ali, and others. He also shared stages with kirtan originators Krishna Das and Jai Uttal. His first release, the 2002 album Brink, mixed original English pieces with traditional Sanskrit chants. Later projects included Japa (2005), Mâlâ (2005), Divas & Devas (2007), and Joyride (2010). In 2012 he issued the live recording Yatra, followed by the studio album Ojas in 2013. Two years later Stringer joined former Madonna backup dancer/vocalist Donna De Lory and singer/songwriter Joni Allen for Elixir: Songs of the Radiance Sutras.
Albums
