Kevin James
Kevin James Carroll was born in a small village called Lorne, on the Victorian coast of Australia.
Even though he grew up in a nonmusical family, and there was little or no support for his talents, Kevin’s confidence and love for singing was with him from an early age, where he sang for his family at Christmas and was always chosen to be a lead singer at school speech nights.
His first instrument was the harmonica, and it wasn’t until his 21st birthday party that he discovered the guitar, when a stranger appeared and offered to play him a song as a birthday gift. This experience awakened his calling for music, within the space of a year he was performing locally, and invitations started to come from the nearby city of Melbourne.
Things seemed to be going very well, playing with the idea of becoming a musician, but Kevin felt there was something else he was to offer with music. The feeling was so strong in him and he knew that he had to find out what it was. So he left his home with his guitar to follow a childhood dream of traveling the world. He first went to Asia, where he discovered for the first time, the teachings of the East; Tibetan Buddhism, Dzogchen, Hindu, chanting and yoga.
After a year, he returned to Australia and found that he couldn’t continue his old life in his home town. So he traveled North, where he started sharing music again as a solo artist, playing a mixture of covers and his own songs.
Tasting life again in the conventional music industry he walked away for a second time, feeling that this was not his path. He started to be drawn to a journey of self-discovery- studying yoga practices, different philosophical teachings and natural living; and chanting mantras became a personal practice. At that time, there were no role models of people sharing mantra music. He had a vision though, a feeling, that there was something he was to share through music that was deeper and more profound than what was commonly found in music.
With the vision to contribute something harmonious and useful to the world, Kevin decided to disconnect from society in far North Queensland for 10 years, to develop and put into practice what he was learning, to reconnect with nature and to discover his true nature, to find and live what he was to offer in service. At that time, he also discovered Rainbow Gatherings and its music and he embraced the universal sacred chanting.
A prolific songwriter, eventually he moved to Byron Bay and started a band called The Optimystics that fused his original songs with his passion for mantras. He also led small gatherings or chanting circles as a personal practice.
In the space of 1 year the band achieved a fast growing popularity and began to headline local festivals but again, he felt to stop and pause, with an inner knowing that this was not the way.
For Kevin, music was part of his journey of self discovery and reconnection. His songs direct the listener inward to join him on that journey and for him, playing at festivals up on a stage and getting people to dance while often they were drinking alcohol, was contrary to the space he wanted to create, so he couldn’t continue on that path.
Kevin wanted a closer connection, to bring them into the experience, that they could be more involved, to bring them into the feeling, to co~create.
He knew that this was not his destiny and walked away from the Optimystics into the unknown.
Meanwhile he continued sharing his community chanting circles and what happened after that is what would decide his fate.
The fans from the Optimystics came to the Chanting circle and they requested that he sing his more lyrical and uplifting songs from the Optimystics. That’s where the fusion of a songwriter, chant leader and a shared journey in a circle became the Heartsong chanting circle experience.
One other unique aspect being that Kevin brought in his passion for the Shakuhachi flute into the circle as a way to close the energy with his flute meditation.
After some years sharing and introducing this style of music in Asia, Kevin was invited to Europe and developed friendships, connected with communities of like minds and the response was like a beautiful dream.
He did it all by invitation and in the beginning it was all by donation as he went from one circle to the next.
While touring, Kevin had a strong intuitive voice telling him to go home and get rid of everything, so strong was the voice that he listened. He went back to Australia and let go of his home, car, reduced his possessions to a suitcase and began a life of only going forward, head on into his vision of supporting a movement of connection to the heart through chanting and music.
With the support of great friends like Kim Kindersley who rented big houses especially for the circles, wonderful inspiring musicians who joined him and a community who loved to sing, the circles developed and would eventually outgrow the private houses they were held in, to local halls and after 7 years of regular weekly circles, in 2010 Kevin produced his first album ONE with the whole community involved.
¨I discovered and developed my vision of music equally by finding what resonates with my Heart, but also by giving myself the freedom to turn away from what doesn’t without judgment.
I managed to pave a way of sharing music that is unique and meaningful to me, that allows me to be completely myself, yet fulfilling the needs of others, empowering and involving others on a journey of co-creation, reconnection and harmony, because I feel that’s my greatest strength and exactly what the world needs the most, so it became my greatest service.”
“Just me, my suitcase and instruments. I found such a freedom and loved the simplicity.
7 years later and still it continues to grow like a tree. No pushing or pulling, just refining and taking it step by step without losing sight of my vision.
I was so blessed that when my daughter dropped out of school and joined me for 3 years where I had the privilege of walking her into womanhood from the age of 17 to 20 years old. We were together almost the whole time and had an epic adventure from the far reaches of Japan to Scandinavia, Bali, Hawaii and even rafted through the entire Grand Canyon with our retreats.¨
¨After 3 years, it was clear to both of us that it was time for her to go home and start a kind of normal life and make new friends.
A few months after that, in 2016 I met Susana and we rose in love. Since then Susana and I have been touring together and she naturally became the harmonium player and singer in support of the music. Nowadays, we are married and enjoying the nomadic life.
Together we lead Heartsong Chanting Circles all over the world and also run workshops and retreats in places like Ladakh, Bhutan, Greece, sailing and Australia where we combine the use of the voice, my personal practice called “The morning practice” sound meditations and chanting to harmonize and heal together. Supported by these powerful environments and beautiful places to create the journey of reconnection to the heart as a way to be harmonious in our emotions, mind and body, therefore our lives.”
Chanting circles
Chanting Mantras, Heartsongs, and Kirtan. What’s it all about?
Mantras can come from various traditions and religions around the world. You may be familiar with Hallelujah, Hare Krishna, La Ella Ha Ill Allah or Om Mani Padme Hung. They are all well-known Mantras with their own power and magic. What I do is to put them into songs that we can chant them together. A mantra can also be an affirmation in your own language and for this difference, I use the word Heartsongs.
A Kirtan is a tradition of call and response chanting, originating from India and is generally Hindu Mantras.
As simple as it may seem, there is a profound depth to this practice and there’s nothing better than the experience itself to allow you to make your own opinions about it.
The circles are for everybody
If your old or young, (even babies love it.) Any culture, colour or creed, all are welcome here. For me, it’s a way of bringing back devotion and prayer to build community and connectedness without sectarianism, to help people feel more connected.
People have the right to their own ideas and experience. In our chanting circles, even though we sing Kirtan and mantras form different traditions, we hope everyone feels a sense of being included and respected for who they are and what they believe.
Not to be taken too seriously
I think that the more serious you take yourself, the more hilariously funny you become
The chanting circles are a free and open space to sing and enjoy yourself, this sometimes means having a laugh, letting go and perhaps even getting a bit crazy if that feels good, sometimes that’s the way to arrive at a deep and profound silence within yourself.
My job, as a Kirtan leader is to follow a spontaneous flow with the energy of the room, there is no setlist or plan that I follow. I just flow with the energy of the night and the people, sometimes it’s soft and gentle and other times its full power dancing and going for it.
Chanting circles are non-denominational
The chanting embraces some sacred chants and mantras and Kirtans from different religions, teachings and cultures from around the world in a non-denominational way. Honoring all as parts of the whole.
The circles are inclusive
We encourage people to embrace our unity as global citizens and share what we all have in common, to respect and celebrate our differences as part of one global family. It’s perfectly fine to keep your own world view or belief system as you like it.. This is why we sit in a circle. We also use the symbol of the heart in our alters as it is something that we can all agree on, that we all have in common. In a way, we’re calling people home, back to the heart centre, which is a circle where we all have a voice, where the shy people sit forward and the confident sit back. The circle is our greatest strength. It is the strongest shape, it brings community and connectedness. It unifies and balances our energy.
You are free to keep your own beliefs
I sometimes tell stories or speak gentle reminders of simple things that may point our awareness inward to make a connection with our own inner truth but in our circles, we don’t ask you to believe anything.
Am I expected to do anything?
You don’t need to worry about not knowing what to do. You are free to do what you feel, that’s the essence of co-creation. Just basic common sense like, respecting the silence and other people etc.
This is an offering, that’s why we call it Bhakti Yoga.
Bhakti yoga is the yoga of emotions.
The essence of Bhakti is devotion, this reflects the devotional aspect of the circle. In kirtan we might express our devotion to different Hindu Gods yet they all represent different aspects of the self. That’s why we direct our devotion to the heart and to our essence or our true nature always because there we all meet.
The chanting circle is an invitation to sing
Kevin and Susana facilitate a space for you to feel comfortable and supported to sing but there is no requirement for you to do so. You can just bathe in the sound, it’s really not a matter of how well you’re singing, it’s a space for you to enjoy the act of expression through your voice.
Just go outside and let out a big high pitched YAHHHOOOO and see if you notice an instant change in your emotional state. In that moment, who cares if you can sing or not, the most important thing is that you just do it. That’s what it’s about, participating.
We in the West have gradually given away the joy of singing to others who do it better, and to electronic devices to do it for us, leaving us feeling empty and disconnected. I wanted to find a way to give devotional singing back to the people again. That’s the motive, it’s a gift..
Benefits of chanting
One of the main reasons chanting has such a powerful healing effect on people is because it works on us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually at the same time. Physically, through the breath, with the physical vibration of your own voice massaging your organs and whole body with healing mantras, not only from your voice but everyone else’s voices as well.
Our breathing is fundamental to how we feel in our body, and with the repetition of chanting we find ourselves breathing slower, deeper and more rhythmically which calms the nervous system, relaxes muscle tension and lowers our blood pressure as our heart rate is reduced.
Why are Mantras healing?
Mantras are beauty or harmony in word form. Singing and emotion are closely linked, so when you sing mantras, they organize your emotions in a harmonious and beautiful way that then transfers to harmonize and calm our mind and body. It’s that simple.
Through the breath we have our closest connection to our life-force and when you get a room full of people breathing together, as we sing, we synchronize the breath and something magical happens. I know it also has something to do with our emotional states merging in some unified way and for me the goal is to fly with it.
Ultimately it is best left to experience so I can’t encourage you enough to come and join a chanting circle and experience it for yourself. You are most welcome.
Shakuhachi Flute
I started by making my own Shakuhachi and strangely the first flute I made turned out to be the best which was completely by chance. (see flute story video below)
I was making flutes for more than a decade and some day I hope to make them again, I learned a lot from making flutes.
I have a passion for the yearning sounds of the Japanese style Shakuhachi and this has been my main instrument of choice for all this time, but I also make and play side blown bamboo and American Indian style flutes.
I tend to play without rhythm and always improvised. I find there is so much I can express with the bending of notes and close connection with my breath. I feel it’s my deepest expression.
I mostly share my flute at the end of a chanting circle where I invite everyone to lie down and get comfortable. Then, I tune in to the silence and allow the spontaneous flow of energy to rise from my belly unfiltered and raw, I listen intently and dance with what I hear inside.
Sometimes I feel that the chanting circles are just to prepare the space for the flute.
Somehow I feel it wipes away our memory of the circle so that we don’t attach ourselves to what was and continue connecting to and loving what IS.
Sharing my flute recordings for listening and meditation is fairly recent. 2018 is when I started to share on some platforms and the response has been so good that I’m happy to be branching my recorded music out in this direction.
