Yup, it’s story time! Not about the single that’s out today — but what led to it.
There I was, 22, standing in a crowd watching a local reggae band called The Effects play an outdoor show. When the bass and drums hit, the music entered my heart, took over my body, and I knew: this is my soul music. Or should I say, “this is my Soul’s music.”
For the next decade, almost everything I wrote turned into reggae. No matter what melody came forward, it spun right into a reggae groove. Reggae riddems had chosen me, not the other way around.
It had never dawned on me to write mantra music. I’d used mantras since I first learned Transcendental Meditation at 16, and they deepened over the years as part of a spiritual path that would eventually reshape my entire life.
But it wasn’t until I went to see Deva Premal & Miten perform that everything clicked. Hearing their melodic mantras lit something deep within me: I had to merge mantras and reggae — to bridge these deep spiritual chants with this deep spiritual music.
A soul’s mission.
Living in Carlsbad, California, I’d go on long daily walks, singing music I was writing into a handheld recorder. One day, I passed a house with an unmistakably reggae van. I walked past it three or four times before I finally knocked on the door. That knock led to a friendship, which led to a demo, which eventually led me to reggae bass legend Fully Fullwood.
If you’re really into reggae, you know Fully. He founded Soul Syndicate in the ’70s and created the “Stalag 17” bassline — the riddim behind Sister Nancy’s “Bam Bam,” Tenor Saw’s “Ring the Alarm,” and dozens of dancehall classics. Together with Tony Chin on guitar and Carlton “Santa” Davis on drums, they recorded and toured with Peter Tosh as part of Word, Sound and Power, and played sessions with Bob Marley, Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, and virtually every major artist to come out of Jamaica.
I gave Fully a thumb drive with my demo. A week later, he called and told me he loved it — that he loved the idea of sacred mantras meeting reggae. He thought the other guys would too. Years passed, during which I released my Magic Kiss and Find Me in Your Heart albums.
Then on December 31, 2024, sitting alone at home, I gave myself a challenge: write the full mantra album by January 31st. I had 10 tracks done by January 25th, then wrote two more by the 31st. We booked a studio in San Clemente, and these Soul Syndicate legends came in and recorded over my birthday weekend. It was the greatest birthday gift of my life.
Today, you’re hearing the first result of all of this. “Shiva Shiva Shiva Shambho” — a sacred Shiva mantra, carried by the hands that helped build reggae.
Two ancient traditions. Decades in the making. One groove.
🎧 Listen now on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6bAZUI4Zc0hSInPm0u8yNI
🎧 Listen now on all other platforms:
https://found.ee/Shiva-Shiva-Shiva-Shambho-Single
🎬 Watch the Official Music Video:
This is the first of eight tracks on my upcoming album, Mantras in Kingston. I’ll have a lot more to share in the coming weeks — including the deeper story of how sacred mantras became the center of my life. For now, just press play.
If this speaks to you, please send it to someone who might feel the same. That’s how music like this finds its people.
With gratitude,
Bodhi
P.S. — If you know anyone who practices mantra meditation, does kirtan, or loves roots reggae, send this their way. This project lives at the intersection of those worlds, and I’d love for it to reach as many wonderful people as possible.
P.P.S. — In the weeks ahead, I’m going to share more of the personal journey behind this album. Some of it will surprise you. Stay tuned.