It’s likely that you’ve heard Steve Gold’s music in your yoga class. His songs could have pushed you through a series of sun salutations or crooned you into the final relaxing pose of corpse. Gold says his music is a soundtrack to yoga, but it’s also applicable to life beyond the studio.
‘My music happens to live in the yoga world,’ Gold said. ‘But actually the songs that I sing can reach an audience beyond yoga.’
Gold is coming up to Tahoe from his home in Southern California for Wanderlust in Squaw Valley. Moonshine Ink caught up with him on July 1, the very day his new album, ‘Let Your Heart Be Known,’ was released. ‘Let Your Heart Be Known’ is a peaceful and spiritual work with strong blues influences — a bit different from Gold’s previous music, which featured more of an ambient sound.
‘This [‘Let Your Heart Be Known’] is more of a revelation into my roots and influences,’ Gold said, noting his influences range from Elvis Presley to Radiohead to Jose Gonzalez.
‘I’m a melodic songwriter,’ Gold said. ‘I love melodies and I love hooks.’
Blending blues and sacred music, Gold writes melodies to accompany Sanskrit mantras found in ancient Hindu text, as well as lyrics that he writes about spirituality and love. He calls his music ‘illumined blues,’ a fusion between sacred and roots music.
Gold first discovered Kundalini yoga in the early ‘80s. That’s when he was first introduced to chanting. Over recent years, Gold has toured with renowned yoga teacher and mentor Shiva Rea and accompanied her classes, providing students with the power and inspiration of live music. ‘
‘Music is the simple method of turning our attention inside an experience,’ Gold said. ‘When you put music together with the intention [of a yoga practice] you can really reach levels of peace.’
Gold strives to bring a sense of engagement and interaction to his concerts outside of the yoga studio, too. Performing with the crowd, rather than for an audience, is a whole different experience in today’s music scene.
‘I know from experience that when we gather together in song, we get together,’ Gold said. ‘My gift is getting people together and getting them to sing.’
Info: 2:30 p.m., Casbah Stage, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Steve Gold will also perform accompaniment for Shiva Rea’s yoga classes, tickets vary, Wanderlust, Squaw Valley, squaw.wanderlustfestival.com, stevegoldmusic.com
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