Blue Spirit Wheel

Blue Spirit Wheel is a progressive evolution in the world of mantra music. Based on the fundamental rhythms contained within the Sanskrit language, the band uses solid bass grooves, tribal drum beats and an improvisational singing style to create soundscapes that draw the listener into a deep state of consciousness expansion. The audience is invited to participate by chanting mantras with the band, or interact with the sounds through dance and movement, or enter a receptive, meditative space where the vibration of the mantras create powerful energy shifts. Featuring backgrounds in Rock, Choral and World Fusion, Ian Boccio, Stephanie Kohler and Joey Dukes bring a diversity of ideas that combine to create an entirely new style of both music and spiritual practice. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Blue Spirit Wheel began touring the U.S. in 2013 and has released two CDs, “Adi" and "Darkness To Light”. Please visit www.bluespiritwheel.com for more information. Ian Boccio has been practicing Mantra Yoga since 2005 and teaches workshops and intensives on Sanskrit mantra around the US. He is also a founder and chant leader of the kirtan group Bhakti Messenger and Creative Director for the ChantLanta Sacred Music Festival, through which he has dedicated himself to help raise the consciousness of the South. Following a 25 year career as a bass guitarist in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and now Atlanta, Ian began singing after he devoted his life to yoga practice and with the help of his teachers Shri Karunamayi, Clair Oaks, Vyaas Houston and Swami Nirmalananda. His deep, sonorous voice, resonant with harmonic overtones, serves as a channel for spiritual energy shaped by the forms of Sanskrit syllables to create healing, happiness and knowledge of one's true life purpose. Stephanie Kohler is an Atlanta native, although she has traveled extensively overseas both for study and work. A lifelong musician, she first participated in kirtan while living in India. That inspiration eventually led to playing with several kirtan groups around Atlanta, plus performances at Bonnaroo in 2011. An active facilitator in Atlanta's yoga community, she teaches at Ashtanga Yoga Atlanta and helps to organize Chantlanta. She is also a freelance writer. Providing a soundtrack for the inevitable liberation of all beings. Visit us at www.bluespiritwheel.com