"Sometimes I feel like the world isn't ready for me."

31 August

(From S.O.S.)

"I've got to be free, heal me mantra."

30 August

(From Under the Hammer)

"How softly we cry and mourn for a dream."

29 August

(From Ol' Jack Tar)

"& in the churchyard they are whisperin' beneath the ground."

26 August

27 August

28 August

(From Out on the Highway)

"All those things you thought important mean nothing anymore."

25 August

(From Another Life)

"Fleeing the city, trying to cross the fields..."

24 August

(From Dr Kitt)

"In the land of summer sun we have just begun - perfect picture card scene..."

23 August

(From 303)

"I called you the keeper of my heart...I felt that you'd been there waiting from the start."

22 August

(From Golden Avatar)

"Time waits by your side, dance in your shadow."

21 August

(From Dance in Your Shadow)

"Once upon a time, a god asked a great king 'What is the most amazing thing in the world?'"

"The king replied that every day a million souls pass into the abode of death and yet none believes that they shall follow."

20 August

(From Strangefolk)

"Mind's forever changing what you began...battle with your mind ."

19 August

(From 108 Battles (of the Mind))

"Smell the rose, the sweet sweet rose that grows on castle walls in heaven."

18 August

(From Hey Dude)

"All in all I've found there's more to life than losing time."

17 August

(From Raagy One (Waiting for Tomorrow))

"There my guide is waiting in a world of dreams."

16 August

(From Magic Theatre)

"& my love, it feels like you have flowered...& now I know I'll never be the same."

15 August

(From Moonshine)

"Wait until tomorrow see the summer sun upon the ocean sky."

14 August

(From Smart Dogs)

"Doubt the stars are on fire, doubt Truth to be a liar but never doubt I love you."

13 August

(From Ophelia)

"In my world of pain in my broken home I can hear a voice but I'm all alone."

12 August

(From 6ft Down Blues)

"Sing the song of love & shine a light."

11 August

(From Song of Love/Narayan)

"Be content in your questions, but may I just mention..."

"...you're only a drop in the sea."

10 August

(From Drop in the Sea)

"Light up and catch the sun 'cause it’s gonna be Revolution for fun."

9 August

(From Sound of Drums)

"I am the night, I am the moon at your window."

8 August

(From Fool That I Am)

"For every seed holds a flower waiting for the rain to fall."

7 August

(From Shadowlands)

"Love is the key..."

"...Know that your soul is on fire like a million suns..."

6 August

(From Timeworm)

"But he weren't afraid of dying or stepping through that door..."

"...the compass started reeling & he stared into the storm..."

5 August

(From Hurricane Season)

"Hidden in the misty forest..."

"...I have waited to be here."

4 August

(From Temple of Everlasting Light)

"Well if you know your history, you will read between the lines."

3 August

(From Grateful When You're Dead/Jerry Was There)

"Chase the cold across the street."

2 August

(From Peter Pan R.I.P.)

"Like the flower and the scent of summer, like the sun and the shine..."

Kula Shaker wear their influences on their collective sleeve. They write songs in Sanskrit & use traditional Indian instruments, singers & musicians on their records. This results in some incredible crossover musical moments.

They have other influences, of course. Sometimes their music is psychedelic, sometimes metal, sometimes hard rock, sometimes folky. With liberal use of the Hammond organ, they create a unique, distinctive sound which is by turns trippy, mellow, mysterious & heavy. They write marvellously inscrutable lyrics such as "The truth may come in strange disguises - send the message to your mind..."

Yet despite the often otherworldly aspect to their style & philosophy, they are also influenced by the culture of these shores. Crispian Mills comes from a British showbiz family & songs with reference to Arthurian legend, Peter Pan & tea-drinking lend them a homegrown, if somewhat whimsical energy.

But most of all, Crispian Mills is a man who knows what it is to rock. As if he was born to do it.

Kula Shaker are a band I love dearly for the above reasons & more. I tend to associate them with summertime & warm weather, therefore in an attempt to encourage the sun to shine here, they are the band of August.

1 August

(From Tattva)