The Sacred Sound System with Saint Germain
The Band:
Saint Germain - lead vocals / rhythm guitar , djembe (drum)
John Aughinbaugh - electric and acoustic electric lead guitar
Vanda Raven Moon - keyboard
Don La Londe: drums
Deleon - The "Smasher" (auxiliary percussion)
Saint Germain assembled the Sacred Sound System band in May of 2006, and has two dvds. The members of this ensemble represent North America, Europe and Asia having Native American, European, Hawaiian, Middle Eastern and Japanese roots. There is over 150 years of combined musical experience in the group. The band has been playing at California and Oregon annual music festivals like: Gathering of the Tribes Festival - Ahjumawi Indian Reservation, Dana, California; Mendocino Living Culture Festival - Jughandle Park, Mendocino, California; The Mystic Garden Party Festival - Ashland Wellsprings, Ashland, Oregon; Living Masters Conference - Flying Lotus, Mount Shasta, California; The Water Conference - The Oracle, Weed, California: Mushroom Festival - McCloud Mercantile, McCloud, California. The band is based out of northern California’s Mount Shasta, and has been featured on the local Mount Shasta television, Channel 15. Also playing local venues in the northern California area.
This traditionally based music has a roots-oriented, reggae feel, with shades of dub (instrumental landscapes) coming in and out, combined with award-winning lyrics from Saint Germain. He chants mantras, sings and voices the spoken word, while playing guitar and other instruments. He was first introduced to reggae music in 1985 in Santa Cruz, with the group, Burning Spear.
Some of his lyrics are published in the book, "Frost at Midnight", through the largest poets society in the world, the International Poets Society. He was chosen by the society as one of the "Masters of the Spoken Word" in 1996 and selected for the "Sound of Poetry" CD, which features eleven of the society’s top spoken-word masters, chosen from tens of thousands of society members.
Saint Germain continues his focus of putting his award-winning lyrics to traditionally based, heart music, and in this case, it has a reggae flavor. He has put his lyrics to traditional music from all over the world: Jamaica, Spain, Romania, Sweden, India, Pakistan, Israel, Mali, Guinea, South Africa, Australia and America. But it is the love for, and message of, reggae music, that gives Saint Germain his latest inspiration. The message of justice, freedom, equality and unity is what reggae and world-music represents to Saint Germain, and that is why he has chosen this path in music.