Instruct: Given a question, retrieve relevant documents that answer the question.
Query: Is Kula Shaker still together?
On 2 July 2008 the band announced they were back in the studio working on their fourth studio album with working title Pilgrims Progress. However soon after the band became locked in a legal dispute with their label which resulted in most of the work for the next album being frozen. As of May 2009, work on the new album had recommenced.
"Govinda" is a song by the British rock band Kula Shaker, released on their debut album, "K", on 16 September 1996. It was also issued as a single, on 11 November, and peaked at number 9 on the UK Singles Chart. "Govinda" is notable for its heavy Indian influences and includes tambura and tabla instrumentation. The song is also the only British top-ten hit to be sung entirely in Sanskrit.
Kula Shaker disbanded in September 1999[8] but reformed in 2004 for sessions for the School of Braja compilation album.[5] This led to plans for a full comeback, although the reformation was not widely publicised until the beginning of 2006.[5][9] The band's third album, Strangefolk, was issued in 2007[10] and their fourth, Pilgrims Progress, was released in 2010. The band returned with a mostly sold out European tour and new album K 2.0 in 2016 which was well-received both by the media and the fans.[11]
The following is a comprehensive discography of Kula Shaker, an English psychedelic rock band formed in 1995. Kula Shaker has released four major studio albums, as well as numerous singles with extensive b-sides, music videos, and EPs. The band has also contributed to film soundtracks and TV advertisements."-" denotes releases that did not chart.
Kula Shaker made a music video for the song, directed by Michael Geoghegan. The cover artwork for the single featured a Longines Conquest watch, with the band logo and song title in place of the Longines branding. An alternative version of the track, called "Govinda '97, Hari & ST. George", appeared on Kula Shaker's "Summer Sun EP", released in July 1997.
Their first gig back together (as a 3-piece) took place at the Wheatsheaf, Leighton Buzzard, England, on 21 December 2005. This was a 'secret' gig and not promoted beforehand; however, blackboards outside the pub announced "Kula Shaker tonight" on the night of the show. As a joke about the nature of secret gigs, Mills told the assembled crowd that the band was called The Garcons whilst wearing a "big hair" grey wig. All sources both official and unofficial have subsequently referred to this gig as a Kula Shaker show.
Mills became famous in the UK as the lead singer/songwriter in the Indian-influenced 90s Indie/rock band Kula Shaker in 1996. Kula Shaker's first album "K" became the best-selling debut album since Oasis' "Definitely Maybe" in the UK, and the band had a string of UK hit singles, culminating in 1997's 'Hush' which peaked at No. 2 there.
Alan Clayson identifies the influence of the Radha Krishna Temple's recordings, along with the East–West musical fusion of Harrison's 1968 solo album "Wonderwall Music", on Britpop bands such as Kula Shaker, whom he describes as "the most exotic of all the new Top-40 arrivals of the mid 1990s". In addition to incorporating the Sanskrit term "Achintya-bheda-abheda" in their 1996 hit "Tattva", Kula Shakar released a single in November that year, "Govinda", named after the Temple's second hit song (but in fact a cover of "Govinda Jai Jai"). AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine states that Radha Krishna Temple (London)'s 1970 hit "pretty much provided the blueprint for Kula Shaker's career",Stephen Thomas Erlewine, "Various Artists "Come and Get It: The Best of Apple Records"", AllMusic (retrieved 19 September 2014). while David Cavanagh of "Uncut" wrote in 2010 that "The Radha Krsna Temple" "should appeal to fans of Tinariwen, not to mention lead singers of Kula Shaker".David Cavanagh, "The Apple Remasters", "Uncut", November 2010, p. 112.
It's official. Kula Shaker has arisen from the bottomless pit. How and why will all be revealed in good time, as this [web] site grows, swells and expands. In the meantime join our mailing list and be the first to find out about secret gigs, free downloads and the inside story on what is sure to be their finest hour.
Crispian Mills (born 18 January 1973 as Crispian John David Boulting; spiritual name Krishna Kanta Das) is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and film director. Active since 1988, Mills is best known as the frontman of the psychedelic indie rock band Kula Shaker. Following the band's break-up in 1999, he remained with Columbia Records (a subsidiary of Sony BMG), and toured with a set of session musicians (including a support slot for Robbie Williams) under the name Pi, although no official studio recordings were released in full. After the label rejected the Pi album, Mills disappeared for a short time, returning in 2002 as frontman and lead guitarist for back-to-basics rock outfit The Jeevas, who disbanded in 2005 to make way for a reformed Kula Shaker, who released their third album "Strangefolk" in 2007. 2010 he released the album Pilgrims Progress with Kula Shaker. In 2017 the band celebrated the 20th anniversary of their album K with the release of the new record K 2.0. Mills joined the band for a sold-out UK tour to celebrate the anniversary.
After the summer festival dates, it was announced on the band's website that the third Kula Shaker album was underway. Pre-production started in September 2006, with final mixing completed by April 2007. It was produced in collaboration with an all-star team of hit makers & Grammy winners, including Tchad Blake (Peter Gabriel, Crowded House), Sam Williams (Supergrass) and Chris Sheldon (The Foo Fighters, The Pixies).
The band are known for their interest in traditional Indian music, culture, and mysticism, with a number of their most famous songs, including "Tattva" and "Govinda", featuring lyrics written in Sanskrit.[1][4] The name Kula Shaker was itself inspired by King Kulasekhara, an Indian emperor from the 8th century.[5] In addition, many of the band's songs feature traditional Indian instruments, such as the sitar, tamboura, and tabla, juxtaposed with guitar-heavy, Western rock instrumentation.[1][6] Despite achieving commercial success, Kula Shaker were unpopular with many critics, with The Observer's Simon Price describing them in 2014 as a "joke band".[7]
Kula Shaker are an English psychedelic rock band.[1] Led by frontman Crispian Mills,[2] the band came to prominence during the Post-Britpop era of the late 1990s.[1] The band enjoyed commercial success in the UK between 1996 and 1999, notching up a number of Top 10 hits on the UK Singles Chart, including "Tattva", "Hey Dude", "Govinda", "Hush", and "Sound of Drums".[3] The band's debut album, K, reached No.1 on the UK Albums Chart.[3]
The Jeevas were an English rock band. Its members were Crispian Mills (vocals, guitar), Andy Nixon (drums), and Dan McKinna (bass). Mills was previously the vocalist of Kula Shaker. Nixon and McKinna were previous members of Straw. Mills rejoined Kula Shaker in late 2005, and The Jeevas disbanded.
To capitalise on publicity surrounding the band's comeback, the re-release record label Music Club issued a hastily compiled double album Tattva: The Very Best Of Kula Shaker on 16 July 2007, which included all the tracks from the band's first two albums and a handful of previously released non-album tracks. The band had no input into any aspect of the release and their consent was not obtained for its release. They have been asking their fans not to buy it.
In 1996, the English rock band Kula Shaker adapted "Govinda Jaya Jaya" into their hit song "Govinda". Their song remains the only British top-ten hit sung entirely in Sanskrit. Speaking in 2016, Alonza Bevan, the bass player of Kula Shaker, said that it was "nice to get an ancient Indian hymn [played] on Radio 1 in the UK".
During preparation for their comeback live dates, a new member joined the band – Harry Broadbent. He became the band's new keyboard player, and Kula Shaker were restored to a four-piece once more.
Kula Shaker announced on 11 January 2006 that they had reformed permanently. They released the following statement on their new official website (which launched that day):
Tattva : The Very Best Of Kula Shaker 2007 is a best-of double album released in 2007 by the record label Music Club. It includes all the tracks from Kula Shaker's first two albums and a handful of previously released non-album tracks. It is not an official 'best of' and the band have asked fans not to buy it.
The origin of Kula Shaker can be traced back to 1988 when Crispian Mills (grandson of Sir John Mills[12] and son of actress Hayley Mills and film director Roy Boulting)[1] met Alonza Bevan at Richmond upon Thames College in South-West London.[13] The two went on to play together in a band named Objects of Desire, formed later that year. The band's initial line-up consisted of Mills on lead guitar, Bevan on bass, Marcus French (aka Frog) on drums, Leigh Morris on rhythm guitar, and Marcus Maclaine (then Hayley Mills' boyfriend) on lead vocals. In 1991, Paul Winterhart joined the band, replacing French on drums. During this period, Crispian and Alonza were also responsible for running the Mantra Shack, a psychedelic nightclub at the back of Richmond ice rink,[1][13] and consequently, the Objects of Desire would often perform at the venue.
Kula Shaker
After initial disagreements with management, Kula Shaker resurfaced with the UK-only single "Sound of Drums" in April 1998, peaking at number 3. A promised album in the summer of that year failed to materialise, and the momentum generated by the single was lost as a result. Fans would have to wait until February 1999 to hear any more new material from the forthcoming second album.
Although Kula Shaker’s sound owes a lot to the classic rock bands of 1960s and 1970s, the songs often combine Eastern influenced sonics ("Govinda"), with lyrical themes of a universal spirituality quest, employing ideas of soul and devotion from diverse traditions such as Hinduism ("Tattva"), to Christianity ("Great Hosanna"), and even Native American Indian ("Infinite Sun").
In May 1995, Mills suggested that the band take the name Kula Shaker, in honour of one of the twelve Alvars (saints of south India), the ninth-century Indian emperor and holy man, King Kulashekhara.[5] In Indian culture, the name Kulashekhara is thought to be lucky or auspicious, and this appealed to the struggling band.[5] Mills also posited that Kula Shaker's music should follow a more spiritual and mystical direction in future, in line with his own growing interest in the philosophy of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. This new emphasis on Indian mysticism and instrumentation, dovetailed with the Beatlesque, 1960s derived influences already present in the band's music, to create a sound heavily indebted to 1960s psychedelia.[1][4]
Revenge of the King is an EP by Kula Shaker, released on 31 March 2006, the first Kula Shaker release since the band reformed. It was originally only available as a download from iTunes; later it was released as a limited edition 10" vinyl EP, sold only at concerts and through the band's website. It was subsequently released in Japan on CD with an additional bonus track and the alternate title, "Garage EP".