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| Ragani Buegel |
What follows is a wonderful story of a TAXI member whose eyes were opened to the industry after just one Road Rally. As for what happened next, well, read the story!
Do you play an instrument?
If so, when did you begin? Are you self-taught or schooled?
I have played keyboards since my early years in grade school
when I took piano lessons. Problem for me was that even after
some five years of lessons on and off, I never learned to
sight-read. I would ask my teacher to play the piece through
for me before going home and I would go home and figure out
how to play it by ear. The last teacher I had challenged me
to sight-read —and I wish I’d started with
her from the beginning —but I was only with her
for a few lessons. The rest of what I do (recording, engineering,
production, etc.) is all self-taught, with the help of a few
wonderful mentors, such as David Vartanian, mix master and
engineer at DV Studios.
Do you come from a musical
family? Were you forced to learn an instrument?
We didn’t grow up with much music around our home. In
fact, it was a pretty quiet home, and we were usually asked
to wear headphones if we wanted to listen to any kind of music.
I remember enjoying it when my dad played records (a few times
a year) in our living room from the Beatles, Roy Orbison,
and a few other tracks from the '60s. When we got a piano in
our home, I decided I wanted to take lessons, but my mother
said that I would need to be serious about those lessons and
practicing if she was going to spend the money on them. So
I committed to a weekly practice, and I was good about staying
with it for the first few years. Later on in high school,
when I got more involved in sports and school activities,
I dropped my lessons.
What is the music scene
like in Milwaukee where you currently live?
Milwaukee is known to have a pretty awesome music scene, and
there are news organizations around town that write only about
our local music scene. There are lots of local bands playing
in bars and clubs, plenty of touring musicians who stop up
from Chicago, and a number of major artists as well. I don’t
have as much time as I’d like to explore the other bands
and artists, though I greatly enjoy collaborations with local
artists.
What is Kirtan?
Kirtan is a call—and—response style of
sacred music that comes to us from India. The language is
traditionally in Sanskrit (an ancient language of India),
which is considered a language of vibration (i.e. the sound
of the word itself contains the essence). The kirtan movement
is quickly growing in the West, following on the heels of
the yoga movement.
Back in the '80s, kirtan was found
mainly in the ashrams and yoga centers, and in the 1990s a
few artists—such as Krishna Das, Vaiyasaki Das,
and Deva Premal—began to tour and travel with the
kirtan music. Just one decade ago, there were only a handful
of us kirtan artists leading the kirtan scene around the country,
but today there are literally hundreds of kirtan leaders and
smaller groups (and more are popping up each month) offering
kirtan events in various cities across the nation. (You can
see some of these artists at our nonprofit International Kirtan
Foundation’s Web site, www.Kirtanconnection,
where kirtan artists can post their profiles and events for
free.)
In kirtan, the participants are
incorporated right into the music, and they become part of
the band itself. When I look at the major concerts around
the world, I am often struck by one thing—people
want to sing along. And at kirtan, everyone does, and
it becomes a powerful experience of connection to others,
and ultimately a connection to the heart, to the divine. People
these days are hungry for that connection.
How were you attracted
to Eastern Music?
I don’t remember when I heard my first piece of “Eastern”
music, though I do remember the first time I heard kirtan.
There were only three people in a little room of a home where
I was babysitting, and they were having a small kirtan event.
I remember when I first heard it, and my heart was stolen.
I wasn’t sure what I had just heard, but I knew I wanted
more, and I asked the woman to teach me these songs. Eastern
music seemed to make more intuitive sense to me; when I first
saw the notations of Indian music, the lights went on, and
I had no trouble sight—reading what was written
after only a few practices. Some say it must be from another
lifetime with this music, as there is something about Eastern
music that has somehow felt very familiar to me.
What success thus far are
you most proud of achieving?
I have enjoyed plenty of successes so far in life, and it’s
hard to put my finger on any one of them as the pinnacle of
my life. As far as music goes, one of the biggest achievements
for me was learning ProTools, InDesign, and Photoshop, and
recording, engineering, tracking, mixing, and producing my
first album. That was one of the steepest uphill climbs I’ve
ever done! The second biggest music achievement was learning
to organize and launch the kirtan event that we have in Milwaukee,
which is now one of the largest independent, ongoing kirtan
scenes in the nation. These events continue to teach me and
hone my skills as a band leader and event organizer, and they
encourage me to keep building my dreams, to really go for
it.
How did you first hear
about TAXI?
Google. I was searching for ways to promote my first album
after it was released, and I stumbled upon TAXI through Google’s
search engine. It was 2003, and I was only dreaming that one
day I might become a full—fledged TAXI member. Then
TAXI invited all the Just Plain Folks award—ceremony
finalists to attend a Road Rally as a TAXI guest in fall of
2004, and because I was a finalist with my album, I was able
to attend my first Rally. It was mind—blowing! I
returned home, re—organized myself, and signed up
with TAXI at the start of 2005.
How has your perception
of the music industry changed since joining TAXI?
TAXI has been a whole new and incredible chapter in my life.
It was like stepping onto the fast—track with my
music career. There is certainly a true ring to the phrase,
“It’s not what you know, but who you know,”
and as a direct result of TAXI connections, I have now landed
deals as a composer for companies that are licensing my music
and placing it in film and TV. It’s so much easier with
TAXI. One thing that I realized (at a TAXI Road Rally) is
that the music industry is actually hungry to find incredible
songs to break, to place in film/TV, and to sell—that
they are actively looking for great songs. I also use to think
that all I had to do was to write incredible songs and wait
to be “discovered,” and now I realize that more
than half of the battle is getting those songs into the right
hands, and that’s where TAXI does its job. I thank my
lucky stars for TAXI!
How has TAXI helped you/your
career?
After attending the Road Rally in 2004, I had to shift my
way of thinking and make some decisions. At that time, I knew
I wanted to get involved in film/TV music production, but
I had no idea how that was going to happen. I almost couldn’t
imagine it, as it felt so far from the realm of possibilities
at that time. TAXI introduced me to other musicians who were
moving in the same direction, as well as to other musicians
who were well ahead of me on the path, who could shed light
on the process. Having one—on—one meetings
with the owners of production companies and developing relationships
with music mentors have been two major boons of TAXI for my
music career. Now I have even more people I can turn to for
advice, for guidance. On a practical aspect, TAXI has landed
me numerous music library connections and placements for my
music, and it has landed me a deal a composer for a popular
daytime TV show. Not too shabby for a kirtan chant artist!
What are your plans for
2010?
This is going to be one of my busiest years yet. We will continue
to lead and expand the ongoing live Milwaukee kirtan scene,
I am presently working on my next album, and I’m writing
and producing tracks for film/TV. We are also looking forward
to the release this year of the documentary movie “Sutra”
about my earlier days with my teacher (music mentor and more),
and we’re planning to release it to the movie festivals.
In addition, we are organizing another Sacred Retreat Tour
to the mountains of northern India for the fall of this year.
A full plate for 2010, and I plan to keep dreaming big!
| Name: |
Ragani
Buegel |
| Residence: |
Milwaukee,
WI |
| Age: |
43 |
| Year Joined TAXI: |
2005 |
| Website: |
www.RaganiWorld.com |
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