Padma

Bio:

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Padma was born in Sheffield, in the north of England. He likes to move around and currently lives between Canada, the UK, and a yurt in the Spanish Pyrenees.

He has been a practising Buddhist for 15 years. In 2005, after surviving a near-fatal brain haemorrhage, he decided to leave the city in favour of a more natural environment. He built a yurt and headed for the mountains of Spain.

Padma’s debut album Here was produced by Holy McGrail (synth and fx for Slomo, Julian Cope, Sunn0))) ). It was released on UK indie label Just Music in 2008. Here received some excellent reviews and Padma played sessions and was interviewed on BBC Radio 2 and 3, as well as touring the UK.

Song for an Entryphone, the second single from Here, was Julian Lennon’s Pick of the Week for Below Zero – a California radio station. It was also used in the soundtrack of the award-winning film Bigboy_74, which was shown on MTV.

In 2008/09, Padma spent his second winter in the yurt. Inspired by Thoreau’s Walden, he kept a weekly blog, sharing his experience of life on the mountain and his reflections on society. This attracted media interest in the UK. He was interviewed on national radio and wrote articles for several music and environmentalist blogs.

Padma currently lives in a cohousing community in Vancouver. His new album In Defence of the Wild is due out mid-2010.

Member Since:

December 20, 2005

Members:

I am a solo artist but have been lucky enough to have some great musicians play on my records: Holy McGrail, T.Nile, Andy Taylor of The Dials, Stef Reali of Happy Never After, Tref Jones, Steve Bewes, the list goes on. Thanks one and all.

Influences:

Nick Drake, Ellott Smith, Donovan, Bob Dylan, early James Taylor (Knockin round the zoo), Melanie Safka, Buffy Saint Marie, psychedellic country, country Joe McDonald, Neil Young, pre-grunge grungey bands like the Pixies, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr, erm, Bjork, Bob Marley, er..., Chumbawamba, Beck, scratches head..., Simon & Garfunkel, Six Organs of Admittance, Joanna Newsom, Bonnie Prince Billy, The Sundays, Buddhist chanting... But then there's also ambient, chill out, electronic stuff, and in earlier years I was mad about The Smiths and The Cure when I was 16 - and I'm sure it's all made its way into the music one way or another, er...

Sounds Like:

Nick Drake without the public school education, Elliott Smith without the self-loathing, James Taylor during his hospital period, Yusuf if he came from Sheffield and converted to Buddhism. They all hang out together in a studio owned by Holy McGrail who makes tastefully weird beeps, wooshes, drones and clangs while they all drink tea and talk about the state of the nation. Oh yeah and the studio is on a mountain miles from anywhere and runs on solar power.

Record Label:

JustMusic / Backstage Vancouver/ Trilithon Records