RASA- Kim Waters and Hans Christian
RASA was started in the fall of 1998 when Hans Christian first met Washington DC based Kim Waters at a music party in Marin County, CA. Her tender and sensual way of singing Vedic chants immediately captured his ears and within weeks they started to record together.
Over the span of the next seven years, Kim and Hans toured nationally and released six CDs on the Hearts Of Space and New Earth Records labels. Their unique devotional sound, combined with a sophisticated production, captured audiences around the world. Most of their material stems from the Vaishanva tradition- dedicated to the worship of the Divine in the form of Krishna, but their western roots brought this esoteric material into the mainstream of western culture. RASA was, in a sense, a pioneer for many chant artists who followed in their footsteps. To this day, Kim and Hans enjoy recognition for their music under the name RASA.
Over the span of the next seven years, Kim and Hans toured nationally and released six CDs on the Hearts Of Space and New Earth Records labels. Their unique devotional sound, combined with a sophisticated production, captured audiences around the world. Most of their material stems from the Vaishanva tradition- dedicated to the worship of the Divine in the form of Krishna, but their western roots brought this esoteric material into the mainstream of western culture. RASA was, in a sense, a pioneer for many chant artists who followed in their footsteps. To this day, Kim and Hans enjoy recognition for their music under the name RASA.
Kim Waters comes from an artistic family. Her father David Waters was a talented painter and comedian and worked in Chicago in the news business when Kim was born. After hosting Secretary of State John Foster Dulles on his news program, David was offered a position in the White House where he ended up working as Assistant Chief of Protocol in the Johnson and Kennedy administrations. Kim's mom had many artistic talents as well, and her sister Kerry is a professional actress in Washington DC. As a teenager Kim went to Woodstock and soon afterwards started to associate with followers of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. Her creative spirit manifested a voluminous collection of paintings titled "Illuminations from the Bhagavad Gita"- colorful, very detailed depictions of scenes from the ancient Vedic texts. The collection was published several times in book form and is now part of the permanent collection of the Museum for Sacred Art (Florence, Italy, Belgium).
Kim's talents as a singer also developed around the Vedic traditions. She learned many chants and bhajans from Krishna devotees including Jamuna Devi, Jeffrey Armstrong, Vaiyasaki Das, and others. She often learns a bhajan while painting. Her most recent body of work is a private commission of the major and minor arcana of the Tarot. You can send a direct email here...
Kim's talents as a singer also developed around the Vedic traditions. She learned many chants and bhajans from Krishna devotees including Jamuna Devi, Jeffrey Armstrong, Vaiyasaki Das, and others. She often learns a bhajan while painting. Her most recent body of work is a private commission of the major and minor arcana of the Tarot. You can send a direct email here...
Hans Christian was born and raised in Hannover, Germany. His father was a Lutheran pastor and his mother a social worker and he grew up with two older sisters. At age nine he started to play cello and enjoyed a classical education with several teachers over a time span of about 10 years. At age 21 he moved to Hollywood to study bass guitar and pursue a career as a rock musician. Over the next six years Hans would record, perform live or on TV with a number of LA based artists, including Robbie Robertson, John Waite, Gene Clarke, Sparks, Billy Idol, Victoria Williams, and many others. After a move to the San Francisco area Hans started his first recording studio where he developed his own unique music. He also connected with a burgeoning kirtan scene and performed and recorded with Krishna Das, Jai Uttal, Bhagavan Das, Girish, DC Stringer, and many others. He started to become known as a talented producer and instrumentalist in the genres of devotional/new age music. By the time he met Kim Waters in 1998, Hans had become a well known producer and solo performer. He is based in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, where we owns and operates STUDIO 330. You can contact Hans directly here...
RASA always brought its own complete stage setup. Besides a custom sound system and monitors, the stage decor consisted of an intricate "temple- like" free standing back drop, made from Indian fabrics that were hung over a free standing frame. Every little detail was figured out and Kim became a master at setting it up in about 15 minutes!
RASA performed app. 130 concerts between 2000-2007, often by driving across country. After a mini van became too small and uncomfortable, Hans decided to "travel in style" and purchased a 34' long RV (plus a trailer for equipment). Good times...
