Prince Rama

Prince Rama (previously Prince Rama of Ayodhya) is a two-piece "now age" psych-dance band based in Brooklyn, New York. Founded by sisters Taraka Larson and Nimai Larson.

Discovered by Animal Collective's Avey Tare in a Texas dive bar in 2010, the band signed to Paw Tracks shortly thereafter, and have since released Shadow Temple and Trust Now, which peaked at #3 and #6 on the Billboard New Age Charts respectively.

In four years, Prince Rama have released six albums and toured in four of the seven continents, recording with members of Animal Collective and Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti. Taraka recently published a manifesto on "Now Age" that puts forth Prince Rama’s aesthetic and metaphysical philosophies.

Cooking

Nimai Larson is a regular contributor to food and music publications and has done cooking demos in Detroit, MI, Melbourne Australia, Washington, DC, and New York City. Real Food Real Kitchens asked her to contribute a recipe for their newest cookbook New York Cookbook.

Video Projects

Never Forever (2012) -- NEVER FOREVER is the first ever Now Age psych-opera starring Prince Rama and featuring songs off their latest apocalyptic pop album, Top Ten Hits of the End of the World. Shot in only 5 days and directed by Lily X. Wahrman (Astral Projects), Never Forever takes you on a free-form journey through dimensions both surreal and virtual -- from the glamorous, twisted world of a post-apocalyptic gym queen to the nightmarish breakdown of a VR robot turned pop star. If Alejandro Jodorowsky was reborn in 2127 and crashed his motorcycle into the decayed set of Thriller, it still wouldn't come close to the terror that is Never Forever.

"15 Minute Exorcise" (2011) A limited edition VHS tape (made In collaboration with Video Program) was released by Impose. The exercise was based on UTOPIA=NO PERSON , one part ritual performance one part initiation ceremony conducted via “15 minute exorcise routines” lead by the pseudo-utopian cult called The Now Age (members of Prince Rama). A play off the words “exercise” and “exorcise”, UTOPIA=NO PERSON focused on the body as a vehicle for utopian experimentation, encouraging willing participants to undergo a confrontation with personal demons and shedding of individual identity through the physical exhaustion of the body. Here, the element of “trance” played a crucial role in the music of both shamanic exorcism rituals and classic dance aerobic routines as a means to syncopate physical movements to metaphysical time patterns and hopefully elicit an interplay between the physical and spiritual realms. Using the famous aerobics instructor Paul Eugene’s motto, “Let yourself go”, as an existential battle cry, Prince Rama transformed the concert space into a mystical gym as part of their three month Artist Residency at Issue Project Room in Brooklyn. The exercise was performed continuously for 8 hours straight by Taraka and Nimai Larson.

Band Members

• Taraka Larson: lead vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, synthesizer, keyboard (2008–present)
• Nimai Larson: drums, drum machine, percussion, vocals (2008–present)

Education

Taraka graduated from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, MA in 2009 and Nimai studied Visual Art and Art History at St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas.

Discography

• 2008 - Threshold Dances (Cosmos Records, UK)
• 2009 - Zetland (Self-Released)
• 2010 - Architecture Of Utopia (Animal Image Search)
• 2010 - Shadow Temple (Paw Tracks)
• 2011 - Trust Now (Paw Tracks)
• 2012 - Utopia = No Person (Not Not Fun)
• 2012 - Top Ten Hits of the End of the World (Paw Tracks)

External links

• Band Webpage
• Band Manifesto