From The North Coast Journal
January 9, 2013
By Bob Doran

“On the Celtic side you have young fiddler Evan Morden who has been playing a lot with the multi-faceted multi-instrumentalist Seabury Gould. Gould is an amazing musical chameleon adept at Celtic, dabbling in Indian kirtan, leading Folklife Song Circles & playing keyboards in St. John & the Sinners.”

From The Tri-City Weekly/Times-Standard
Entertainment Section
October 8, 2013
By Bob Doran

Multi-talented Seabury Gould leads devotional singing
Times-Standard
POSTED: 10/08/2013 03:00:47 AM PDT
UPDATED: 10/08/2013 03:00:47 AM PDT

Seabury Gould offers Kirtan devotional singing from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Friday at Om Shala Yoga , 858 10th St., Arcata.

Kirtan is a part of Bhakti (Devotional) yoga and is the name for Hindu chanting which means remembering the name or names of God and the Goddess. Gould will lead the call-and-response chanting, interweaving guitar, Indian drum, bamboo flute and drone accompaniment. Admission is $10.

By singing these ancient Sanskrit prayers, followers join a stream of consciousness and devotion that's been flowing for centuries.

”Kirtan is a vessel that can hold love, longing, union, lust, despair, sadness, ecstasy and oneness,” according to the announcement. “The sound vibrations of the words sung have sacred energies which serve to quiet the mind.”

Gould, a longtime North Coast resident and musician, lived in India for two years where he studied Hindustani and Karnatic music. He has studied with master teachers such as Ali Akbar Khan, G. S. Sachdev and K. Subramaniam. He has also recorded CDs of Celtic music, storytelling and the poetry of Rumi interwoven with world music. In addition, Gould appears most every Thursday at Gallagher's Irish Pub, 139 Second St., Eureka.

For more information, visit omshalayoga.com or seaburygould.com.

If you go

What: Kirtan devotional singing with Seabury Gould

When: 7:30 to 9 p.m. Friday

Where: Om Shala Yoga, 858 10th St., Arcata

Admission: $10

From “Finger Lakes Times”
Spotlight
July 29, 2010 Geneva, NY
By Paulette Likoudis

SENECA FALLS — Summer’s in full swing and there’s no shortage of good times to choose from, day and night.

Directors of the Seneca Falls Historical Society say they decided to bring some fun to the grounds of their landmark buildings by offering an afternoon of “Summer Magic” activities this Saturday.

Spotlight performer Seabury Gould is anxious to visit the town where his surname is prominent and his family’s cottage on Cayuga Lake. He is the fifth generation of men to be named after his great-great-grandfather Seabury Gould, who founded the Goulds Pumps company in the mid-1800s.

When Gould travels to the Finger Lakes this week from his home in the redwood forested area of northern California, it will be the first time he’s performed here in two years.

Although he is a master of many instruments — both well-known and unusual — Gould will be traveling light with just a guitar and an Irish penny whistle for his late afternoon performance on the steps of the “Bee Hive,” a small Gothic Revival building behind the Seneca Falls Historical Society’s 23-room Queen Annestyle Becker House.

Gould plans to play traditional and eclectic folk songs with selections of American and contemporary folk, along with tunes from the Celtic genre, which is his specialty. Gould has traveled extensively to study world music, spending two years in India to learn Hindustani and Karnatic music. He hopes to go back to Ireland soon.

“Ireland is definitely one of my favorite places. I love the nature, the music and the people — they’re so friendly,” said Gould.

In California, Gould teaches music at the elementary level, mostly. He specializes in the Kodaly concept of music education which develops singing ear development through folk songs, singing games, solfege and sequential teaching.

Gould said some of his Saturday performance will be based on the ages in the audience. He promises to “tell at least one story” and invite both young and old to join in some sing-alongs in the fashion of Pete Seeger, one of Gould’s “main inspirations.” “The Black Velvet Band” is one Irish tune likely to be played by Gould, who is Irish at heart, but mostly English and only one-seventh Irish by ancestry.

He never worked at Goulds Pumps like others in his family, said Gould, explaining that it was likely because when his father passed away in 1973, he was only 19 and there was no one to steer him into a career with the company after that.

Being a company man would have probably been more lucrative, but it was not in his nature to enter the competition it takes to climb the ladder of success, said Gould. He’s quite happy learning, making and teaching music, thank you.

Gould produces music alone and with a group called Scatter the Mud. On Saturday, copies of “Times and Places,” “Irish Journeys” and Scatter the Mud CDs will be available for $15 each.

8/28/2006 04:30 AM

EUREKA -- Just the name Seabury Gould sounds like a moniker more befitting of another time or era.

To be fair, Gould says, it is. Gould is the fifth generation of men in his family to be named Seabury Gould. Surrounded by musical instruments that double as home decor, 52-year-old Gould launches into his life story about how he came to be a musician for hire with a repertoire of 20 instruments. Gould said he moved to Eureka from Ojai, Calif., in 2003 after several vacations to the area led him to believe he would fit in well in Humboldt County.

A liberal town with a vibrant arts community boasting lots of musical and cultural opportunities was appealing. Within just a few short years Gould has infiltrated the local music scene. He leads the Irish/Celtic music band Scatter the Mud, teaches private music lessons, directs sacred singing workshops, does private performances and storytelling events and teaches children's courses at Arcata charter school Fuente Nueva and Humboldt State University's Humboldt Music Academy.

While singing was his first musical love growing up in Philadelphia, Gould said his first instrument was a harmonica that came in a Christmas stocking one year. It was his desire to play The Beatles songs that prompted him to pick up the guitar and begin piano lessons at age 11.

”My sister played folk guitar so I was able to play guitar even before I owned one myself,” he said.

In high school he played an electric guitar in a rock and roll band, but by the time he went off to college the acoustic guitar and folk music of artists like Cat Stevens and James Taylor called him back to the fold. As did the family business. A household name in water pump technology, Gould said he was the only son in his family and it was hoped that he would carry on the family tradition of Goulds Pumps. The company, he said, was started by his great-great grandfather in the mid-1800s.

”Because my father died when I was so young though, there wasn't anyone pressuring me,” Gould said, explaining that he lost both parents to cancer when he was in his teens.

Gould answered instead a spiritual call and went on to study world music and comparative world religions. After spending two years in India studying classical Indian music, he made musical journeys to Ireland, Thailand, Hungary, Bolivia, Bhutan and Bali. The most unusual instrument he plays is a vina, the national instrument of India.

Various types of flutes, guitars and percussion instruments are on display in nooks and crannies throughout his home, but Gould said his favorite instrument is the bamboo flute -- a Northern Indian instrument traditionally known as a bansuri. Gould said he actually incorporated the bansuri to work with music in his Irish/Celtic band.

”I don't get much opportunity to play Indian music here,” he said with a chuckle, explaining that the demand just doesn't exist much locally.

Teaching music classes and getting used to the ebbs and flows of musical demand and therefore employment, are some of what Gould has done to make ends meet. He said his favorite students are usually kindergarten to third graders, because “they are still young enough to be open-minded and not so young that they are limited by what they can do,” he said. In general, he prefers to teach private students of all ages who are committed and motivated to make music.

Gould acknowledged that being a musician for hire is a rough way to make a living, but the path for him has been a spiritual one.

”Humans have a natural need for beauty and creativity and music is certainly a way of experiencing aesthetic feelings,” he said, attributing some forms of illness to a lack of ability to express oneself. “There is an intoxication or natural high that comes from playing music and it is one of the healthy ways to feel uplifted and inspired.”

From “The Arcata Eye”
Scene
November 17, 2003
Jennifer Savage

Music Preview: Seabury Gould -- a multi-sensory experience

In the five months since he's relocated to the North Coast, Seabury Gould has been busy bringing his self-described "sensuous and sacred" music to venues around Humboldt County. Additionally, he's been tapped as a North Coast storyteller - "an honor," he said.

This weekend, on Friday, Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m., Gould performs in a Blue Lake house concert. "I love doing shows in a more intimate and comfortable setting," he said. Intimacy is a definitive theme in Gould's performances. He involves the audiences in sing-a-longs reminiscent of his hero Pete Seeger. "I was used to doing sing-a-longs for kids," he explained, which led to doing them for adults. "They were so well received," he recalled. "People forget how great it is to sing... it brings people together."

But sing-a-longs are only one part of Gould's eclectic repertoire. A show like the upcoming house concert features "a little of this and a little of that," including traditional Irish and folk songs, plus a personal take on the poetry of Rumi and Hafiz. "It's a unique thing that I do," he said, interweaving poetry of the famed Sufi mystics with music.

"People enjoy it so much," Gould said. In fact, audiences have been so enamored with his Rumi work, that Gould was asked to portray Rumi in a performance eventually made part of a BBC film.

The "Sacred" in Gould's work means "any aspect of the Divine... how we experience God in our mind, body and lives," he explained. The "sensuous" refers to "our senses... All we experience in one day with our senses - it's miraculous and amazing." Another important sense is that of humor, he continued, and, of course, "sensous" also refers to "the incredible aliveness and magic of being in a relationship with someone we love... There's something so profound in that love that it's also something sacred."

Audiences who attend one of Gould's concerts have the opportunity to "think globally, sing locally," according to Gould. "I hope they feel uplifted, inspired and reminded of the importance of experiencing live music." Gould's motto is "live is best," and, he reiterated, "People are so plugged in - it's so important to experience live music."

To experience Gould's performance, call (707) 677-3198. Tickets are $8 adults, $5 elders and children. Gould is also available for weddings and parties.

From the
Ojai and Ventura Voice
March 5, 1999

PERSON OF THE MONTH

Seabury Gould, is a very talented musician and storyteller. Seabury plays many instruments and also records on CD albums. His latest is a collection of traditional stories with music. Celtic tales about the Wee Folks and fairies. The title is "Times and Places." Seabury has a long list of accomplishments to his name. He has lived and studied music in India, travelled to Ireland, Bali and Bolivia to learn more about their native music. For 19 years he has been musical director of Illusions Theatre, plus he has shared his talents with local schools. He offers workshops and other programs. including birthdays and special parties. If you would like to learn more or speak to Seabury do call him at (707) 677-3198. He is a charming fellow.