Michael Brant DeMaria - Ama (2018)

Born April 23, 1962 in Norwalk, CT, Michael Brant DeMaria has had a multi-faceted career as a psychologist, author of three books, composer, and “Soul Guide”. Discovering music at a young age, DeMaria dabbled in it all his life, developing his skills as a percussionist and keyboardist, as well as experimenting with a variety of ethnic instruments. After earning a PhD in psychology at the age of 24, he became a clinical psychologist, using his musical background to explore the use of music therapy in his work, eventually founding Ontos, a consulting firm dedicated to teaching the healing techniques developed by DeMaria. In 2003, DeMaria released, The River, the first album in the Ontos Healing Sound Project Series. The second album of the healing music series, Ocean, was released in 2009. That same year, DeMaria released Siyotanka, an album based on a Native American legend he heard while on a vision quest. The album earned DeMaria the Native Heart award by the Native American Music Association, as well as a Grammy nomination for “Best Native American Music.” ~ Gregory Heaney