Katie Wise showed up in April 2014 with extensive background in piano, voice, improvisation, songwriting and acting and zero experience sharing Kirtan or leading a Kirtan band. Under Mike’s apprenticing, Katie’s progress as a Kirtan Leader was fast tracked as Mike nurtured her development by bringing her into his Kirtan events, tours and festivals. Katie chanted with Mike Cohen, David Newman and Yvette Om at the Mt. Shasta Yoga Festival, and at the Tribal Vision Festival in Taos, NM. Under Mike’s guidance Katie discovered her unique chant writing style, and in Fall 2015 stepped into a recording project with acclaimed producer Ben Leinbach (Jai Uttal, Deva Primal, Krishna Das, etc).