Previous Tampa Bay Times interviews with Carlos Santana touched on saucier themes, such as “validating your horniness ... with honor and grace.” This time, the guitarist and beacon of positivity touched on an exciting milestone: the 25 anniversary of his band’s smash album, “Supernatural.”
The 18th record from the rock band won a whopping nine Grammy Awards — shattering the record held by Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” Expect to hear hits from the album and more when Santana comes to Amalie Arena with Counting Crows on Sunday, June 16.
The man behind the band chatted over the phone with the Times about his meditation practice, channeling his oneness and how protesters have become a source of inspiration. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
You’re kicking off your upcoming tour in Florida this summer. What’s your relationship with the state?
We’re really grateful for such a longevity of oneness. We would come to Florida for a long, long time, and there’s always great fans over there people who are thirsty for Santana music.
We played [in Tampa] in 1975 with Eric Clapton in one of those places where they played football. And it was a lot of fun. Eric is is a good friend of mine and he has always been open to jamming — in other words, he played, we played, and then we played together. All I remember is it was fun because Eric, like myself, likes to cover a lot of ground. So he was playing songs by, of course, Cream, and songs by Jimi Hendrix.
What inspired a tour with Counting Crows?
Well, it’s a glorious exchange. I am fine to, as always, invite the band who are co-sharing with us to find a middle ground. We don’t necessarily have to play Santana songs, or Counting Crows songs. We can play songs from African musicians or people like Cat Stevens. It’s nice when you blend it, and we find a different kind of epicenter together, you know. So, I’m looking forward to it. I’m excited about creating a new frequency together.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of “Supernatural.” What does that record mean to you?
I feel immense gratitude, you know, because of the way things aligned for that particular record. It was initiated, of course, by Mr. Clive Davis … I felt like there was a lot of positive forces in the universe, orchestrating things to happen. So all I had to do was show up and play and be happy.
Will you be revisiting it in any special ways on this tour?
We’ll play things that we haven’t recorded yet, because I like to keep it fresh. So I know people want to hear things from the first three albums, things that they grew up with and their parents, and also the “Supernatural” era and all that from 25 years ago, and music that we’ve been writing lately. It all has to do with a sharing frequency of energy, vibration, resonance that brings a positive frequency of hope and courage to people, because we need that a lot on this planet.
What is fueling your inner positivity these days?
I’m encouraged to see more and more people protesting the war in different places. I think there was people protesting the war on the Golden Gate Bridge and then the Chicago airport. You know, it doesn’t matter what side you’re in. What matters is that we stop hurting one another. What matters is that we demonstrate compassion, kindness, mercy and forgiveness. Those are the weapons of mass compassion that we need to share with one another. And so that’s what our music is about. I’m still a hippie at heart and I still want to see peace on Earth in my lifetime.
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Explore all your optionsI read a lot. And most of the books that I read have to do with bringing meditation to elevate your consciousness and elevate your vibration, so that you could have a clearer view of now and the future. For example, when you pray, you talk and God listens. Most people when they pray, they’re asking God for something, right?
When you meditate you’re not asking anything. You’re just being quiet and saying thank you. And then when you meditate, you hear the voice that takes you into the best part of your life, where abundance comes to you in the form of blessings and miracles. So for me, the music is is a part of that because I’ve been aspiring to do that since I was a child. I noticed that my father was very charismatic and the way he played music, he elevated people into a place of feeling the three words that I love: unity, harmony and oneness. That’s what music does.
What books have you been reading lately?
I read “A Course in Miracles” a lot. There’s the daily lessons about it. I read books that teach me how to shed all skin of negativity. Some people call it self help, but it’s really books about healing your consciousness so you’re not a curmudgeon. You’re not angry, mean and doubtful and bitter. So you’re disinfected with negativity and you’re empowered with positivity.
One of the things about “A Course in Miracles,” it says, “You cannot behave appropriately unless you perceive correctly.” And this is one of the things that we should put in all the schools. Once you perceive you are a beam of light that comes from the mind of God, you will carry yourself differently. And that’s basically what I’m reading about, how to carry myself in a way that is inspiring, uplifting and encouraging to people.
If you go: Santana and Counting Crows
Santana and Counting Crows perform together at 7 p.m. on Sunday, June 16 at Amalie Arena in Tampa. Tickets for the Oneness Tour 2024 are still available via ticketmaster.com.
