Text by 577 Records
(Read more here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1987855001/577-records-curator-series-2012-0)
Text by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi!
Two things happened recently which made me write today’s post: first of all last Saturday at the “Celebrate Brooklyn” music festival I happen to meet the Iranian trombone player Salmak Khaledi who’s a member of the Iranian band 127, which is one of the first Iranian rock bands that toured the USA. (Their music is a mixture of rock, jazz and Iranian melodies.) We talked about our bands and about being a musician here and in present Iran.
And three days ago I got an email from a music colleague and friend Lukas Liget asking me whether I have heard of the Iranian band Yellow Dogs. First I thought that I didn’t know them but then I remembered that they were one of the Iranian band featured in the Iranian movie No One Knows About Persian Cats which DooBeeDoo featured some time ago.
Because Iran seems to be so far away from NY, people here think that there’s no no pop music, no indie rock, no club music…no techno, hip hop…even no Jazz. Not at all, there’s been a thriving underground music scene in Tehran for more than ten years!
Text and photo by Dawoud Kringle
The southern part of the United States gave birth to many rock & roll pioneers such as Bo Diddley, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis; all of whom defined rock & roll. When one thinks of Southern Rock, the works of groups such as the Outlaws, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, ZZ Top, Elvin Bishop, 38 Special, Molly Hatchet, Blackfoot, and others inevitably come to mind. But the genre of Southern Rock owes its existence to the Allman Brothers Band. Since their debut in 1969, the group’s work single handedly defined a distinctively American music.
Duane Betts with Dickey Betts
Their original line up consisted of Duane Allman (guitar), Greg Allman (keyboards), Barry Oakley (bass), Butch Trucks (drums), Jai Johanson (drums), and Dickie Betts (guitar). They gained national notoriety with the 1971 release of their live album At the Fillmore. The album and the live performance it documented became legendary. Their effortless blend of rock, blues, and country with jazz inspired extended improvisation forged the group’s sound and legacy.
Text by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi
This is really unbelievable: former Dresden Doll’s Amanda Palmer just set a record for raising funds for recording, promotion, tour support, and an accompanying art book in Kickstarter. She asked her fans for $100.000 but achieved over a million dollars! Congrats! Wish I could do the same thing.
But to achieve this success “You have to have fans before you can ask them to help you,” as Palmer herself has said. I heard from a friend, who knows her well, that Palmer is everyday in touch with her fans by twitting, facebooking, etc.. She has worked very hard to build up a devoted and engaged fan base which isn’t an easy thing to do. You have to love in what you’re doing and share it with your family, friends and fans. It means also that you have to believe in yourself and be very disciplined in your music life. I think Palmer’s success is certainly good news for independent musicians who play music for people and want to be a postive force in society.
Photo by courtesy of Lukas Ligeti
Thursday, May 31 @ The Stone w. Lukas Ligeti Quintet
Thursday, June 14 @ Gershwin Hotel w. Lukas Ligeti’s Notebook
June-July @ Café Orwell’s Weekly Concert Series
