Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 02-24-2011 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Music
Yuna is an independent Malaysian singer-songwriter. She began writing her own songs when she was 14 years old, and her first performance of her own songs was at the age of 19, after she learned how to play guitar. She has performed in numerous acoustic shows and events in many parts of Malaysia since 2006.
She sounds a bit like Norah Jones. What do you think of her song: Missing Star?
Tags: yuna, missing star, malaysian hijabi singer
Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 12-17-2010 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Music
Religious To Damn is that rarest of jewels—sophisticated gypsy rock and roll that’s tender and aggressive, elegant and raw all in the same melodic burst. Hailing from psychedelic, otherworldly places where dim fires illuminate the night time, Religious To Damn creates a universe that is at times expansive, at times intimate, but always compelling.
The project began when Religious To Damn’s central force, Zohra Atash, took to the studio with a small collective of fellow New York musicians. They soon made their debut in WIERD Record’s live series in 2008. That show was followed by an intense performance alongside kindred spirit/sometimes collaborator Tamaryn and Finnish songstress Vuk (aka Emily Cheeger of Dirty Projectors). It wasn’t long before they garnered the attention of notables like Jim Sclavunos (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds/Grinderman), who contributed drums to their song ‘Mayflies,’ as well as his sagely mentorship in the studio. Born from these sessions are the tracks on the Falls Down Again seven-inch mixed by Warren Defever (His Name Is Alive) and released on M’Lady’s Records in late 2009.
Soon after, Atash finished up work on Religious To Damn’s debut full-length with a new supporting cast. Josh Strawn of Vaura took up guitar and partnered with Atash on production duties, Charlie Schmid, a classically trained percussionist and composer, brought his eclectic drum sensibilities to the table, while Secret Machines’ Brandon Curtis co-produced, mixed, and played keyboards. A profound expansion on her vision, Glass Prayer combines thunderous swirling guitars, painterly atmospherics, and diverse rhythms, reflecting her own brand of bewitching tunecraft. Throughout, you can hear the musical influence of Zohra’s Afghan heritage as it sits intriguingly alongside Western rock elements. Her vocals range from the sweet and fragile, to the kind of ferocious you would expect from someone who filled Jarboe’s shoes as a touring vocalist with post-metal doom metallers A Storm of Light.
While Religious To Damn’s sound is distinctive, one-dimensional it is not. There lies a lot of depth and variation in the songs and structures throughout Glass Prayer. Expect songs befitting of her name: Zohra, Arabic for ‘blossom,’ and Atash, Persian for ‘fire.’ “Drifter” and “Sunset” could be dystopian radio pop in some alternate dimension, sitting comfortably in a sweet spot between Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk and classic 4AD releases (Dead Can Dance, Cocteau Twins). What Atash does well is package songs of high drama and tension into affecting melodies and lush textures, allowing the songs to seep in further into your head. While the album’s darker shades remain consistent, Religious To Damn knows where to turn up (and let up) the tension with ethereal moments like “Black Sand” or “To Love The Machine” complementing the driving shoegaze/spaghetti western-isms of “The Wait” or the frantic gallop of “Terra”. The drama reaches peaks with contributions from Zohra’s longtime friend Tamaryn on “The Bell” and “Let The Fires Burn”, nicely rounding out an album that stunningly delivers.
Religious to Damn “Drifter” Music Video from Jason Akira Somma on Vimeo.
Tags: religious to damn, zohra atash, glass prayer, drifter
Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 10-25-2010 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Music
If you are going to be in LA on November 3rd, don’t miss Natacha Atlas live at the Conga Room!
Purchase tickets here. Type GLOBESONIC as a discount code to receive $5 OFF your tickets: http://www.congaroom.com/?p=details&e=85958
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Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 10-19-2010 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Music
What did the openly gay glam rocker think about having to tone it down for his concert in Kuala Lumpur?
Tags: adam lambert, malaysia
Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 09-24-2010 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Music
Tags: The Narcicyst , Shadia Mansour, Hamdulillah
Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 07-21-2010 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Music, Comedy, Episodes
Beauty and the East TV’s coverage of comedian Max Amini’s backstage rap with performers Ne Means, Stevie Soul, and Tehran Ghasri
Tags: Max Amini, Ne Means, Stevie Soul, Tehran Ghasri, Exotic Imports, Beauty and the East TV, Mariam Wardak, Samira Atash, Alina Atash
Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 06-25-2010 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Music
The theme song to the 2010’s World Cup is performed by a skinny Somali singer in baggy pants and a fedora, the voice of the biggest global marketing campaign ever undertaken by the world’s most iconic brand, Coca-Cola. The singer in the Coke ads is K’Naan, a former refugee from one of the poorest, most violent cities on earth. And all across the globe, people are humming the irresistible chorus to his official World Cup song, “Wavin’ Flag”. The road to global stardom has had many twists and turns, a hip-hop fairytale even Hollywood would shy away from. K’Naan has lived through civil war, seen friends shot dead before his eyes, spent months in jail, been beaten up by bouncers in a Swedish nightclub. And now he’s travelling the world in Coca-Cola’s World Cup jet, singing about unity and celebration.
So why did a multinational soft drinks conglomerate choose a third-world rebel icon to front its campaign? A practising Muslim who lived the horror of war as a boy and who raps against injustice and oppression?
The answer lies in Africa, the world’s last emerging market, where music and soccer have huge grassroots appeal—and massive marketing potential. Coke wanted a developing-world star, a modern-day Bob Marley with street cred. They found him in K’Naan.
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Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 06-11-2010 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Music
Eastern Arts dancer Jamie Sours dances “Afghan stop style”, a traditional dance from the Logar province:
Tags: jamie sours, eastern arts, afghan logari dance
Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 02-03-2010 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Music
Junoon—which in the Urdu language means passion—is the name of the band led by Salman Ahmad. Ahmad’s new autobiography, Rock & Roll Jihad: A Muslim Rock Star’s Revolution, is the story of his passion for making music and of rock as a force to unite people.
Here’s a little bit more about Salman:
Tags: Salman Ahmad, Rock-n-Roll Jihad
Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 02-01-2010 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Music
Ahmad Zahir is the latest of NPR’s 50 Great Voices: influential singers around the world — living or dead, famous or not. Zahir was, and still is, the most famous singer in Afghanistan, often compared to Elvis. Like Elvis, the Afghan singer touched generations and kept his fan base for decades after he died in the 1970s.
Zahir’s rendition of Elvis Presley’s “It’s Now or Never” :
Tags: Ahmad Zahir, NPR's 50 Great Voices
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