After a period of problems with the authorities for his videos being shown on satellite televisions Ehsan Haghshenas’ second album will soon be released on Taraneye Sharghi, just like his debut album was two years ago. The 12-track “Tik Tik” features compositions by Benyamin and Maziar Fallahi, along with some arrangements by Payam Shams. Among others. It should be mentioned that the Shadmehr sound-alike Maziar Fallahi has in recent years built a fanbase for himself by singing highly sentimental themes for movies and series. In this album there will also be three duets with Fallahi.

I’m sure you’ve by now caught Sohrab and Tamineh, this Canada-based duo’s music videos on Bia2. One could think that it is fate that has brought these two young artists with related names from the Book of Kings (Shahnameh) together! Tahmineh who was the member of the third and final line-up of the girl band Silhouettt (even their record company forgets that it was spelled with three T!) ten years ago met Sohrab while he was in the process of recording an album with the help of Kaveh Yaghmaei, his friend and tutor. A collaboration took form and the album came to be called “Green Road”.

The eight track multilingual collection featuring a wide range of genres, from POP to SCHLAGER and ROCK-AMERICANA, has just been released. I really enjoy the nature of this collaboration, the marriage of their voices and the guitar-POP core of the music, however they need to work on the currency and consistency of their music and also the aesthetic presentation of their work (more press photos as an actual duo and professional artwork for the album cover, to start with). Their recent music videos bode a progress, however. For more information feel free to visit Sohrab’s website.

Mani Rahnama, a relative of Babak’s on whose last album Babak’s work first appeared, is to be back after six years of absence from the scene with his eight opus ’til date called “Kojaa be khande miresim”. The album featuring eight tracks is composed by Mani himself and arranged by late Andre Arzomanian. The lyricists on the album are Yaghma Golroee, Babak Sahraie, Nader Bakhtiari and Mariam Aasdi. The album is due out Eide Fetr (id al-fitr), on IranGam.

As you might know I have always been encouraging all young Iranians, especially artists, to start blogging about their subjects of interest. It is utterly important that we Iranians, in particular the 2nd generation born outside Iran, cultivate a popular culture online that is more than a myriad of file-sharing blogs! There are more reasons than illiteracy and economics that make any given book sell only a couple of thousand copies in a nation with a multimillion population. So let’s write and read, for our own sake! It’s imperative that we actually produce intellectual properties, sharing our thoughts and sentiments with each other in the network that the world wide web provides. It doesn’t matter what you write about, high brow or low brow literature, or even if you write bilingually or in “farsingilisi” (transliterated code-switching) as long as you contribute to the legacy of your own generation by documentation. If you do start blogging, artist or not, as promised before I will be sharing it with your fellow readers on the blog, if I see it fit. Just drop me an e-mail.

So it makes me truly happy that the up ‘n’ coming artist Shabnam Jaleh, a member and representative of the young generation, writes her own blog. Shabnam says that she agrees with me and that “more Persian performers should get on board and share their personality and culture thru their own words”. I love her way of thinking and wish that more got encouraged and engaged to do that. Now enjoy reading Shabnam’s blog but before you go don’t forget to check out her brand new video for her second single “Age Ghalbamo Shekasti“. I personally love this song, more current than her debut in style, I especially love the segment borrowed from my favourite ABBA song! The “Rhythm Nation” style video on the other hand is despite its superior concept and ambition less successful in execution, since the editing doesn’t really serve the song as it should. But overall a nice follow up, looking forward to the next songs!

The new 14 member ensemble Avaye Mehrabani will soon be performing their fusion of FOLK, POP and JAZZ on the stage of the Vahdat hall. It’s interesting to see what kind of audience this ensemble which consists of both male and female musicians and is founded and vocally led by a woman, namely Soheli Pourgerami, will be performing for. Will it be the female-only crowd that is by law allowed to hear a woman singing as a lead or will it be a regular venue with mixed gender audience?!

After Benyamin’s gig in US the manager Rajabpour and ARIAN have announced that their first US tour will kick off in Los Angeles October 2. The band will be enjoying the company of their original member and arranger Ninef Amirkhas, who is currently residing in US for his studies and haven’t been working with the band on their domestic projects and concerts. In this tour ARIAN will be playing a selection of their four released albums and also the recent released singles.

Photo: Moosighie Iranian

Behnam Safavi who released his debut album last year has in an interview with Moosighie Iranian attacked the underground movement of RAP and HEAVY METAL music! He says that in a country where people watch their music on satellite televisions and then download underground songs from the internet legal industry has no meaning or chance to survival. Poeple no longer can determine what’s good for them, he argues, since bad music gets to promote itself as mainstream. I will abort my career the moment I no longer can make a living from it, Safavi says. The system has to help us legal musicians to stop the threat of RAP music! Rap is destructive music that pollutes and needs to be stopped from overgrowing the wholesome music that we bring for the society. I also hate METAL and HEAVY METAL, Safavi complains. Any import of any Western music is not good. This is satanic music that corrupts! We should not idolize someone who breaks his guitar on stage! If I was put in a position in charge to scrutinise and issue permits I would have banned all these types of music, as music done by corrupt individuals for the corruption of our society. Such music should not be heard! We should nurture our Iranian culture by not letting such satanic influences in our homes, Safavi concludes.

I’ve said it many times before and it is a bitter reality that bears and needs to be addressed many times more, we Iranians often very conveniently build a totem of evil to blame for all the evil doings bestowed upon us. While we are either not concious or courageous enough to admit that this way of thought actually is rooted in our culture and is not a phenomenon suddenly embodied by a clerical oligarchy! This particular interview with a member of our youngest “POP” artists proves my point exactly. You do not need to be a Valiye Faqih in order to have such medieval values and thoughts about pluralism and progress, in fact there is a little dictator living in every one of us waiting for an opportunity to rule over the others! Doesn’t these words of Safavi sound awfully similar to the thoughts of the so called leader, which I posted days ago?! I for one do not want him in charge of anything, I fear the sheer thought if it even! To be fair, Khamenei’s diplomatic take at least sounds like a lesser evil in comparison to this outgoing potential evil crawling under the skin of our society. Truly alarming!

Mohsen Yeganeh’s second legal offering “Rage Khaab” has been just released. The album features 11 tracks, with lyrics and music by Yeganeh himself and arrangements by Yeganeh, Shahab Akabari and Ali Sabet. It should be mentioned that according to FARS NEWS Yeganeh’s concert in Tehran, where he was supposed to premier the songs of this album, was first relocated by authorities to an inferior hall without cordless technical equipment and then while Yeganeh was showing signs of dissatisfaction on stage the concert was completely cancelled with no explanation! The audience protested and wanted to meet the artist but were held back by the authorities.

Note: thanks to Mansour J. and Moosighie Iranian

The new review is up, on Farzad Farzin’s latest album “Shaans”. Enjoy reading!

I’m keeping an eye on the talented Iranian-born Sacha Sacket’s career. The Los Angeles-based artist’s work is heavily inspired by the British POP and Alternative ROCK genres, reminiscent of bands like Radiohead and 30 Seconds to Mars with a voice and ornamentation that is a blend of all these bands’ vocalists!

I’m really feeling the vibe of his music, it has a tilt towards the more ambient and melancholic sound of the styles which really strikes a chord with me. In his latest “The Viscera Project” Sacha has committed to release one new song per week in an entire year, starting June 1 2010! So its one ambitious and productive artist to keep an eye on.

For more info about Sacha and his music go to www.sachasacket.com

In case you have ever wondered what the leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khamenei, thinks about appropriate and inappropriate music there is an interesting text on his website, from a meeting with youth representatives, which reflects that. The text is 12 years old, meaning the aftermath of 2nd Khordad election which led to the rebirth of domestic POP, however it is still referred to by the officials as a source. Khamenei basically says that it is, even for him, very hard to determine which music is “halal” and which music is “haram”. The religious distinction between “haram” and “halal” music is that while the former leads people away from spirituality to materialism and moral decadence, by promoting it either explicitly or implicitly in its lyrics or beat the latter has an ambition to do the opposite. Its not unnatural that youth under pressure and in hard times get allured by such music, like drug for relief which further drags them down in an abyss. While halal music is meant to be constructive by clearing up their minds and lead them back to the straight path. Some argue that music has become a universal language, that it has broken barriers and boundaries, the Ayatollah says. I oppose that argument by arguing that the fact that a culture has broken boundaries into another is not necessarily a good thing. Its also a mistake to think that all modern music, either domestic or foreign, is haram and all traditional Iranian music is halal. It is a fact that our religious leaders have in centuries fought the decadence brought by this very same traditional music played in the audience of the kings, Khamenei argues. So it is hard to say exactly what music is halal and what is haram, even for me! Sometimes I hear haram music being permitted and halal music not receiving any permit. So there is room for misjudgement in the system of assessments, but there are overall guidelines that are meant to minimize that risk. I do believe that music can be used to counter a cultural invasion, but its neither the only nor best way, Khamenei says.

Following the growing rumours and even reports about Habib’s concert dates the Iranian minister of Culture and Guidance (Ershaad), said in a press release that no permit has been issued to any so called returning LA-artist. Seyed Mohammad Hosseini made clear that there has thus far been only one application submitted to the ministry, which has not yet been processed. We can not and do not control the returns or departs of expatriates, however as far as our legal responsibilities are concerned we have not issued any release or performance permit to anyone.

According to Mooisghie Iranian ARIAN have in their latest concert showed a parody clip of the Latin soap operas which get dubbed and broadcast on farsi1 at the moment. The “arian1″ clip featured the members Payam (in wig!) and Sanaz in a couple’s intrigue while being deliberately dubbed badly, without proper lip-synch! It should be mentioned that farsi1 is currently growing popular in Iran due to its broadcast of latest Hollywood movies and TV-series, all dubbed in Persian. And the government is focusing much of its energy to jam the signal and disturb the reception in the capital!

Photo: Koorosh Javan

The Darkoob band have just released their self-titled debut album, featuring the actors Mehran Modiri and Hamed Behdad as vocalists, on Golchine Avaye Shargh. There are 10 tracks on the album of which 6 are instrumental music influenced by FOLK music from different provinces around Iran. There are also two vocal songs by Modiri and two songs by Behdad. It should be mentioned that the band also has Omid Hajili as member, but no longer Mohammad Reza Golzar.

Mohammad Nouri has passed away, at the age of 81. Classically trained Nouri become one of the iconic Iranian musicians through his unique blend of Iranian FOLK music, CLASSIC Western music and high-brow POP music. He was also one of the few to keep his legal and popular status both before and after the Islamic revolution. Nouri will be remembered for his many, many timeless opuses transcending generations and uniting a nation. May he rest in peace.

Khashayar Etemadi who has spent his four past years in bitterness over the fact that the undergrounders have made him and his generation of 2nd Khordad singers to feel like has-beens and asked authorities to stop this decadence by granting him some position in an institution to scrutinise every artist for permits has now turned coat once again and come out with his brand new album “Baayad Be To Bargardam”. An album with 8 tracks which Etemadi has composed and produced together with Behrooz Saffarian and Rasoul Rasouli in 100% artistic agreement, according to himself. The album is sponsored by Mercedes Benz and released on the new label Nahale Roudaki.

Reza Yazdani says in an interview with Moosighie Iranian that his contribution to the religious compilation “Hasht” was because of his belief. No matter whether we are religious or not all Iranians love Imam Reza, Yazdani argues, besides how could one ignore the date of the event this particular year? The 8th day of the 8th month in the year 88, to celebrate the 8th Imam! I am just sorry that the compilation was delayed and wasn’t released on that special day, he says. However my only condition was to have the freedom of delivering the homage in my signature style, and I am glad that I got to do exactly that. A ROCK piece that differs from the rest of the songs on the track list. Electric guitar and religious theme do not necessarily clash, Yazdani concludes, but rather appeal to a different part of the audience.

Many amateur and professional artists contact me directly or indirectly, via my dear colleagues on Bia2, asking me to write blogs about them and their work. I gladly do that, free of any charge, however(!!!) It will not be free of conditions!

It will depend on media and genre (excluding traditional music, unless its a fusion) and I only feature artists or material that I feel fit and having reached a certain stage in development that warrants a public presentation. Or information that are in some way of interest to the general public (no concert announcements!). The feature has to be of an “informative” nature and not commercial or promotional. I assess each unique case individually so the best way is to contact me directly (pourya@bia2.com) and I will gladly let each and every one of you know if and when your work is mature enough to be presented. Do not regard my blog as the only resort for exposure, I’m sure there are tens of websites and blogs that would love to put your work up for download. However, if you have been a reader of mine during the past seven years, you are familiar with my work and know how I operate. And most importantly, you know that I operate constructively and calculatedly based on experience. Personally and professionally. I have been active as a creative consultant and critic for over a decade and I am committed to my blog as my main communication organ, subsequently I am rather personal and picky when it comes to those I decide to pick for presentation on my blog. Unlike my reviews my blog is meant to be subjective, thus come my strict and specific conditions regarding content and aesthetics. You simply have to trust my judgement and decisions in order for it to work, that I do what I do for your best interest. If you do not trust my editorial judgement or do not have patience, do not contact me at all! Because you will only get irritated by my guidance and insistence. And never forget that my writing is my intellectual property, therefore I reserve the right to refusal at any stage of correspondence!

If you are thinking about a public exposure on this blog just keep a couple of things in mind, always have professionally taken press photos of yourself ready. Along with high quality material for presentation, even if these are just demos on youtube! Even amateur artistry should have a professional flair, in my opinion, especially when nowadays with all the technical possibilities in mind it really doesn’t take more than a good taste to at least look professionally presentable.

Last but definitely not least, try to adhere to etiquettes of correspondence and keep things to basic facts in your presentation of yourself. Public relation and communication skills are a huge part of an artist’s key to success. I don’t copy paste promotional texts and do not endorse tooting of own horn. I only support honest and hard-working aspirants. In other words try to remain humble and let your work speak for itself!

Thanks for your attention, keep up the creative work!

Hamid Askari has according to Moosighie Iranian announced the planning of an upcoming American tour, in which he will be visiting at least 10 different cities for concerts. Askari has also announced a third album to be on its way, set for release in Mehr month. However unlike what some rumours have had this album might not be titled “Coma 3″, Askari explains, I haven’t picked any title for it yet but it will be featuring nine tracks.

You might have caught Neemeha’s music video on Bia2, Neemeha is an Iranian experimental POP-ROCK fusion band formed in Toronto by Behnam Jahanbeiglou (lead singer, guitarist and songwriter), Arshiya Basiri (drummer) and Behrouz Jahanbeiglou (percussions, clarinet and vocalist). The band seem to be receiving a positive feedback from the audience as they have reported sold-out venues in Canada, during this short time since their emergence.

They are now to release their debut album entitled “KOOK” (clever cover image!), which features 12 original songs with themes about peace, love and society. Neemeha explain that they have tried to create new melodies and modern harmony in their tunes, and by using traditional Iranian instrumentation they have aimed to add a different characteristic to their music. “KOOK” will be released on July 25, 2010 and distributed by MZM in Los Angles.

For more information feel free to check out Neemeha on their fan page on facebook.