Progressive Rock: Above Ground in America
Mavara, formed in 2001, is a progressive rock band out of Tehran. In it's early days, the band developed a following despite restrictions set in place by the Islamic Republic of Iran. A theocracy at it's core, the Iranian government designed censorship laws for what they consider acceptable lyrics and instrumentals in popular music. These laws came after the 1979 Iranian Revolution which overthrew the Pahlavi dynasty and replaced it with an Islamic Republic.
After the new regime went into effect, many rock musicians went fleeing for Tehran's underground scene which began to thrive in the late 90's. Going underground meant avoiding approval from Iran's Ministry of Culture, but didn't always keep them in the clear. Ashkan Hamedi, the bands lead vocalist and guitarist, and Farhood Ghadiri, the bands founder/keyboardist/sound mixer, are no exception. In the early 2000's, Ashkan was arrested in Karaj, a city just outside Tehran, because of the length of his hair. The following day, police revoked his father's drivers license until Ashkan trimmed his hair. Farhood was also arrested in Iran for practicing music with a band.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has rules set in place that protect it's own government from public backlash by restricting open expression and freedom of speech. Arya Aramnejad, a musician in Iran, released a popular song back in 2009 called "Ali Barkhiz" in support of the Green Movement; a political movement demanding Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, winner of the 2009 Iranian presidential election, be removed from office. As a result, Arya was jailed and tortured in prison. http://freemuse.org/archives/1946
In 2013, the band migrated to the United States in the hopes to practice western music without in-justice. Ashkan tells me he feel's at home in America. Since he was a little kid, he's been a fan of American culture.
As if planning the move to another country isn't enough work, the band continued to put out new material in a language foreign to them after it's departure from Persian lyrics in 2009. Mavara released “Ultimate Sound” back in 2005 in Persian. Then in 2009, released their first English album called "Forgotten Inside," and a second English album in 2013 called "Season of Salvation." They are now working on a 4th album called "Consciousness."
Photo's below highlights vocal recordings done last Friday performed by Ashkan for Mavara's newest album. The bands American born drummer offers up his make shift home studio for the albums recording.
Note: This is part of an on-going project documenting migrants that land on American soil to follow paths not recognized at home due to legal or moral restrictions.
