The Mountain Goats / March 19 2008 / New York (Music Hall of…

The News Review:

- The Mountain Goats / March 19 2008 / New York (Music Hall of…
- Silencing the drums of war
- SXSW Review: Heavy Metal in Baghdad

The Mountain Goats / March 19 2008 / New York (Music Hall of…
Billboard – Mar 19, 2008
The Mountain Goats show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg was a quick affair and when I walked out on to North 6th Street an hour and fifteen minutes after John Darnielle had taken the stage I was sure my watch was wrong. The seventeen songs flew by with a minimum of muss or fuss and Darnielle still managed to connect with the audience and throw some stage banter in to the set. Darnielle performed the first half of the set solo playing tracks like “Whole Wide World” and “Against Agamemnon” the latter of which was preceded by an introduction that lasted longer then the song itself. The entire solo set was composed of older material and the well-behaved crowd sang lustily along with “Going to Port Washington” and “Dance Music. ”The second half was devoted mostly to tracks from the latest album “Heretic Pride” which features a fuller and more up-tempo sound than previous efforts… “Michael Myers Resplendent” was delightfully creepy and the closer “Lovecraft in Brooklyn” was loaded with smart sci-fi references. When he came back for the encore Darnielle explained that he was sick and asked the audience to sing “No Children” for him a request that they gleefully filled. The crowd kept right on singing providing a nice chorus for “Best Ever Death Metal Band ut of Denton. ” Darnielle has been writing and playing long enough to have his live show down to a science but it never feels formulaic. He has the rare ability to move the set along withoutmaking the proceedings feel rushed and last night’s show was one of best I’ve seen in a long time.

Silencing the drums of war
Aljazeera.net – Mar 19, 2008
Since then however more than $3 trillion has been spent on far deadlier weapons of war which are fought in the name of peace and stability. But these conflicts have brought neither peace nor stability. Not all Christians Muslims and Jews are enamored of these wars. But as a Canadian television host recently pointed out though violent people constitute a small minority of their religion’s followers “they sure make a lot more noise” than those in the mainstream… “It’s so important to get this message out to make people happy and create solidarity rather than division today. In Karachi Hashwamy sponsors jam sessions for young heavy metal musicians in the basement of his “Coffee Cafe” one of many such locations throughout the city. And while conservative Muslim leaders have often railed against secular music – especially heavy metal which is seen as “satanic” – Hashwamy favors the fusion of secular and sacred music. That is because the experience is just as important as the message explained Salman Ahmed the founder of Pakistani Sufi rock band Junoon. “A tour like this has to offer ecstatic head-shaking hand-clapping shoulder-swaying rhythms locked into ethereal melodies with poetry” he said. “Together the secular and divine lift the veil of ignorance about Muslim cultural heritage” among both Muslims and non-Muslims. Returning to rock music’s rootsAt the same time the enthralling artists who are deeply steeped in traditional music and performing alongside those blending Sufism and rock ‘n roll remind us of the spiritual core of most rock music.

SXSW Review: Heavy Metal in Baghdad
Cinematical – Mar 19, 2008
” Since then with the help of donations they’ve relocated to Turkey where they continue to struggle to survive having had repeated visa requests denied. The life of a musician isn’t easy but it’s mindblowing to think of what the members of Arassicauda have gone through in their struggles to keep the band together and keep making music in the wake of tremendous hardships. More than just the story of one group of guys trying to play music Heavy Metal in Baghdad shows a sliver of the impact the war in Iraq has had on the regular people living there who simply long to have the freedoms we have here. Here’s hoping this film will open doors for Arassicauda to release an album in the United States get visas to come over here and finally have the freedom to have their voices heard by the world. Their stories are compelling; it’s time for the world to hear them.