Los Angeles
06 April 2009
Lazywall with Mark LeVine (2nd from left) |
Lazywall arrived in Los Angeles after performing at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.
On stage warming up with the group was a longhaired American musician and Mideast scholar Mark LeVine.
LeVine teaches Middle East history at the University of California, Irvine and is the author of a book called Heavy Metal Islam. It looks at the rock, heavy metal, hip hop and punk music scenes in the Muslim world.
Lazywall at South by Southwest Festival, Austin, 2009 courtesy Mark LeVine |
Nao Anegay, bass guitarist and lead singer with the Tangier-based band, says he and his fellow musicians draw on several traditions. "We grew up listening to all the classics from Elvis Presley until today, but at the same time we were listening to Farid al-Atrash, to Abdel Halim Hafez. Those are eastern countries' biggest artists. Same time, we were listening to traditional Moroccan bands. But we grew up listening to rock. That is the main thing. And still, when you listen to us, it's rock," he said.
Kutsal's CD "Naked" |
Kutsal performs in Los Angeles |
LeVine, who is Jewish and a New Yorker, was shaken by the terrorist attacks of September 2001. Not long afterward, he began a six-year journey through the Muslim world, listening to the music and getting past the intolerant voices. "We think those extreme religious and political voices are the only voice when, in fact, the extreme music is in some ways more authentic and a lot more interesting and more radical, in fact, because they're really challenging stereotypes and boundaries," he said,
LeVine has spent time with religious zealots and with rock musicians for his scholarly research. He prefers the musicians, saying they are less judgmental and more fun to be with and that in many ways, they better represent the spirit of the region.