CUMA, MART 6, 2009
Don't miss Turkey's rock hipster Kutsal when she performs in L.A.! Americans often think of conflict and chaos when they think of the Middle East, but will be surprised to learn that western music genres like rock, heavy metal and hip hop are sweeping across the Middle East and North Africa. Not only do they not hate us, but the Arab/Muslim youth generation—more than 60% of the Middle East’s population—are embracing American culture.
On Thursday, March 26, Levantine Cultural Center will present THE MIDDLE EAST ROCKS at The Joint in Los Angeles, with the Turkish rocker KUTSAL (kutsal.net), Lebanon’s Moe Hamzeh of THE KORDZ (thekordz.com) (“best rock group in the Middle East” according to Mark LeVine, author of the new book Heavy Metal Islam: Rock, Resistance, and the Struggle for the Soul of Islam), and Morocco’s LAZYWALL (lazywall.com). Special guest artists JEKYL, an Irish metal band, will complete the evening of energetic rock. Additional guest guitarists include Lanny Cordola and Mark LeVine, who have performed with the icons of rock ‘n roll around the world including Mick Jagger.
Lazywall and The Kordz’ Moe Hamzeh will be performing live in Austin’s annual music festival, South by Southwest, before appearing together with Kutsal and Jekyl in Los Angeles on March 26th.
“We can’t win wars of occupation,” says Jordan Elgrably, the founding director of Levantine Cultural Center, which began presenting cutting-edge public programs on the Middle East/North Africa during the summer of 2001. “But we can win hearts and minds by sharing our common love of music, art, film, theatre, and dance. Arabs/Muslims and Americans have their passion for the arts in common. This rock show makes that crystal clear—there is no ‘them,’ there is only ‘us.’”
What Kutsal, Lazywall, The Kordz and guest band Jekyl have in common is the language of rock—a defiance of authority, irreverence toward society’s sacred cows, and above all, the desire for freedom.
What: The Middle East Rocks, presented by Levantine Cultural Center
Where: The Joint, 8771 Pico Blvd. (at Robertson Blvd.), Los Angeles CA 90035
When: Thursday, March 26, 8:30 pm – 1 am (21+)
How: Tickets $15 general admission (space limited, advance ticket purchase recommended)
RSVP/Tix: 310.657.5511 or online at levantinecenter
Kutsal live March 26Kutsal (listen to the music: kutsal ) is an indie rock singer who writes songs from within. With her bold lyrics she strives to be an artist who brings honesty and truth to everything she does. Kutsal has been singing all her life but started working with bands when she was 16. Since then, she sang at dozens of rock clubs across Turkey. She was discovered by the big names of the industry and was in demand singing back up for some of the legendary names like Sezen Aksu, Nazan Oncel, Sebnem Ferah (and many others) at concerts and on their studio albums. She started writing her own songs and released her debut album “Susuzlugun Gecti Mi” (“Have You Lost Your Thirst”) in late 2001—a week before September 11th.
As anyone can imagine, it was a tough time for a new artist to promote her album but Kutsal was lucky to do 3 videos for “Thirst” and she appeared quite a lot on TV and on press to promote it. Unexpectedly, in 2003 she won the “Green Card” lottery and moved to Los Angeles, where she met with Jimmy Waldo (Alcatraz, New England, Quiet Riot) and got positive feedback on her Turkish debut album, giving her courage to write new songs both in English and in Turkish. Kutsal began working with American songwriters and studied new ways of writing songs. It was a challenge to write in English and also to write for two albums (Turkish & English), but Kutsal managed to finish 13-14 songs and started recording them with producers Jimmy Waldo and Alper Cakir (a well known Turkish rock producer). It was a blessing to have Pat Torpey on drums (Mr.Big) and Matt Bissonette on bass (Ringo Starr, David Lee Roth, Joe Satriany,etc.) as the guest musicians on two songs and also having Grammy winner Michael C. Ross on mixing and another Grammy winner, Gavin Lurssen on mastering, gave the album a very high sound quality. Kutsal released her Turkish album “Cirilciplak” in April 2008 and her English album “Naked” in March 2008. Since then she’s been touring with her band in Turkey and also in US and she’s very thankful to have had the opportunity to work with all those great musicians on her album. Music Connection described Kutsal’s music as “The unbridled emotion and dark psychological overtones that fuel this artist’s music may elicit comparisons to Evanescence, Alanis Morisette and maybe PJ Harvey, but Kutsal is exploring a realm all her own.”
Kaynak : levantinecenter.org
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CUMARTES�, HAZ�RAN 23, 2012
The Second "Kazakhstan Montage of Cinemas: Film & Cultural Festival" launches at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) in Los Angeles on Aug. 3 for a one-week celebration of Kazakh cinema and culture, including musicians.
The festival is a stellar opportunity for directors, producers, location scouts, and the general public to get an understanding and appreciation of this exotic locale without leaving home.
Sweeping from the Caspian Sea on its Russian border to the Altai Mountain range on the Chinese border, Kazakhstan has a rich nomadic history as well as a powerful current tapestry of cultures. Since gaining independence in 1991, the Central Asian Republic has embraced its remarkable filmmaking past that dates back to the 1930's, when Sergei Eisenstein made his classic “Ivan the Terrible” in this mystic land, and has even given rise to several "New Wave" movements.
Opening night on Aug. 3rd begins with a reception at 7 pm, and includes a program of live entertainment until 11 pm, at the DGA Theater.
Sponsored by Kazakh Geographic Society (KazGeo.kz ), helixfilmsinc.com , the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the Honorary Consulate of Kazakhstan in Los Angeles, the festival includes Advisory Board Members Steven-Charles Jaffe (GHOST, K19), David Marconi (Screenwriter, ENEMY OF THE STATE), and Ambassador Erlan Idrissov.
Tickets cost $10 (including free parking) can be purchased from the festival’s website. "Kazakhstan Montage of Cinemas: Film & Cultural Festival 2012" will be held Aug. 3 - 9 at the Directors Guild of America on 7920 Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles, California
For more information, please see www.kazakhfestival.com - KazakhFilmFestLA@gmail.com
Kaynak : HelixFilmsInc.com
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