Persian Rock'n Blues Band Karmandan Performs Despite Visa Problems for Persian-French Artist
Entertainment and Culture News Blog, Kodoom.com
It looks like Trump's new visa policy against Iranians has impacted Persian Rock'n Blues band, Karmandan, founded in 2008 by accomplished Iranian Armenian American musician and instrumentalist Erwin Khachikian.
Karmandan's provocative and upbeat music models after the underground rock scene of Tehran. Khachikian recently teamed up with multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, Niaz Nawab, a Persian-French performing artist with a global following, and Rana Farhan, an Iranian American vocalist who masterfully fuses classical Persian poetry with contemporary blues and jazz music.
Karmandan, has scheduled to tour North America (including San Francisco and Los Angeles) and Europe in 2020, performing their latest album Terminal One. But last week Niaz was refused a visa to the United States. As a result, Karmandan now has a slightly new line up, and many Iranian Americans plan to attend the concerts and send a message of solidarity. Karmandan's official statement by the group on social media reads:
"We regret to inform our supporters that due to visa issues, the talented Niaz Nawab will not be able to join our stellar lineup on February 28 and February 29. We are very sad with this outcome and we appreciate your understanding of this disappointing announcement. At the same time, we are delighted to announce that the amazing Shahrzad Sepanlou will join Rana Farhan, Erwin Khachikian, and Karmandan on stage. Please come out and support our stellar artists."
Khachikan, a master of musical genres and styles, is a prolific artist and producer living in Los Angeles. Born in Iran to Armenian parents, he grew up in Southern California and his first band Slow Motion Reign was signed with Columbia Records. Erwin has performed on major TV shows such as The Tonight Show, (both Leno and Kimmel) and has been a recurring guest on BBC’s Kook. He has toured the globe as musical director and keyboard player with Serj Tankian (System of a Down), playing at festivals such as Germany’s Rock Am Ring, the Leeds Festival and the massive English rock extravaganza, Reading Festival. He has also had joint performances with talents such as Rana Mansour and Ali Azimi.
Erwin also serves as the musical director for Let Her Sing, an annual event in San Francisco showcasing female artists who have been banned from singing in their home countries. He co-founded United East, a non-profit in Vancouver, which collaborates with tech companies to bring together musicians from the ‘east’ to celebrate their similarities through music on stage.
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