I rant you risten

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

BROTHERMANDUDE

We all grow up with dreams.. Some want to be racecar drivers, female astronauts, footballers, ambassadors, businessmen, ninjas, I wanted to be a fire truck (disappointed from a very young age).. My good friend Hassan had a dream just like everyone one of us.. His dream involved music, rock n roll to be more precise.. While we were all contemplating that greedy feeling burning inside of us, Hassan was actually thinking about performing in front of a sea of people.. He was cracking smiles to the eventual sound of the audience singing his music back to him.. the reveries we all have..

During his time away from home in a very far away place where people didn’t care where he was from or what his last name was, he decided to delve headfirst into music. He started singing any chance he got, and eventually joined up with some guys to form a band. Eventually, his time away from Bahrain was up and Hassan came back, but this time, he came back with recordings.

Since my return to Bahrain, just over three years ago, we all spent countless hours fooling about microphones, recording, jamming, banging on the drums, writing silly music, yelling for more cowbell and heading into the staww-dio for a secret listen.. Andy believed in Hassan’s music and put his career in London on hold to come and help with the mixing.. After countless hours and hours of mixes, takes and more takes, and convincing the band to come to Bahrain to rerecord the work - there was an even more polished sound.. this was definitely something to shop around.. I remember Hassan dragging me into the studio, and playing what they’ve been working on, and me thinking this is fucking amazing. I was actually listening to the birth of this music, I was around when he was scribbling some words together and now those words and music are blasting through the speakers and sounding epic.

I don’t know if you can actually imagine what kind of effort is required to cut an album, and what it takes to do it from the Middle East. Allow me to sum it up for you: it’s damn near impossible – forget about the relationships you are forced to sever, the friendships that can’t stand the stress, business and the opinions you need to shelve, the continual feeling that it’s just you facing this monumental task of realizing this dream.. Cutting an album, having it produced, and then pushing out to a market that has never really heard an Arab fronting a rock n roll band? That is some serious weight to deal with, but my friend soldiered on..

It was the music, 80s Ian and Hassan that convinced Simon Napier-Bell out of semi-retirement and to take on this project.. Through Simon’s guidance the band was properly put together, pushed into a studio and the music was reworked.. this time the music sounded different, this time, the people producing the music were the same people that have produced a lot of the records that we all have in our cd libraries. This time, the buzz was getting bigger.. This time Hassan was moved to London, where the band continued their music, where they performed at clubs, and where the record labels took serious notice..

And what now? I am so proud to actually let you know that brothermandude’s first music video is available for your viewing pleasure on youtube. Directed by Kevin Godley (from Godley and Crème fame) who’s directed a whole plethora of U2 and Sting videos. He’s most recently directed what WAS my favorite new video “is it any wonder” by keane – (the one with the camera on a minirollercoaster track – very cool indeed).. watch it..

Watching the video last night on youtube solidified a lot of things for me: that feeling I got when I sat in the studio with Hassan while he played back his music, the days when your friend would turn to you for your opinion no matter how honest you were, the pride and “hell yeahs” screamed into the phone when he’d call us to share good news from London.. this was all coming together.. all of it.. and we’re all here pumping our fists in the air cheering on our friend and his dream, to make some fucking amazing music…

brothermandude, check it out.. watch the music video, preorder the cd…

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sweet! Heard about the band a few years ago but never heard their stuff til now. Good things indeed. Thanks for posting about it.

Pearl Morale said...

Beautiful... absoloutely amazing... beautiful... i can't stop thinking of how amazing the stuff I heard was....

Q said...

Wow man thats really impressive! great song and excellent voice!

On a lighter note....did u check my contribution to youtube?

Trevelyana said...

The Video is pretty cool, quite original and innovative. Exactly my kind of mellowed out music, and if that's your friend on vocals.. well he's pretty damn good mashalla. If I woulda known, I woulda caught them at the 9:30 club last month.

Bahraini Rants said...

BLATANT PROMOTING

alfanan, apart from the beaming pride of having watched your friend go through the ups and downs of cutting a record. I was just flushed with pride when i read an online review of his album.. you should buy the album.

girl iterrupted, i see we both have a soft spot for that little shack on candover. glad you liked brothermandude, go buy the album, it's waiting for you at your local record store..

q, i did check out your you tube project.. very funny.. i was really impressed.. we should collaborate once more.. since you liked the song so much, go buy the album off amazon..

miss_independent, check out their website, i'm sure they'll announce something soon.. otherwise, buy their album.. drive them up on the charts..

trevelyana, hassan's not down on my phone as "the voice" for nothing. i'm glad you liked his music, automatic was their radio friendliest song, but living high is a personal favorite.. i'll let you decide which one you like most, when you buy their album.. welcome to the blog btw.. you handle continually reminds me of Alec Trevelyan (the villan from James Bond Goldeneye)..

Anonymous said...

yo ba7raini rants im jus a curious girl from Africa askin bout a rumour thats goin round that a member of brothermandude is a member of ur royal family???is that true coz that wud give one more reason to listen to them sorta like a controversial publicity stunt.....???!!