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Posts Tagged 'Pakistan'
The D/A Method interview
The D/A Method are a progressive rock band from Karachi, Pakistan. I found out about the band through Patari, a Pakistani music streaming platform. The D/A Method are more progressive sound compared to Odyssey
Their recently released album The Desert Road is an engaging listen and features classical instruments. I spoke to Talha Alvie about The Desert Road, working with Bruce Soord and also their plans in the coming months.
Hi guys, you recently released your second album The Desert Road at show with Takatak. How did it go?
The show was great. We had an excellent turn out with about 500 people in the audience. It's always special playing in front of our home crowd in Karachi and this was no exception. Takatak absolutely killed it, so it was a wonderful show overall.
For those who have not heard of you before, could you share how the band was formed.
The band was formed by Umair and Talha back in 2012. After jamming together, they wrote songs which were to become part one of our debut album, The Great Disillusion. While recording the album we added our friends Usama on vocals and Istvan on drums in 2013. This is the line up that appears on the first album. Danny, who had played bass with us in the past, joined the band in 2016 to complete the line up which has remained unchanged since then.
The Desert Road comes 2 years after the release of your previous album, The Great Disillusion. What was the writing process for the album?
The writing process for TDR was quite different from TGD as for the first time we were under a deadline in order to fit in with our producer Bruce Soord's schedule. We had been planning on working on a four-song EP with Bruce but he suggested turning it into a full-length album. So the challenge for us was expanding this EP into a proper record in the matter of only a few months. Talha wrote the structures for four additional songs while Umair and Istvan added the final one to get us to a 9 track album. We actually recorded all of the drum and guitar parts before the vocals were finalized but as always, Usama went over the songs and added his magic touch. We only recorded the final vocals once we got into the studio to mix the album with Bruce which ultimately worked out brilliantly because we were able to get his input on vocal parts and harmonies and also have him as a guest vocalist on several songs.
The album features traditional musical instruments like the sitar and sarangi. How did they become a part of your sound?
Being from Pakistan, these traditional instruments have been a part of the music we've been listening to since our childhood. It just made perfect sense for us to use the sounds from these age-old instruments as an additional layer to our electric guitars, synths, and drums. The whole East-West fusion thing has been done for a long time, but for us this comes out of interest of adding textures and sounds that both contrast and complement our modern Western instruments.
The Desert Road is co-produced and mixed by Bruce Soord (The Pineapple Thief, Wisdom of Crowds). How did he become a part of the album?
Honestly it was just a complete shot in the dark. We'd been fans of his music for a long time and learned that he was interested in producing bands, so we shot him an email and he said yes. He definitely whipped us into shape and made sure that we were on point with everything before we got into the studio with him, which is something we probably needed at the time.
You released a music video for the track, the Desert Journey. How relevant do you think music videos are in the age of Youtube and Vimeo?
Music videos are essential. The era of instant information means that people's attention spans are limited and a video is a great way to capture that attention. Luckily prog rock fans still value the idea of concept albums and long songs, but we've always felt that if we want to get our music out to a broader audience we need to put out videos. Fortunately, as fans of film ourselves, we're willing to put in as much passion and effort into our videos as our music. We just see our videos as visual extensions of the songs themselves.
What have you been listening to lately (metal and non-metal)? Are there any acts that have inspired you of late?
Individually we're all over the place but as a band we've been more interested in singer-songwriter type stuff as of late. Dallas Green/City and Colour, Jeff Buckley, Mark Kozelek to name a few. Of course the new Steven Wilson album is on the top of all of our playlists. The new Mastodon EP is pretty great as well.
What are your plans for the rest of the year? Are there any shows/tour planned in promotion of the album?
After our last show we're probably going to lay a little low until the end of the year. We have some material that we've been working on which we'll finally get a chance to make some progress on. We'll be back on stage with hopefully a tour of Pakistan at some point in the first half of 2018.
Thanks for answering all my questions. Do you have any final words?
Thanks for the interview and thanks for supporting our music. To anyone reading this, please check out our music. Our discography is available for purchase on Bandcamp and iTunes and for your streaming pleasure on Spotify. All the best.
Tagged with karachi, Pakistan, Progressive rock, The DA Method, The Desert Road
Blackhour interview
In the past couple of years, I have discovered quite a few killer metal bands from Pakistan. I interviewed Multinational Corporations and Dionysus last year. I heard about Islamabad based heavy metal band Blackhour through my friend Kunal Choksi. He has released their second album "Sins Remain" through the distribution arm of his label Transcending Obscurity. I was reminded of bands like Iron Maiden and Saxon listening to the album .
I spoke to the band about "Sins Remain", being a metal band in Pakistan, performing with Bumblefoot and their plans for this year.
Hi guys, you started the band in in 2007. How did you'll get together? Are you'll from the same school/college?
Hashim: So Blackhour started in 2007 when I was in college and recently started playing Iron Maiden licks. At that point I had a vision to make songs that people would sing along to and me along with a few friends got to gather to form a band which had no name… Just a school band to be honest. As luck would have it, we were that one bad band which was boo-ed off stage but it wasn't going to kill my passion for making music
One year later, me and my brother Diam (Drummer) decided to take things seriously and by late 2008 BLACKHOUR came into existence and it wasn't until 2010 that the final line-up as our fans know it now, was formed with Tayyab Rehman as vocalist, Salman Afzal on Bass, Mashoo and myself on guitars and little baby bro on drums.
Blackhour indeed started as a bedroom project but with newer musicians from outside our college social circle joining in, Blackhour became bigger and in the early 2012 after release of Age of War album, when Manager, Hassaan Ahmed joined the band… shit just went serious Hahaha!
It is not easy being a band in Pakistan. What are the struggles you faced so far?
Tayyab Rehman: I guess to say at a broader perspective, it is not easy being a musician in any corner of the world, and being in Pakistan brings about a whole new level of challenges. With the local music scene mostly dominated by classical and pop genre, to be a musician in a heavy metal band is like playing in a hockey team with a cricket Bat.
To our surprise we had support from our loved ones but some close friends always forced us to adopt urdu as our lyrical content and make songs more "Listenable" but we knew what we wanted to achieve with our music and we took a big leap of faith. At the end of the day the biggest struggle of being a heavy metal band from Pakistan, is the exposure. The music never gets heard at the level we want it to… but we would try our best to break the boundaries and make a mark!
Your second album "Sins Remain" is out now. It takes further the sound from your debut release "Age of War". Tell us more about your latest release.
Hashim: The second album was a challenge for the band. With Age of War, it was just me, Tayyab and Hasan Rauf (ex-member) who were involved in the writing process so it was easy to carry. But with this one we decided that each member should bring about their creative process into the songwriting and thus, each song is so much different from the other that you get to hear the versatility of each member.
The title track Sins Remain, is by far our favorite track and it is the brainchild of the most silent member of the band, Slaman Afzal, and I will let him talk about the concept and what not.
Salman Afzal: Umm… well I had this melody which I made back in college and me and Hashim used to jam to it, and it just had a nice ring to it.. When Hashim came with the idea that each member has to put in an individual song in the album, I was actually taken aback. I tried working out various licks but nothing had the "IT" factor, so one night while randomly playing my acoustic guitar the riff for Sins Remain was unleashed on the fret board and I knew it, THIS WAS GOING TO BE MY SONG! We experimented a lot on this song and perhaps spent the most time in structuring it and relating the music with the lyrical content. In fact it is the first song from Pakistan and I dare say from Asia that utilizes the Pashto folk instrument "Rubab" in a metal song which added to the progressive feel of the song.
It is the combination of the whole band's involvement and the versatility that the song had to offer that we went with Sins Remain as the album title!
How did you go about recording "Sins Remain"? Are there many recording studios for metal music in Pakistan?
Mashoo: The Sins Remain recording process was a rather interesting fatigue because at the time we had tied up with other bands to experiment on different live concerts, and while handling concert/show organizing, our manager was up our asses to finalize the recording for Sins Remain album. We started by setting up our own recording studio, so this was a first for Blackhour to record its own music on their own. Two upbeat songs, Battle Cry and Wind of Change were produced at a good friend, Fahad Humayun from Dissbeleif's (an alternative rock band from Islamabad) studio – Bracket Productions, who did an amazing job at handling them and the raw feel that we wanted out of these two songs.
For the remaining three songs, we recorded them through a series of ups and downs at our own studios. The writing process had been finalized during the start of 2015 and we were perfecting our songs via live performances to know the studio sound we want. Finally in late September we collaborated with Mr. Saiban Khaliq – Vocalist/Guitarist for Revolt (A death metal band from Islamabad) for the production of the three songs and I still remember the late nights Hashim and Daim used to spend at the producer's basement to perfect the sound we wanted and I think if not a 100%, we managed to get a good 80% of the raw/live feel in our produced songs.
Hashim: As for recording studios for metal music in Pakistan, as mashoo highlighted, such studios are majorly operated by metal band members… because they understand the music and given the resources are able to extract that sound for other heavy metal bands, and these studios are usually home studios. Don't get me wrong though, there are formal recording studios as well, but for a metal band like ourselves, affording the formal studio is through the roof so it is the community that helps each other with production, recording etc. And pretty sure there will be a Blackhour Studio to look forward as well.
"Sins Remain" is being released by Transcending Obscurity distribution. How did the deal come about?
Hassaan: Well Blackhour is all about creating a community for metal music and with this, we tied up with Tejali, a good friend from India, to act as Blackhour's representative in India. It was her brilliant efforts while working as a full time Architect that she linked up Mr. Kunal Choksi with the band and I guess he liked our music which took further our deal. What's interesting is that the relationship with TO Distribution is more of a very friendly and collaborative venture as opposed to a suit and tie formal business deals. Mr. Kunal understands well what the band is capable of and has helped us out reach a bigger audience.
The metal scene in Pakistan is slowly picking up in the past couple of year. I've really enjoyed listening to bands like Multinational Corporations and Dionysus. What are other bands from Pakistan that you recommend?
Diam: Pakistan's metal scene though very underground is still enriched with some really amazing bands ranging from death metal, grind core to some really progressive alternative rock bands as well. Some of the amazing bands that I would recommend anyone exploring the Pakistani Metal Scene will be; Blackhour (have to tell them about my band lol), Revolt, Inferner, Tak-a-Tak, Ehl-e-Rock, Dissbelief and Qayyas.
In August last year, you performed alongside guitarist Bumblefoot at Lok Virsa Open Air Theater in Islamabad. How was the experience?
Tayyab: FUCKING AMAZING! These are the words that kept repeating in my mind, as I went around answering this question. I guess there are no words to define how out of the world it felt. Bumblefoot is indeed a legendary guitar player and to be alongside on the stage with him, well again FUCKING AMAZING. Despite being on stage, the interaction with him off stage and during jam sessions was an eye-opener for the band. We have never met a musician so down to earth and true to music as him. We really hope to share the stage with him soon. And for us it was an honor, that he flew all the way to Pakistan, despite how the country is portrayed in the media, he took the risk and performed and interacted with the musicians here! Honestly, I did not want that show to end to say the least!
What are your plans for this year?
Hashim: We are planning to go about promoting Sins Remain via performing live. In fact last year in November 2015 we did a national launch of the album by organizing Pakistan's first ever theatrical concert, where each song of the album was complimented by live on-stage theatrical performances (directed by The Insane Production House), while the band performed live. So we are planning to take this setting and perform this show across all the major cities of the country. Along with that we are trying to perhaps play live across the borders as well.. I guess our Manager can help us with that if he moves off of his lazy butt! Other than that, we are also playing at an upcoming music festival of Pakistan (One of the biggest in the country), Music Mela, in late April.
But beyond the live shows we are also planning to start working on a new album. The Writing process has already started during the production of Sins Remain… So there is a lot more of BLACKHOUR to witness this year and the years ahead to come!
Stay up to date with Blackhour on their facebook page and check out their video for the track "Battle Cry" below
Tagged with Blackhour, heavy metal, Metal, Pakistan, Sins Remain, Transcending Obscurity
Dusk Interview
Dusk are the oldest metal band in Pakistan and founder Babar Sheikh has seen the band through changes in line ups and also musical directions. Last week, Cyclopean Eye productions released 'Through Corridors of Dead Centuries', a split album featuring Dusk and Indian death doomsters Dying Embrace. I spoke to Babar Sheikh about their latest release and their future plans.
Where did the idea to do the split come about? Did Sandesh from Cyclopean Eye productions have anything to do with it?
Dusk has always been open to the idea of collaborating with other acts and performers from the genre. Its been a great pleasure for us to be associated with some very celebrated names of the underground scene through our career. I guess it comes more naturally as an idea to people who have been associated with the true underground scene for the past two decades or so because back in the day splitting a record was the thing to do even being on compilation tapes was the cult thing to do! Dying Embrace for us have been brothers and partners in crime as far as the Sub Continental metal scene is concerned. Both Dusk and Dying Embrace have existed since the mid or early 1990's (actually Dying Embrace are seniors) and this really was a dream come true for me. Both bands had somehow gone toward a more dormant mode since the past few years, Dusk decided to hit it back with our trademark Death / Doom sound and Dying Embrace were gearing up on releasing some of their previously unreleased stuff and at the same time incubating the idea of recording fresh material and this was the time when the hammer struck. The carrier of the hammer was none other than Sandesh Shenoy, long time friend, metal brother, fellow warrior in the underground arts, and now label owner for Asian Metal Underground Label – Cyclopean Eye Productions. I would give a lot of credit to Sandesh for helping Dusk realise the journey back to the trademark Death / Doom sound and full credit for making the split record killer idea a reality. It was really him (since the past two years Sandesh has also been managing Dusk and Dying Embrace) who pumped both the bands to a point where inspiration was sighted and finally it got Real!
Tell us a bit about the songs your side of the split. What are they about?
The songs on the split, as I mentioned before are a comeback for Dusk to our older sound, the sound which the underground associated with us so it was lots of memories coming back to the writing phases and right from the preliminary stages of the song writing I knew what I was wanting to achieve and how the songs would sound like at the end. The themes around which the lyrical content is based are also heavy like the sound itself. The opening track Shadow Poet speaks about the silent observer who lurks in the shadows of everyday life and paints a portrait of perceptions based upon his gatherings of life and reality. This is the solitary traveller who appeared earlier in Dusk lyrics sometimes as The Tragedian and sometimes as the habitat of the Fortress Of Solitude. Forged in the Fires of Duality is a heavier theme which taunts at society and splits in the face of those who live by their double standards, the content goes further to comment upon the addictition of power and the love for material possessions, something that has driven humankind away from their natural habitat – The Soul! For the end of the record we wanted to create a drone like tune or melody that would repeat itself, actually the time spent between recording the last track on the record 'For Majestic Nights' and the rest of the material is almost an entire year, and the more I listened to the other tracks the more I felt the need to have a definitive album closer which finally took form. Lyrically there is just a few lines which praises 'The Night' for being the time with higher spiritual expanse and power! However sound wise I believe we really found something special with this tune, many people who know the previous Dusk records will know that we never sounded this way but I believe this is one of the new sides to Dusk that we will further explore in the future.
The songs on the split release move into the direction of Doom metal compared to Thrash metal on your previous release. Any reason behind the shift in direction?
After we released our EP titled Dead Heart Dawning in 2006 (and a release on the three way split titled Rise of the Eastern Blood) Dusk was unknowingly moving into unexplored waters. This was also a very special time for me as an artist and musician since I joined Asian giant metal band Impiety and partially recorded with them for their Formidonis record. During this time I met fellow Impiety band mate and drummer Halim (Tremor) who agreed to join Dusk and together we wanted to jam some tunes that had more leaning towards the eighties thrash and death movement. Primarily this was a homage to more primitive sounding death thrash that made its mark from South America in the 1980s. Our toying around with these sounds got more and more serious and before we knew it we recorded 5 – 6 songs that we released with fellow Asian Crust / Punk / Thrash legends Distrust on a split record titled Eastern Assault. This was released by Pakistan's only extreme metal label GMH Records. After the release of Eastern Assault things simmered down for Dusk and I got a sense of perspective, I realised this was good for a one off release (and believe me we gained some great fands by short lived 4 year Death/Thrash era) but Dusk will always be associated with tunes that made a mark from our earlier records. Sound wise a lot also changed a lot in the studio this time around when we recorded for the split. In the past it was more like a pattern but this time it felt more like a full blown production. During the death/thrash era I denounced lot of fancy gadgetry and gear and moved more toward the primitive approach for recording and of course that sensibility came along with me when I recorded the songs for the split. I feel the sound has much more body to it. Our engineer and my co producer Mr KK Wong (Ah Boy) a legend from Singapore's underground movement really hit it home as far as the production and sound for the new Dusk is concerned. Tremor had never played drums for a doom record before (since when he joined Dusk we were already playing faster) so that was a great experience and I am happy that everything falls well into place at the end. The only part where one can catch a glimpse of the death/thrash era of Dusk on this split is our cover for the legendary Motorhead tune Bomber. This is where we blast everything into oblivion!
What are you plans for the rest of 2014?
Cyclopean Eye Productions just released the Dusk / Dying Embrace split titled 'Through Corridors of Dead Centuries' at Doom Over Bangalore II last weekend. I am sure the next few months we will hear much more of what comes as feedback. Looking forward to that! Unfortunately Dusk has not been the luckiest when it comes to live performances, as we were set to take the stage at the Ventbox fest in Singapore but due to personal and logistic reasons we had to cancel our appearance a month before the festival took place. But we are geared up on making some surprise appearances in festivals before the end of the year hopefully. Already starting to write new material for Dusk with long time collaborator and band mate Tremor however at this point I have no idea whether this will be another split or an Ep or a full length!
Any Final words?
Don't follow trends – stay true to your art since this is what will help you survive and help you make your mark in the underground! Rock n Roll Thunder!
Listen to a track from Dusk's side of the split below
Tagged with Doom metal, dusk, karachi, Metal, Pakistan
Multinational Corporations Interview
The metal scene in Pakistan is really underground. It is hard to find information about bands from the country and even hard to get hold of their music. I was unaware that there were grindcore bands in Pakistan until last week I came across Multinational Corporations from Lahore. The angry duo of Hassan and Sheraz recently released a EP 'Jamat-al-Maut' meaning Congregation of Death in Urdu about the 'fucked up conditions of living in Pakistan.' I spoke to the vocalist Hassan about the EP, the writing and recording of the release and also about the metal scene in Pakistan. Read my interview with him below:
Hassan and Sheraz (Left to Right)
Your EP Jamat-al-Maut was released last month. Tell us a bit about the album.
Hassan: The idea of Jamat-al-Maut EP came about at the tail-end of 2012 when MxCx was in hiatus. Aneeq Zaman of Throttle Instinct (Grindcore band from Karachi) made this cool artwork and came up with the title too, and I showed it to Sheraz. We both got stoked as fuck and decided to bring Multinational Corporations back to life. We made the song "Salaab" for the Tam89 Pakistani Punk compilation which announced our arrival back on the scene haha. That and the track "Advertisement Overdose" made up our 2013 Promo. Due to working on other personal projects, university and a little laziness we never could dedicate time to completing the EP in 2013 but we took 4 days out in March 2014 to just let out all our dormant hatred and disgust with everyday life in Pakistan. Musically we wanted to harken back to the days of old school crust punk and grindcore, taking influences from the music and aesthetics of Terrorizer, Brutal Truth, Disrupt, Driller Killer etc. There's a lot of hardcore punk influences in there too since we love bands like Integrity and Nails and wanted a bit of a fresh touch in there too. So alongside d-beats and blasts you have total mosh parts too hahaha. The lyrical themes present in it are an indicator of the band's identity and our stance against religious fundamentalism, sectarian divisions, capitalist exploitations, foolish mundane patriotism and everything that grinds our gears. We wanted to make something that we could look back at ten years from now and feel proud of. I think we achieved that much, at least.
How long was the songwriting process for the album?
Hassan: The song-writing process was parallel with the recording process. All songs were written as we recorded. Basically we would discuss a song idea, Sheraz would write riffs and in an hour or two the song was made and recorded. Except for "Salaab," "Advertisement Overdose," and "White Collar Communism" which were written in 2013 – Salaab and Advertisement Overdose were a part of our "Promo 2013." For the lyrics I either used poetry/rants I had written in the past or wrote new lyrics on the spot.
The album was recorded over 4 days. What was the recording process like?
Hassan: Like I said, the recording process ran parallel with the writing process. It was very laid back and fun. I mean, despite all the hate, aggression and rage running rampant in the music – it was just 2 friends having fun and making music that they could relate to. Often friends from other bands we were linked to such as Ahsan from Irritum, Amar from Foreskin, etc were at the recording. Even random strangers were sometimes there watching Sheraz lay down stomping riffs and me put down my vocals. A guy from my university was there taking pictures for some research or something which was really fucking rad as well. In retrospect, it was a 'hit and run' job. Once a song was done, we didn't look back or think much on it. I guess we could have wrote a few more songs or whatever if the electricity wasn't going after every damn hour but those little frustrations just added into the overall pissed off vibe of the music hahaha. We're satisfied with all the songs and we listen to them ourselves because they're shit we wrote for ourselves first and foremost.
How does the album compare to your previous release, "Equality" demo? Hassan: It's miles and leagues ahead of what we did on "Equality." That demo was just in our nascent stages and we weren't completely sure of where we wanted to go with our music. There were also two vocalists on the album – me and Haider. I was more of an old school hardcore, crust, grind kinda guy and Haider was basically a slam and deathcore fan. Once he left the band, me and Sheraz were able to iron out the kind of sound we wanted – the fact that me and Sheraz share a great musical chemistry helped too. We had grown as human beings, as music-makers, as friends, etc since Equality and it shows in Jamat-al-Maut. The production is better, the songs are more defined, the riffs are more badass, the vocals and lyrics are more poignant. But we're not gonna stand still at Jamat-al-Maut. We know how and where we can improve and we wanna keep on taking things to the next level.
The cd version of the album is going to be released on Salute Records (Sweden) and Extreme Terrot Productions (Holland) will be releasing the tape version. How did the deals come about?
Hassan: Salute Records put out Dionysus CD two years ago and Dionysus is Sheraz's doom/death/black metal band so we had that connection with him. Salute are great at what they do and are one of the coolest DIY underground labels around. Tony has been doing this for years and knows everything about good promotion, distribution and whatnot – and is overall a very cool guy! Extreme Noise/Grindfather are doing a joint release on tape. I basically got into contact with A-Doom Martin of Extreme Noise Productions after he discovered my other grindcore band Kafir-E-Azam. He runs a really nice label, some awesome bands have put out their stuff through him so it's gonna be nice working with him! We're also gonna be on a compilation album with 2-3 new songs, released by his label.
You are also part of Foreskin along with Sheraz. Sheraz is also part of Dionysus. Do you have any other bands? How do you'll manage between the bands?
Hassan: Managing between bands is not such a big problem for me since I have just one job to do – scream on a microphone. The real busy motherfucker is Sheraz ahaha. He's a badass guitarist and a dedicated individual, splitting time between Dionysus (Doom/Black/Death), Irritum (Funeral Doom), Foreskin (Thrash/Hardcore), Flaw (Experimental Rock), Ilhaam (Black Metal), Marwolaeth (Death Metal). He does most of the songwriting for all of them as well as the actual recording and it's just crazy. Whenever you're at his place, something is going on musically and I think he may be starting some new project soon too! As for me I mainly dwell in the realm of grindcore with my band Kafir-E-Azam with Myosis guitarist Asadullah Qureshi and Nihilist Holiday which is a noise/grind/punk/industrial/etc long-distance project with Jeff Fischer. My first band was Foreskin which I began as a crossover thrash band but it's grown a lot while still being a mix of hardcore punk and thrash metal, Sheraz also plays in it.
You also have a blog Eternal Abhorrence. Can you recommend bands from Pakistan that we should check out.
Hassan: Yeah Eternal Abhorrence was started after I ended my Paki Metal blog "The Iron Markhor." I lost interest in Pakistani music and wanted to focus on the hardcore/metal/grind/etc bands from foreign countries, including India. I've managed to do some interviews with my favorite bands Doom and Integrity as well as talk to prominent US Hardcore bands Skinfather and Xibalba so I'm content with how the blog has developed. Being able to make connections in India through partnerships with Kunal have helped me a lot as well. As far as recommendations go. Apart from the bands I've mentioned so far, check out Bvlghvm (Powerviolence), Marg (Punk Rock/Heavy Metal), Tabahi (Thrash Metal), Lohikarma (Post-Metal/Black Metal), Necktarium (Shoegaze/Black Metal). Check all the names I've already dropped in my answers too!
Hassan: Don't restrict yourself to any one genre. Don't attach yourself sentimentally to any single frame of thought. Keep an open mind. Don't let the bastards keep you down. Know your rights and always keep a DIY mindset. Cuz in the end no one's gonna do you any favors.
Listen to Jamat Al Maut below
Tagged with extreme metal, Grindcore, jamat al maut, Lahore, Metal, Multinational Corporations, mxcx, Pakistan
Interview with //orangenoise
//organgenoise are a psychedelic band from Karachi, Pakistan. They released an EP //veracious last year which got them attention from around the world. Last month, they released a full length album A Journey to the Heart of Matter. I spoke to their vocalist/guitarist Talha Wynne about the album, how they got together and also the music scene in Pakistan.
Hi Talha, you recently released an album "A Journey to the Heart of Matter". Tell us about it?
This album is a collection of songs we've been playing since after our first release "//veracious" back in January of 2011. We built up a repertoire of 10 – 12 tracks which we'd shuffle around in live shows. We've been trying to record these tracks for the past year working with various techniques and methods trying to get our live sound down on the album. Finally in like August of this year, we found a setup that worked for us and managed to contain that live and loud feel we were going for. This album is completely home made, the mixing, recording and mastering everything.
Where was the album recorded? What was the recording process like?
The album was recorded at our drummer Danials place. We Had the basic "juice" of the track recorded as a one take jam, where the drums, guitar and bass we're hooked up to a mixer and a take was layed down as the foundation layer of the track. We later overdubbed that layer with synths and vocals and additional shimmer.
How does A Journey to the Heart of Matter compare to your EP veracious?
//veracious was very raw and expressive kind of like how we were when the band started, 'Journey takes our essence and contains and controls it. This is also a full length album as compared to veracious which was a 5 track EP. Also 'Journey kind of picks up where //veracious ended.
How was the response you received to //veracious EP?
We were quite overwhelmed with the response that veracious got as it was an amateur effort as far as recording and sound were concerned, there was a lot of trial and error involved. But that EP definitely launched us into the internet and managed to squeeze us in with the rest of the noise makers.
You appeared on the second season of "Uth Records". Tell us a bit about the experience?
It was like a test in a way, a lot of questions hovered around. Can we adapt to a studio environment that wasn't our own home? Will we have enough time? Are we disciplined enough technically for studio work? I guess all these questions and more were answered in that episode. It was 3 days of mad fun, we felt like working musicians and it would be really awesome to have that sort of stuff going for you if you're a band thats always up to something. The whole studio rigged up and ready to go.
You and Danny P were in Look Busy Do Nothing and Danial and Faizan were in Mole. How did you guys meet and form a band together?
There was a gig happening at one of the local venues where Danny P was playing with the Mole boys as well as some other musicians, after jamming out with them we all got to meet up one day after a gig leading to us jamming out some noisey punky jams at Danials place. Needless to say we realised something was going on here.
Do you have any other projects/bands?
Yeah I go solo as Toll Crane experimenting with jazzy/beaty/dancey stuff Danny P goes by Alien Panda Jury mixing atomspheric/ambeint grooves with nasty beats.
//orangenoise is part of a new sound from Pakistan. What other bands from Pakistan should the readers check out?
Basheer & the Pied Pipers, Sikandar ka Mandar, Mole, Mightyhook, Jhumi Experience, Poor Rich Boy, Asfandyar Khan and Lower Sindh! Swing Orchestra to name a few bands that rock the local circuit.
What is next for //orangenoise?
After the album's release we're pretty much blank right now, a few videos are in store for the new tracks so i guess that's something to look forward to.
Support your local music. Go to live shows and gigs.
Tagged with a journey to the heart of matter, chappalgazers, orangenoise, Pakistan, veracious
Interview with Odyssey
Odyssey are a progressive metal band from Lahore, Pakistan. I heard about them through my friend Shaheryar, who released their debut album, "Ghosts of Yesterday" through his label Gasmask Holocaust. I was really impressed by the production of the album as most of the artists I have heard from Pakistan are either auto tuned or really poorly produced. They have released their second album, "Crossroads to Oblivion" online earlier this month.
Find out more about the album, their influences and also the music scene in Lahore/Pakistan in my interview with their guitarist Hussam Raza.
Congrats on the release of your 2nd album "Crossroads to Oblivion". Tell us a bit about the album.
Hussam: Thanks! The album clocks in around 46 minutes with 8 songs on it. Some are very heavy while others are more melodic. Most of the album sounds quite dark with songs like The Reckoning, Dreamslayer and Swansong, but then there more uplifting songs like The Eden Prophecy also to balance things out.
The album has been self-produced. What was the recording process like?
Hussam: It was a pretty tiring but fulfilling experience. We recorded this album at our bass player's home studio. He was getting ready to leave for Berklee at the time to pursue a degree in music, so we only had a small window of about 2 months to write and record this album. We were jamming almost every day from 6pm onwards since some of us had day jobs and others were studying in the day. So yes, it was quite crazy but we managed to do it and we are all especially proud of this album.
"Crossroads to Oblivion" has released for free on soundcloud and youtube, what's the reason behind it??
Hussam: The reason was basically to get our music out there for people to listen to. Our main aim was to make people aware of our music. Besides, the music industry is changing. People are not buying CD's anymore and especially here in Pakistan, nobody buys CD's anyway. Everyone downloads off the Internet. So we decided to use the medium as a promotional tool instead of going against it.
You released your debut album 'Ghosts of Yesterday' in 2010. How was the response to the album?
Hussam: The response was brilliant. We sent out CD's to places like the UK and Dubai as well and everyone really appreciated us. That was our first album so it will always be very special to us.
You've released 2 songs in Urdu, "Khabi Nahin" and a cover of "Hawa Hawa". Why did you decided to release your albums in English and not Urdu??
Hussam: We've actually released three songs. 'Zameen' is one of our most popular songs here in Pakistan. But the reason we decided to release our albums in English is because Urdu doesn't suit progressive metal at times. The Urdu songs we have recorded so far were recorded in Urdu because the language suited the music and we felt we could make it work. But I really cannot imagine some of the songs on Crossroads To Oblivion or even Ghosts Of Yesterday in Urdu. It would end up sounding forced and contrived and that is something we wanted to avoid.
Dream Theatre and Symphony X are the obvious influences, which other bands that have influenced your music?
Hussam: Metallica was the reason why most of us even started listening to music and they remain a HUGE influence even today. Megadeth, Savatage, Alice In Chains, Opeth, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan are also really big influences.
How did you get into metal? What was the first band you owned? Which first cd you bought?
Hussam: I personally got in to music because my mom one day bought me Metallica's S&M CD which had just been released. Once I heard that, my world changed forever. So Metallica definitely was the starting point and they remain my personal favourite band today.
Are there any other metal bands from Lahore that we should know about?
Hussam: Takatak is a pretty good band here from Lahore. They're very influenced by Lamb Of God and have released a couple of songs so far.
Are there any live gigs in Lahore and other cities like Karachi and Islamabad?
Hussam: Yes, Lahore has quite a few gigs. They've dried up a bit in the last year or so, but we had an initiative called 'The Mosh Pit' which was started by a few kids here. That was a metal gig only with all the best metal bands from the country coming together to perform. We've had two of those so far, and looking forward to more of them in the future.
Thanks for your replies. Any Final words?
Hussam: Do check out our music at http://www.youtube.com/user/odysseypk and our official Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/odysseypk
Here is "DreamSlayer", one of my favourite songs from "Crossroads to Oblivion"
Tagged with Crossroads to Oblivion, Ghosts of Yesterday, Lahore, Odyssey, Pakistan, Progressive Metal


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Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen (* 7. Juli 1927 in Arlington/Oregon) ist ein US-amerikanischer Jazz- und Pop-Trompeter und Bandleader.

Severinsen gewann im Alter von zwölf Jahren den . Noch während er zur Highschool ging, wurde er Mitglied des Ted Fiorito Orchestra. Von 1945 bis 1952 spielte er in den Bands von Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Noro Morales und Charlie Barnet. Ab 1949 arbeitete er für die National Broadcasting Company. Er wurde 1962 Mitglied von Skitch Hendersons Band bei der The Tonight Show unter Steve Allen.

Berühmt wurde er als Leiter der Band in der  von 1967 bis 1992 unter Johnny Carson. Seiner Band gehörten unter anderem der Schlagzeuger Ed Shaughnessy, der Pianist Ross Tompkins, der Saxophonist Ernie Watts und der Trompeter Snooky Young an. Er trat auch außerhalb der Tonight Show mit diesen Musikern als Doc Severinsen and His Big Band auf und arbeitete mit Bands wie der Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band, der Gerry Mulligan Concert Jazz Band und dem Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra.  Er spielte insgesamt mehr als dreißig Alben ein und gewann 1987 den Grammy Award als Best Jazz Instrumental Performance-Big Band. In den Jahren 1972 und 1973 entstanden mit Brass on Ivory und Brass, Ivory & Strings Alben mit Henry Mancini. Severinsens 1976er Album Night Journey war von Disco und Funk beeinflusst.

Nach seiner Zeit bei der NBC trat er weiter als Bandleader auf. Er dirigierte daneben auch das erste Pops Concert des Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, das Minnesota Orchestra und die Phoenix Symphony. Seit 2001 ist er Gastprofessor und Inhaber des Katherine K. Herberger Heritage Chair for Visiting Artists der School of Music der Arizona State University.

Auch im hohen Alter tritt Severinsen nach wie vor live auf (Stand: April 2022).

Severinsen ist ein trockener Alkoholiker und hat mehrfach in Interviews darüber gesprochen. Er thematisierte dies auch in der 2020 erschienen Dokumentation Never Too Late: The Doc Severinsen Story.

Weblinks

Einzelnachweise

Musiker (Vereinigte Staaten)
Jazz-Trompeter
Bandleader
Grammy-Preisträger
US-Amerikaner
Geboren 1927
Mann

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Specially recorded 'black' grooves with attitude recorded in the UK and Caribbean Tony Mason has produced a CD full of freshly recorded dance grooves with a classic feel that will win him a lot of friends. Many of the loops are presented in a number of variations for more flexability when sampling. The response from industry insiders has already been very positive. Aside from Tony's superb performances, the CD was entirely recorded using classic analogue processing and recording equipment giving the whole CD a classic feel.


At least 19 Memphis police officers were involved in the investigation after a man's body was found in the back of a van at the city impound lot.
Lt. Karen Rudolph, spokesperson for the Memphis Police Department, said the investigation continues, and she could not provide details of the role each officer played in the department overlooking the body of 33-year-old Bardomiano Perez Hernandez.
Perez Hernandez suffered a single gunshot wound to his torso during the robbery, and the attorney representing Perez Hernandez's family says the oversight contributed to the victim's death.
"Bardo never had a chance. He died alone. He bled out," said Aaron Neglia, an attorney with Horne and Wells, representing Perez Hernandez's family. "We believe he could have survived if he had medical treatment and he would be with his daughter today. But because he was overlooked, he never had that chance and I think that is awful."
A review of the case and the personnel records of those involved provides a picture of the events after the shooting.
The officers are patrolmen and ranked officers who range in experience from a year on the force to 25 years with the Memphis Police Department.
The Commercial Appeal reviewed the personnel records and internal affairs records for the officers. Four of the officers — Baird, Greer, Powell and Rodriguez — did not have internal affairs files. The other 15 officers were previously investigated at one point by MPD's internal affairs bureau after they were accused of violations of police policy and procedures.
The prior infractions range from wrecking police cars to not turning on body cameras during an arrest. Some were investigated for excessive use of force, but the charges were not sustained in the cases.
On their evaluations, the officers performed above or met their job requirements; with some receiving many commendations over the years for their work.
Two — Officer Steve Theriac and Officer David Wagner — were involved in two officer-involved shootings and another officer pleaded guilty to crashing an ATV while drunk and injuring a passenger on the vehicle with him.
No disciplinary action was taken against Theriac in the 2009 fatal shooting of 38-year-old Thomas Burton, whose death was ruled a justifiable homicide.
Three years later, Theriac and Wagner were cleared in a 2012 fatal shooting of 38-year-old Dewayne Bailey. Police ruled the shooting was self-defense based on police saying Bailey woke up from sleeping in his car and tried to run-over the officers. He was shot four times by the officers and died.
Officer Thomas Ray, assigned to the Tillman Station precinct, was fired in 2013 when he was indicted on charges of vehicular assault, reckless aggravated assault and possession of a handgun while under the influence related to the ATV crash in 2012 in Fayette County.
Ray pleaded guilty to the charge of reckless driving and was sentenced to six months in jail, but served only 30 days in the Fayette County Jail. He also pleaded no contest to the charges and was sentenced to 11 months, 29 days supervised probation. He was placed on diversion for the reckless endangerment and possession of a handgun charge.
He was charged with violating MPD's adherence to law policy in 2013 after an administrative hearing based on the incident in Fayette County.
"The actions, judgement and behavior of Officer Thomas Ray has caused damage and embarrassment to the Memphis Police Department as well as the city of Memphis," Memphis police officials wrote. "The image of a Memphis police officer performing duties Monday-Friday and being incarcerated in the Fayette County Jail on Saturday and Sunday is not acceptable and it further erodes the image of the Memphis Police Department and it violates the Memphis Police Department's code of Ethics."
Ray was later rehired by MPD and was re-assigned to Tillman Station in 2017. He was placed on long-term absence on Jan. 18, 2018, a month after Perez Hernandez was shot and his body left in the back of the van that was towed to police department's impound lot, where it remained for seven weeks.
The impound lot incident unfolded on a frigid night on Dec. 18 in the parking lot of the Maureen Manor apartment complex, according to an incident report.
Officer Jeffrey Arthur was the first officer to make the scene on the aggravated assault call about the shooting shortly before 9:30 p.m.
Arthur found Pablo Castor sitting in the driver's seat of a white 2001 Econoline van in the parking lot in the 3000 block of Yale Avenue in Binghamton.
Castor suffered three gunshot wounds, twice in the neck and once in the torso.
Arthur started first-aid on Castor and called Memphis Fire Department.
The fire department took Castor to the Regional Medical Center where he survived his gunshot wounds, but was in the hospital for nearly two months.
At the crime scene, more police arrived and began their investigation. They learned that Castor and another man, Florensio Perez, were sitting in the van, drinking beer and listening to music when two men attempted to rob them, according to the incident report.
Shots were fired, and the two gunmen fled on foot. Authorities later arrested Mardracus West, 19, and Earl Brown, 20, charging them in connection with the shooting.
Officers found gunshot damage on the driver's side of the van parked on the west side of the apartment complex.
Crime Scene Investigators were notified and sent Officer Lee Walker and Lt. Nathaniel Jones. Walker and Jones took photos and collected evidence, according to an incident report on the shooting.
Felony Response detective Sgt. Lee Allison arrived on the scene and advised. Lt. Frederick Acosta, a supervisor at the Tillman Station, also arrived.
Officer Theriac, another Tillman station precinct officer, completed the crime scene log.
But nowhere in the log nor in the incident report was any mention that a third man, Perez Hernandez, lay in the back of the van bleeding from a gunshot wound.
Called "Bardo" by friends and family, Perez Hernandez would not be found until 49 days later when the wounded driver, Castor, was released from the hospital Feb. 5 and went to the Memphis police impound lot to retrieve his van before it was auctioned by the city.
Castor was shocked and dismayed to find his friend's decaying body in the van.
The discovery of Perez Hernandez's body was called "unacceptable" by Memphis Police Director Michael Rallings and Mayor Jim Strickland. They vowed to get to the bottom of what happened.
The Memphis Police Association, the union for police officers, said they empathized with the family of the victim, but pointed out the department has a police shortage from patrol officers to higher-ranked officers.
"You have crime scene investigators who are working double shifts and when you are tired and shorthanded, stuff is going to get missed," Essica Cage, association vice president, told The Commercial Appeal in an interview on Feb. 7. "This is the worst-case scenario. But, it happened and that's where we are now,"
An internal investigation continues on why the officers failed to locate the victim in the back of the van. All the officers remain on the job, and only one has been demoted, Lt. Nathaniel Jones, crime scene investigator, in connection with a previous incident.


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Embassy of Algeria in Sofia | Bulgaria > News > Politics > Benabderrahmane received in Riyadh by China's President
Benabderrahmane received in Riyadh by China's President
December 13, 2022 ambalg Politics
APS : Friday, 09 December 2022
ALGIERS-Prime Minister Aimene Benabderrahmane was received Friday by the President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping, on the sidelines of the Sino-Arab Cooperation and Development Summit,
held in the Saudi capital Riyadh, said the Prime Minister's Office in a statement.
"The Prime Minister, Aimene Benabderrahmane was received Friday by the President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping, on the sidelines of the Sino-Arab Summit on Cooperation and Development, which closed today in Riyadh, in his presence as a representative of the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune," said the statement.
At the beginning of the meeting, the Chinese president "highly commended the historic relations of solidarity and cooperation between the two countries, welcoming the level achieved by bilateral cooperation under the Algeria-China strategic partnership, signed by the two parties in 2014," said the same source.
He also affirmed "the full willingness of his country to deepen and diversify this partnership to include new areas, in addition to the existing important cooperation in the sectors of infrastructure, energy, mining and other forms of fruitful cooperation to which both sides are committed."
On this occasion, President Xi Jinping also welcomed "the role of Algeria in the region and reaffirmed China's support for its efforts to achieve stability and promote development" based on his belief in Algeria's farsightedness and the convergence of views between the two countries.
Xi Jinping instructed the Prime Minister to convey "his sincere greetings to President Tebboune, as well as his congratulations on the success of the Arab Summit and on brilliantly chairing the Council of the Arab League at the Summit level with brilliance."
China's president expressed "his willingness to meet with President Tebboune in China, to further boost the strategic partnership between the two countries," according to the statement.
The PM conveyed "greetings from President Tebboune to the Chinese President, as well as his heartfelt congratulations on his re-election as head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for a third term," which shows the success of his policies and the support they enjoy, in addition to the success of the Sino-Arab Summit and his determination to raise Algeria-China relations to the highest levels.
"Algeria shares with China a common history rich in positions of solidarity, which is a solid basis for the will of the leaders of both countries to deepen the strategic partnership and serve the goals of socio-economic development in both countries," he said.
During this meeting, the two sides welcomed the Sino-Arab Summit, expressing their determination to use this space of cooperation to serve the interests of both parties, and exchange support on issues of importance to both parties, the statement said.
January 24, 2023 ambalg Politics
January 24, 2023 ambalg Highlights, Politics
President Tebboune holds extensive talks with Italian Prime Minister
January 23, 2023 ambalg Politics, Uncategorized
Algeria, Malta express satisfaction with quality of bilateral relations
December 7, 2022 ambalg Politics
(Français) L'Algérie abrite la 9e conférence de haut niveau sur la paix et la sécurité en Afrique

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Eric Decker, WR New York Jets (5 Years/$36.25 Million)- My Jets snagged Decker from the Broncos for a very reaosnable price. By no means has he proven to be a sure #1 receiver, but he has that kind of upside. At the very least, he's a very good second option, and a receiver that would help any roster in the league. Especially my Jets, whose other pass catchers include Stephen "Stone Hands" Hill, Jeremy Kerley, who is a decent slot guy at best, David Nelson, and Greg Salas (who?). Gang Green will probably go after Marqise Lee or Odell Beckham, Jr. in the draft, giving them two real offensive weapons, which is something that they truly lacked last year.
AHJBJJWR Scale: 0.5 out of 5. This contract will not fail as badly as Decker above.
Michael Vick, QB New York Jets (1 Year/$5 Million)- In an almost comical turn of events, the Jets announced via Twitter at 6:22 PM yesterday that they had released Jets legend, quarterback Mark Sanchez. At 6:27 PM, this was posted to their official Facebook page. I saw it within seconds and was immediately filled with glee.
Then, in what seemed to be an effort to completely troll the world, literally five minutes later, at 6:32 PM, this appears on my news feed. I must congratulate the Jets and their Public Relations staff for making those five minutes a lot more interesting than they would have been otherwise.
As for what happening on the field, I don't hate this deal at all. If Vick plays even twelve games (which is wishful thinking) he will certainly help the team towards the playoffs. My issue is how this will affect Geno Smith. I don't know how much he's going to develop as the backup to Vick. People are going to say that Vick is going to play the mentor role, but frankly I don't see how that would work. Vick's strengths were unique to him and his athleticism. I'm not sure if he's going to be the greatest teacher in the world. If I'm wrong, this signing may be the greatest thing to happen to this organization since when they released Mark Sanchez. Even if I'm right, Geno will toil on the bench, come in whenever Vick gets hurt, and use that opportunity to prove to the team that he's the guy. Also, there is a minimal amount of money involved in this contract, so I don't have any issue with it. This is a great move.
It's official! Photo from vibe.com.
AHJBJJWR Scale: 1 out of 5. Worst case scenario, Vick plays most of the year, Geno regresses, and they have to trade up in the draft for a quarterback next year.
Darrelle Revis, CB New England Patriots (2 Years/$32 Million)- Now onto the deal that has caused an uproar in New York. Revis, a former Jets legend has joined the enemy, causing many Jets fans to behave in a rather vile manner, insulting and wishing harm upon Revis. Look, I personally have no issues with his decision. He held the Jets up for cash, and we made the right decision and moved on from him last year. This time around, he was a free agent, and it was his choice to go to New England. He has no obligation to make the Jets or their fans happy. He did what's best for himself and his family, and there's no reason to react by burning his jersey. Come on people, you're better than that...I hope.
As for the actual move. This was probably a panic reaction to the news that Talib had left to go to the Broncos. But it will pay off, as Revis was still very good while rehabbing a knee injury last year. Look for him to be back in top form in 2014, sectioning off half of Gillette Stadium as Revis Island. This is certainly a ton of money, but it's worth it.
Photo from nypost.com, and the minds of many irrational Jets fans.
AHJBJJWR Scale: 0.5 out of 5. As with any large contract, this will only go south if he gets, not because he's injury prone, but because of the amount of money this would cost the team.
Jairus Byrd, FS New Orleans Saints (6 Years/$56 Million)- This is a lot of money. I mean, a lot of money. Byrd is very good, was the best safety on the market, but not so much better than T.J. Ward that he deserved two more years and $33 million more. Clearly safety is an area of concern for the Saints who still had to deal with Roman Harper, his gray hair, and his comically bad play over the last couple of years. But, they severely overpaid here. Pairing with him Kenny Vaccaro will make it quite difficult to throw on the Saints, so on the field, this deal will work out perfectly. But New Orleans paid a premium.
AHJBJJWR Scale: 2.5 out of 5.
Hakeem Nicks, WR Indianapolis Colts (1 Year/$3.5 Million)- I love this deal so much. Personally, I think that Hakeem Nicks is done. Too many knee problems have slowed him down to the point where he was completely worthless last year. That partially may have been the fault of his worthless quarterback, but he wasn't doing himself any favors. Yet, he still has the potential to show why he was so highly touted coming out of college. A great athlete, he may reach back into the well and pull out a solid, inexpensive year for the Colts. Even if he plays like he did last year, this contract is so small that it doesn't matter. This is a great move by Indy to take a flyer on a potential stud. I used to think he was great, but he needs to prove himself worthy of that status. This is a great opportunity for him to do so.
Photo from catscratchreader.com, and from Nicks' past life as a good football player.
AHJBJJWR Scale: 0 out of 5.
Darren Sproles, RB Philadelphia Eagles (Traded for a 5th Round Pick)- There's just not enough about this trade to love for the Eagles. I don't think we have a way to describe the ways in which Chip Kelly will utilize this great new weapon. This is adds a whole new dimension to an already dynamite offensive attack which is already getting back Jeremy Maclin, who missed all of last season with an injury. Along with Lesean McCoy, Sproles ia now part of one of the best running back tandems in the game. Expect Sproles to be a gigantic factor of the backfield this year. Perfect situation for him to fall into.
AHJBJJWR Scale: -3 out of 5.
Julius Peppers, DE Green Bay Packers (3 Years/$30 Million)- He's probably more washed up than Ware is, so I don't really know how much he can contribute to this team. And there's a lot of money involved in this contract. If he's productive, and Clay Matthews stays on the field, along with Nick Perry the PAckers will have a great group of pass rushers. But those are two huge variables.
Even if he turns out to be washed up, at least Aaron Rodgers is glad Peppers won't be doing this to him. If Peppers hits him like this in practice, Head Coach Mike McCarthy might place a bounty on him. Too soon? Photo from zimbio.com.
AHJBJJWR Scale: 4 out of 5.
Jared Allen, DE Chicago Bears (4 Years/$32 Million)- For a Bears team that lost Julius Peppers this offseason, Allen is actually an upgrade as a pass rusher. Not only is Allen two years younger, he has been more productive over the last few seasons. And his contract is worth less than that of Peppers per year. Overall, this is a massive win for Chicago to get rid of Peppers and replace him with Jared Allen. Considering the market for pass rushers set by Peppers and Ware, this is a steal.
AHJBJJWR Scale: 2 out of 5. He'll be just as GIF-able in Chicago.
Steve Smith, WR Baltimore Ravens (3 Years/$12 Million)- I don't think Smith has the ability to carry an offense as he was asked to do in Carolina. However, I like him very much as third option behind Torrey Smith and Dennis Pitta in Baltimore. He won't put up gaudy numbers by any means, but he will add a dimension to the offense that the Ravens truly lacked last year when they relied on Tandon Doss to be a legitimate NFL receiver (he's not). Both Smiths, Pitta, and Jacoby Jones give Baltimore a pretty nice core of weapons. The length of the deal is a bit much, but he'll at least contribute this year, and we'll see where it goes from there. Even if he's bad, the contract is very inexpensive.
AHJBJJWR Scale: 1.5 out of 5.


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The Last Shah
Ray Takeyh provides new interpretations of many key events—including the 1953 coup against Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadeq and the rise of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini—significantly revising our unde…
Book by Ray Takeyh
Nigeria and the Nation-State
Former Ambassador John Campbell illustrates the history and importance of Nigeria, a country too often overlooked by the West.
Book by John Campbell
Power and Purpose
The evolution of American foreign policy toward the Soviet Union, and later Russia, is traced through the tumultuous and uncertain period following the end of the cold war. It examines how American policymakers—particularly in the executive branch—coped with the opportunities and challenges presented by the new Russia.
Book by James M. Goldgeier and Michael A. McFaul U.S. Foreign Policy Program
Toxic Politics
CFR Senior Fellow Yanzhong Huang discusses how China's environmental crisis is undermining public health and becoming an Achilles heel in its reemergence as a global power.
Book by Yanzhong Huang
Charles A. Kupchan mines the nation's past to uncover the ideological and political roots of ongoing changes in U.S. foreign policy, including the sources of Donald J. Trump's "America First" doctrin…
Book by Charles A. Kupchan
An Open World
Two foreign policy experts chart a new U.S. grand strategy to meet the greatest geopolitical challenges of the coming decade.
Book by Rebecca Friedman Lissner and Mira Rapp-Hooper
Energy and Climate Policy
The Power Surge
A groundbreaking analysis of what the changes in American energy mean for the economy, national security, and the environment.
Book by Michael Levi
Japan Rearmed
Japan's United States–imposed postwar constitution renounced the use of offensive military force, but, Sheila A. Smith shows, a nuclear North Korea and an increasingly assertive China have the Japane…
Book by Sheila A. Smith Asia Program
Power Rules
Read an excerpt of Power Rules. Inspired by Machiavelli's classic The Prince, CFR President Emeritus Leslie H. Gelb offers guidelines to the U.S. president in a new book on how to think about and …
Book by Leslie H. Gelb
The Sovereignty Wars
Stewart Patrick argues that the United States can protect its sovereignty while advancing American interests in a global age. He clarifies what is at stake in the sovereignty debate, arguing that the…
Book by Stewart M. Patrick International Institutions and Global Governance Program
Middle East Program
Power Profile
Politics, Power, and Preventive Action
Paul C. Warnke Lecture
Air Power and Military Aircraft
Power, Politics, and Preventive Action - Podcast
Willem H. Buiter


text:
Q: setState() doesn't refresh my widget tree when using dynamic data to build the page I'm using the latest version of Flutter and I have a problem that I don't understand. Here is the situation: I build a dropdown button according to the value of a variable. That variable might change via setState() when changing the value of the dropdown.
Code example:
import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

void main() {
  runApp(const MyApp());
}

class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
  const MyApp({Key? key}) : super(key: key);

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      title: 'Flutter Demo',
      theme: ThemeData(
        primarySwatch: Colors.blue,
      ),
      home: const DynamicWidget(),
    );
  }
}

class DynamicWidget extends StatefulWidget {
  const DynamicWidget({Key? key}) : super(key: key);

  @override
  _DynamicWidgetState createState() => _DynamicWidgetState();
}

class _DynamicWidgetState extends State<DynamicWidget> {
  List<Map<String, String>> data = [];

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    // after a condition here, data can become this:
    // **NOTE**: data will never have the same length
    data = [
      {"name": 'c', "unit": "cm"}
    ];

    return Scaffold(
      appBar: AppBar(
        elevation: 0,
        title: const Text('An example'),
      ),
      body: Column(
        children: [
          // a few things there
          // ...
          // here, that text will never change despite "setState()"
          Text(data.toString()),
          ListView.builder(
            itemCount: data.length,
            shrinkWrap: true,
            physics: const NeverScrollableScrollPhysics(),
            padding: EdgeInsets.zero,
            itemBuilder: (_, int i) {
              return Row(
                children: [
                  Text("Unit for ${data[i]['name']} :"),
                  const SizedBox(width: 10),
                  DropdownButton(
                    elevation: 0,
                    value: data[i]['unit'],
                    onChanged: (String? newUnit) {
                      setState(() {
                        // doesn't change anything
                        data[i]['unit'] = newUnit!;
                        // however the new value is printed correctly
                        print("data = $data");
                      });
                    },
                    underline: Container(height: 2, color: Colors.cyan),
                    items: ["km", "hm", "dam", "m", "dm", "cm", "mm"]
                        .map<DropdownMenuItem<String>>(
                      (String value) {
                        return DropdownMenuItem<String>(
                          value: value,
                          child: Text(value),
                        );
                      },
                    ).toList(),
                  ),
                ],
              );
            },
          ),
        ],
      ),
    );
  }
}

Basically I have some data that represent letters of a formula and their given unit (and that formula will change over time according to user's choices). I want to have a dropdown that lists the variables and allows the user to change the unit of these variables. I'm blocked because setState() doesn't do anything, it doesn't refresh the page, therefore the initial value given to the DropdownButton stays the same.

A: This statement:
data = [
  {"name": 'c', "unit": "cm"}
];

is executed every time the widget is rebuilt. So your setState works but whatever you set in setState is overidden by this code.
Declare data as late final so you don't accidentally reinitialize it as you did previously. And initialize data once in initState:
late final List<Map<String, String>> data;

...

@override
void initState() {
  super.initState();
  data = [
    {"name": 'c', "unit": "cm"}
  ];
}

A: The setState method will rebuild everything inside the build Widget, so if you're initializing your values there, it will always stay in the initial item.
Here's an example of how to build a dropdown menu, either with predefined or asynchronous data:
class Example extends StatefulWidget {
  const Example({
    Key? key,
  }) : super(key: key);

  @override
  _ExampleState createState() => _ExampleState();
}

class _ExampleState extends State<Example> {

  final _stageController = TextEditingController();

  final _formKey = GlobalKey<FormState>();

  final _scaffoldKey = GlobalKey<ScaffoldState>();

  var _stages = List<Stages>.empty(growable: true);

  var _dropdownMenuItems = List<DropdownMenuItem<Stages>>.empty(growable: true);

// you can define your data here
  Stages _selectedStage = Stages(
    id: 20000,
    name: "Escolha",
    description: "Selecione",
    registration: DateTime.now().toIso8601String(),
  );

  @override
  void initState() {
    // if you need to load async data
    loadStages();
    super.initState();
  }

  void loadStages() async {
    _stages.add(
      Stages(
        id: 1,
        name: "System",
        description: "description",
        registration: DateTime.now().toIso8601String(),
      ),
    );

    try {
      // here load your data
      //StagesBloc stagesBloc = context.read<StagesBloc>();
      List<Stages> tempStages = await stagesBloc.getStages();
      setState(() {
        _stages = tempStages;
      });
    } catch (e) {
      print(e);
    }

    _dropdownMenuItems = buildDropdownMenuItems(_stages);
    _selectedStage = _dropdownMenuItems[0].value!;
  }

  List<DropdownMenuItem<Stages>> buildDropdownMenuItems(List allStages) {
    List<DropdownMenuItem<Stages>> items = [];
    for (Stages stage in allStages) {
      items.add(
        DropdownMenuItem(
          value: stage,
          child: Text(stage.name.toString()),
        ),
      );
    }
    return items;
  }

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {

    return Scaffold(
      key: _scaffoldKey,
      appBar: _buildAppBar(),
      body: _body(),
    );
  }

  AppBar _buildAppBar() {
    return AppBar(
      elevation: 0,
      backgroundColor: Color(0xFF002d59),
      centerTitle: true,
      automaticallyImplyLeading: false,
      title: Text(
        "SOME TEXT",
        overflow: TextOverflow.ellipsis,
        style: TextStyle(
          letterSpacing: 4,
          fontWeight: FontWeight.bold,
        ),
      ),
    );
  }

  Container _body() {
    return Container(
      padding: EdgeInsets.only(top: 30),
      child: SingleChildScrollView(
        child: Form(
          key: _formKey,
          child: Column(
            mainAxisAlignment: MainAxisAlignment.spaceEvenly,
            crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.center,
            mainAxisSize: MainAxisSize.min,
            children: <Widget>[
              if(_stages.isNotEmpty) _selectETAPA(),
            ],
          ),
        ),
      ),
    );
  }

  Container _selectETAPA() {
    return Container(
      height: 100,
      margin: EdgeInsets.only(
        top: 25,
      ),
      child: Column(
        mainAxisAlignment: MainAxisAlignment.center,
        crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.center,
        children: [
          Text(
            "SOME TEXT HERE",
            style: TextStyle(
              fontWeight: FontWeight.w400,
              color: Colors.black,
              fontSize: 15,
              letterSpacing: 2,
            ),
            overflow: TextOverflow.ellipsis,
          ),
          DropdownButton(
            isExpanded: true,
            value: _selectedStage,
            items: _dropdownMenuItems,
            onChanged: (val) => setState(
              () {
                _selectedStage = val as Stages;
                _stageController.text = _selectedStage.name.toString();
              },
            ),
          ),
        ],
      ),
    );
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The last Democratic primary has happened: On June 14, Washington, DC voted, further bolstering Hillary Clinton's claim to the nomination by supporting her with 78.7 percent of the vote. She is now all but officially the first woman to win the nomination of a major party. But, as we noted last week, there have been other women in the running for the presidency, including Jill Stein, who is this year's Green Party candidate.
Progress is almost always a series of steps, rarely one giant leap. And that is exactly how it's been in the history of women running for president. The first woman who tried to get on the ballot was Victoria Woodhull, in 1872, with Frederick Douglass as her running mate. Nearly 150 years later, we still haven't had a female president, but we are closer than ever. We've already looked at what it takes for women to make it in politics; now let's look at some women who did.
Let us know which women in US political history have most inspired you! Tweet us @BritandCo!


text:
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BEING INDIAN: Culture is best left to private players
By Pavan. K. Varma Updated: 19:24 EST, 21 January 2012
I write this column while sitting on Gulzar Saheb's study table in Mumbai.
We are all set to go to Jaipur for the Lit Fest along with the filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj. Gulzar Saheb and I were together at the Hyderabad Literature Festival a few days ago, where I delivered the inaugural address.
The festival was organised by Muse India, led by the remarkable Surya Rao. Surya does not write. He comes to literature from the world of technology, but literature is his passion.
As is typical of other government apex bodies, the Sahitya Akademi is beset by sectarian politics, which consumes more of its energies than the promotion of literature
This led him to found Muse India some five years ago with the principal aim of bringing good translations from our Bhasha languages into the literary mainstream.
I cannot over-emphasise the importance of translations in our country. We have over two dozen languages that are thousands of years old with a well-developed vocabulary and corpus of literature of their own.
There is much good writing going on in these languages, but in the absence of good translations from one Indian language to another, and to foreign languages, a great deal of talent remains confined to one language only.
This is a great pity, especially because it gives to inferior writing in English a readymade pan-Indian stage, while writers of much greater abilities in our own languages, whose output is far more culturally rooted, languish in relative obscurity.
What Muse India is doing needed to have been done right from the beginning by the Indian State. It should have been clear to anybody that with our rich linguistic multiplicity, an Institute of Excellence in Translations would have contributed significantly in creating a nationwide readership for our own writers.
Perhaps Sahitya Akademi should have done this, but as a government body it is so overrun by red tape and the ubiquitous control of its parent ministry - the Ministry of Culture - that its impact has fallen far below expectation.
Besides, as is typical of other government apex bodies in the field of culture, it is beset by sectarian politics, the resolution of which consumes more of its energies than the promotion of literature. It is not as if some of the distinguished writers who have been presidents of the Akademi did not try.
But even if translations were commissioned, the books were shoddily produced, and often lay unsold in sarkari godowns. The selling of books is a professional job. It is not enough to bring out a book. The book has to be read, and to be read, it has to be produced well and efficiently marketed.
When I took over as ICCR directorgeneral, I was shocked to find that most of the copies of a book that had been released with great fanfare by the Council some time ago were happily collecting dust in the Council's own godown!
There is a basic contradiction in all of this. The promotion of much of culture is in the hands of government agencies. Artists depend on sarkari patronage and promotion, especially for funds. But the government's approach is often so bureaucratic, if not uncultured, that the very purpose of that patronage is defeated.
Time will show whether India becomes a superpower in other spheres, but culturally we have always been one. Given this, it is disheartening, to say the least, that for a long time the Government of India did not have a full-time minister of culture, and this key portfolio was added to the many other onerous responsibilities shouldered by the Prime Minister.
Even when there is a minister designated to deal with culture, the portfolio is an additional charge to other responsibilities, such as poverty alleviation or tourism.
This trend of thought brings me back to the Hyderabad Lit Fest. The venue for it was the Taramati Baradari resort. It is a beautiful property, with a baradari overlooking it in which the ruler of Golconda Fort could actually see his favourite courtesan, Taramati, dance.
Alas, this property is in a most shabby condition because it is run by the state government. The toilets are filthy, the maintenance is visibly poor, and a general air of neglect pervades the property. The potential of the property stares you in the face, but so does the manner in which it is run.
The government needs to get out of areas that are best left to private initiative. The best property for a hotel in New Delhi is occupied by the government-run Ashok. But it is not by a long shot the capital's best hotel.
BEING INDIAN: Culture best left to private players