127 Band: Bio, Interview With Yahya Alkhansa, Review

First Of All, I Really Was Stunned When I Saw 7 People Commented Me In Less Than 4 Hours. I Like To Thank You All For Your Support. But I’ll Be Glad If You Comment In English. Cuz Iran Must Go Global, And I’m Starting With This Page.
It’s Time To Answer You All.

I Would Like To Show The Biggest Middle Finger And F*** You To My Best Friend, A.K.CT For His Kind Comment.

We Play Punk In The Barcode Band If That’s What You Mean Mr. S4t4n1c f0rc3s, But Our Band Has Its Own Blog. Visit Us There And You’ll Find All The Answers.

Thank You Shaghayegh Siah. Check My Blog Time To Time And Help Me And Make Me Happy With Your Comments. I’ll Do My Best To Make This Blog Great.

As You Can See If You Open Your Eyes And Look At The Northeast Of My Page, I’m 16. Ms. Negin. Anyway, Does That Matter? Am I Underage For Listening To Good Music? Age Is Just A Number My Friend.

I Totally Agree With Farhang. This Is The Reason I Made This Blog. S.D.S Is Good, But Not The Best. And People Must Know. I’ll Upload Fast If You Guys Comment Fast. So I Can Know I’m Writing For A Damn Reason. And Yeah, I’m Thinkin About A Festival. The Only Undone Things Are The Bands, The Amps, The Location, The Security, And The Fans! What Is Done? Nothing!

I Will Put Links To Download Songs Here, Mr. Behrad. But First, I Need permission. Not That I’m Afraid Of Copyrights, Cuz There Is No Such Thing In Iran. But I Respect Bands.

I Didn’t Actually Get Who You Are Mr. Slash. But If You Can Help Me, I’ll Be Glad. And I Can Do My Jobs If You Guys Do. You Comment. I’ll Let You Know What’s Up.
Fair Trade, Huh?

First Of All, They Write Arya With A “Y”, Mr.Ar”i”a :D. And I’ll Be Glad To Have You Guys On My Blog. Only, How Must I Do That? Any Sites? Blogs?

Hey Matt! Be Aware Of Something. Iran May Be Islamic Republic. But If You Have The Money And The Guts, You Can Drink, F***, Play Rock, And Anything You Guys Do In NY.

Yeah, I Agree. Many May Not Understand English. But Then Again, Maybe Someone From America, Like The Person Above You, And The Girl Below You, Want To Know What’s Up. And The Other Good Thing Is People Will Go And Learn.

Yeah, Vicky. We Do Lots Of Things Underground. Wait Till You See More.

Dear Anonymous, I Don’t Wanna Make A Revolution With This Blog. I’m Just Trying To Let People Know That Iran Has Some Bands Which Will Rock If They Let Them Breathe.

And Last Comment, Like I Say I’m Workin On It, Shahram. And My Band Is Almost Ready To “Rock”.

Spread This Blog, And Keep The Comments Coming…

Ok. Today I Want To Show You Guys Something Quite Good, Cuz You Did A Good Job And Commented Me.

The First Band I’ll Let You Guys Know Is 127. Check Out Their Well Customized Site At http://www.127band.com It’s Very Good. You Can Find Pics, Lyrics, Everything. So Read On…

This Picture Is Taken By Mehraneh Atashi.

127 Was Founded in 2000 by a group of young Tehran artists and art students, 127 has found itself at the center of progressive cultural change in Iran.The band's music melds Iranian melodies and jazz with an alternative sound.The band's lyrics tell of the frustrations and joys of life, somehow managing to speak of their cultural time and place, while simultaneous reflecting
universal frustrations of isolation, frustration, and hope.
127 is a 5 piece band -guitar,piano,trombone,bass and drums.
the group has become a lighning-rod for international media attention. Through humerous articles and broadcasts in the western media, the group's website receives thousands of hits a month from a growing international listeners.
127 has also composed the original sound-track of the French/German Television's Arte production "Emamzade Internet"- a documentary directed by Reza Haeri- with the song "Digital
Divide". a short documentary named "127,an Iranian band" (by Reza Haeri) aired by UK channel 4 of June, 2005 gained an intresting respond from British audiences, 127 was also the feature of a Swedish documentary aired in January of 2005.
In addition to these television appearances, their music has reached radio around the world, and has been covered by major print media from Germany to the UK and US.
The band has been invited to perform at 2005 SXSW festival in Austin\Texas but somehow they had to miss that opportunity! But They Didn’t Miss It Twice. They Were There At 2006.
127 recently has performed couple of gigs in Italy amongst Arezzo Wave Festival on july 15th 2005 at the main stage and gained a notable attention among audiences and press.
on october 2005 performing in New York, Washington and Cambridge; 127 was the first Iranian rock band toured in United States.
127 has not released any records yet because of the country's situations the band is now seeking for the permission to release it's first record.

Line-Up:
Sohrab Mohebbi - Vocals, Guitars
Shervin Shahami Pour - Vocals
Sardar Sarmast - Piano, Accordion
Salmak Khaledi - Trombone
Alirea Pour Asad - Bass
Yahya Alkhansa – Drums

I Accidentally Found Yahya Alkhansa On An Iranian Community. And I Interviewed Him Last Night. It Took Us More Than 2 Hours. I Think Nobody Has Ever Interviewed Someone In Yahoo! Chat. I Found Yahya Quite Interesting. He Was So Kind And He Really Did Me A Favor To Answer All Of My Questions (Which Was Bullshit), And He Answered Completely. It Took Me And Extra 3 Hour To Translate, Edit And Finalize It, So I Expect You All To Read.

So Here’s The Interview. Arya (Me) Is A And Yahya Is Y.

A:Introduce Yourself. Name, Age, Years Playing The Drums, Years In Band, etc.

Y:My Name Is Yahya Alkhansa. I’m 24. I’ve Been Playing The Drums For 9-10 Years. I’m The Drummer Of 127 Since 1382 (2000). I Had Played In Some Bands Before 127. But None Of Them Was As serious As 127. I Had Played For Sarakhs Band In Some Concerts. And Before That I Played For Octave, A Cover Band Which Covered 70s Rock Songs.

A:Well, Considering 127 Is One Of The First Rock Bands In Iran, What Gave You The Idea Of Forming A Band In A Country Like Iran?

Y:Well, We Never Actually Decided About Forming A Band. It Was The Music That We Love From The Start. The Music We Love To Play. That Was The Thing That Made Us A Band. Not Like Someone Decides To Form A Band And Start Looking For Musicians.

A:127, I Think, Is The Only Iranian Band That Has Played Live In Other Countries. Tell Me, How Does It Feel To Play In Front Of A Zillion People?

Y:Obviously, It’s Very Satisfying. One Satisfaction Is Playing In Front Of Lots Of People. But More Satisfying Than That Is When You See They’re Enjoying Your Music. I Don’t Like It For The Fame. But For The Love I Have For Playing.

A:Have You Ever Been To A Live Yourself? Like As A Fan? And What Bands?

Y:I’ve Been To Some Lives In Iran. And Some In America, Like Leo, A Brazilian Band. Or The Cassettes, American. Or Auktyon, Russian. But The Best Live I’ve Been To Was Mark Knofler Live In Dubai, 1 Year Ago, Which Was One Of The Best Days Of My Life.

A:Are You Satisfied With The Instrument You’re Playing? I Mean Weren’t There Times Which You Like To Be A Guitarist, For Example?

Y:Never. I Always Liked Drums. I Like Piano A Little. But Not Like The Drums.

A:Favorite Bands? And Favorite Iranian Bands?

Y:Jethro Tull, Dire Straits, Nick Cave, Pink Floyd, Camel, Eloy, SuperTramp, Red Hot Chilly Peppers. Normally, I Like The 70s Rock Bands.
In Iran, I Like Ohum. Lately I Know A Band Called Hypernova Which I Like Their Music Too.

A:Have You Ever Gave Autograph To Someone?

Y:In One Of Our Lives Here, Some People Asked For Autographs. I Don’t If They Were Really Wanting Autographs Or Not, But We Gave Them Autographs.

A:Other Than 127, Have You Ever Dreamed Of Playing In Another Band?

Y:As Bands, No. But There Are Musicians I Play With Sometimes. Like Henrik, A Swedish Guy In Iran Which I Played In Concerts For Him. And I Can’t Say Anything About Other Bands. Imagine Me Playing For Jethro Tull. ;)

A:Does 127 Have Any Side-Projects?

Y:No.

A:So, I’m Taking This Way Too Personally. Tell Us A Little About Your Band. Who’s The Leader? How Close You Guys Are? Who Writes The Music And Lyrics?

Y:We Don’t Have A Leader Like That. But Our Frontman Is Sohrab Mohebbi. We Are Great Friends. Our Relationship Is More Than Just Friendship. We Are Like A Family, Actually. We Write Songs Together, The 6 Of Us. And Sohrab Writes All The Lyrics.

A:Do You Still Have Any Lives In Iran? Or Are You Planning To Have Some?

Y:Sure. We’re Playing In A Festival This Thursday. In Tehran University. And We Will Play If We Can.

A:What’s Your Opinion About A Big Festival In Iran?

Y:Well, Obviously That’ll Be Great. I Mean With Good Programming, This Music Has Enough Fans In Iran To Make It Big. There Has Been Festivals Here And There, But None Of Them Had Good Management. In This Country, Everything Suffers From Lack Of Management.

A:Does 127 Play For The Money? Or It’s Love For The Music?

Y:Well, It’s Not For Making Time Pass, And Not For The Money. It’s Our Love, The Best Thing We Have. But Like All The Bands, We Like It To Have A Fair Income, Too. And It’s Quite Hard In A Country Like This.

A:Do You Think Iran Rock Music Has A Future?

Y:It’s Not Quite Possible If It Goes On Like This. I Mean I Agree That There Are A Large Amount Of Bands Already, But There Has To Be A Lot Of Other Factors To Make Music In Iran An Industry Like It Is In Other Countries.

A:What Is The Biggest Number Of Fans You Played In Front Of?

Y:I Think, In On Of Our Italy Lives, Cuz They Were Open Air. People Just Kept Coming As We Played, And I Think They Finally Reached 1000.

A:Which One Of Your Lives, In Your Opinion, Is Your Best?

Y:I Think It Was The 2006 South By Southwest Festival In Texas. Cuz We Played Very Good And The Fans Were Awesome Too.

A:Has Any Bands Covered Your Songs?

Y:Not Yet, But One Of My Friends In Iran Has A Band And They Want To Cover One Of Our Songs. Crazy Kid, I Think. Also Once A Drummer From Atlanta, America Mailed Me About New Sky. I Don’t Know If They Covered It Or Not, But He Asked About Its Drum Line And He Said They Like To Cover The Song.

A:What Is Your Favorite 127 Song?

Y:Wow, That’s A Very Hard Question. It’s Like Asking A Mother Which One Of Your Children Is Your Favorite. I Mean Each Of Us In The Band Has Some Favorites. If I Name One I Remember The Others. But I Can Name The New Sky, Miss You, And Overdrive.

The Quiz
A:You’re Playing Live. Some Fan Comes On The Stage And Tries To Stop You From Playing. You…
1. Ignore Him And Play
2. Let Him Do What He Wants And When He’s Done, Continue.
3. Fight Him

Y:At First I’ll Try To Ignore Him. If He Wants To Do Something Physically, Well That Depends On The Security Level Of The Stage.

A:Some Jerk Insults You, Your Band, Your Music, Everything. What Do You Do?
1. Mind Your Own Business
2. Try To Convince Him He’s Wrong
3. Fight Him

Y:Obviously, None Of Us Choose 2. If It’s Sardar Or Almak Or Sohrab, I’ll Say 1. But I Obviously Choose 3. I’m Such A Fighting Person. ;)

A:A Member Of You Favorite Band Calls And Offers You To Leave 127 And Play For Them. You
1. Accept Immediately
2. Refuse And Say You Have A Band

Y:I Won’t Ever Leave My Band Ever. I Will Play In One Or Two Concerts Till The Point Where It Doesn’t Hurt My Band. But I’ll Never Completely Leave. They May Be Very Good. But When I Play In My Own Band, It’s My Voice, My Thoughts. I’m Not Myself Anymore If I’m Somewhere Else.

A:Rate My Blog, My Interview, Everything. From 10?

Y:It’s Gay If I Rate 10. So 7.25

A:Last Words?

Y:I Don’t Usually Have Last Words Or Something. I Just Wish That The Music In Iran Gets A Better Condition.

TEHRAN, IRAN 2005 - 127, The first iranian rock band to play in the USA since the islamic revolution.The iranian underground rock band 127 in a suburb of Tehran, where they practice in an old greenhouse that they sound-isolated and built into a rehersal room. Center: Sohrab. Left To Right: Salmak, Alireza, Yahya, Sardar, Shervin



127 Band And The Cassettes

The Pictures Were Taken By Chris Maluszinski/MOMENT

I Checked Their Profile On Myspace And I Saw A Good Song Called Walk On. It’s Been Recorded In A Very Good Quality. And You Can Download The Live Version In Their Website.
The Song Starts With A Piano Solo, Which Gives Kind Of A Horror Feel. After Three Bars, The Guitars Enter, Followed By Drums And Bass. Then Guitars Will Fade And Vocals Start. The Vocals Is So Good, And Lyrics Are Jaw-Dropping. The Music Follows A Strange 12 Bar Feel. Well, Actually, It’s The First 8 Bars Of A 12 Bar. After 8 Bars, The Rhythm Change, And Guitars Enter Again, With Trombone This Time. Then The Rhythm Gets Fast On Guitars A Little. Then The Second Verse Start, Followed By Chorus 2, Which Are Exactly The Same As Verse And Chorus 1. After The Chorus 2, A Very Good Bridge Links The Song To A More “Major” Feel. Then Starts A Trombone Solo. The Third Verse Starts In A Different Feel, And Here You’ll See How Smartly The Music Is Written, Cuz It’s The Same Rhythm In Verse 1 And 2. After A While The Vocal Voice Becomes A Little Low, And Back Vocals Enter. A Good Back Vocal Voice. Then Comes My Favorite Part Of The Song. After The Vocal Says The Sentence “Here Comes The Drums”, All Instruments Stop And You Only Here Drums, Then Trombone Enter Again And Gives A “Marsh” Feel. Then Piano And Bass Enter Again. This Is The Most Jazz Part Of The Whole Song. Then The Chorus Starts Again, With Back-Vocals This Time. The Ending Isn’t As Good As I Expected. I Don’t Like It When Vocals And All Other Instruments Stop Together. But If Someone Likes It This Way, Then The Ending Is Good. And In My Opinion, This Song Can Use A Good Fermata Ending.
The Lyrics Are Good And The Song Is Awesome. And I’m Telling You, These Guys Have A Gift. I Never Saw Any Bands Blend Jazz And Rock Like Them. From 10, I Rate This Song 9. And You Guys Can Rate In Comments, Too.