Kuwaisiana

About the band

With songs in Arabic & English, Kuwaisiana is a bilingual alternative rock trio based in Seattle-Tacoma 🇰🇼🇺🇸🇵🇸Inspired by +Aziz’s Kuwaiti-American identity, they provide an articulation of Arab angst and the bliss of becoming one through music. 

+Aziz originally formed the band as an 8-piece (New Orleans, 2016) and then re-formed it as a trio (Seattle, 2022) with Yousef Shami (drums) and Brian Riedel (bass).

WE ARE SOCIAL

It takes✌🏼to tango. It takes three to rock (theoretically speaking).

🎥 Excited to feature a 4th at our upcoming show! Oudist Rob Thompson will practice with us a couple Sundays as we prepare for the 10/25 EP release bash. Pumped 🎉 Tickets on sale on EventBrite!

📸 @rbennettphotography 

#newmusic #bandphotography #bands #seattle #pnw #planner #rockmusic #tango #seattlelife
A profound reflection on our latest single!

“Seattle-based trio Kuwaisiana aren’t pulling any punches with their latest release, ‘Gentrification’. From the opening Arabic howl of angst, the band tears into the cold, clinical destruction of cultural roots with brutal fury. As the track shifts gears into English, it doesn’t lose an ounce of its venom. Instead, it hammers home the visceral reality of gentrification – not as a polite reshuffling, but a full-scale assault on heritage and identity.

The track’s aggressive blend of grunge, hardcore, and post-punk catapults Kuwaisiana to the frontlines of protest music. Forget the half-hearted rage of your typical punk track; this is pure, unadulterated chaos. With riffs that cut like jagged glass and rhythms that hit like a riot, ‘Gentrification’ feels like a sonic Molotov hurled at the forces that reduce communities to dust. The gnarled vocals alone could level cities, calling back to the uncompromising energy of Bad Brains and Dead Kennedys.

The lyrical narrative is equally ferocious, painting a vivid picture of the hollowed-out ruins left by gentrification. The reference to ‘Disneyland nose jobs’ alludes to how Kuwaisiana aren’t just on the money, they’re holding the monopoly in the punk scene.

The haunting opening image sets the tone for a journey through displacement, exclusivity, and transience. +Aziz’s Kuwaiti-American identity bleeds through every note, making the track a gut punch for anyone who’s watched their cultural landscape get obliterated by the greed of the powerful.“ 

📝 Amelia Vandergast via @anrfactory

#music #journalism #seattle #urbandecay #arab #newmusic #makers
Listen to the Peninsula Version of Gentrification featuring Bahraini musician @7mnd and @lewalid of @galaxyjuiceband. We’re so grateful for their partnership & incredible work ethic. Both versions of the song feature @gabelavin’s incredible oudistry (if that’s a word lol).

Stream on Spotify or purchase on Bandcamp! Our EP is now available for pre-save 🎧 Link in bio.

#collaboration #bands #solarpunk #heavymetal #heavy #ittakesavillage
✂️🛞

It’s story time again: Brian got a freakin scissor in his tire right when he was coming over for practice! I hopped in my car, purchased some kombucha and headed to get him with all his gear. It was a GREAT session.

All this to say, FRIENDS BUY FRIENDS KOMBUCHA.

#carporn #kombucha #surprise #bands #seattle #storytime
We released an incredible track today! Thank you @yousefshamidrums and @brianizaplant for making it extra special 💫 

📸 @uranotype 

#seattle #pnw #livemusic #oud #arab #drummer #newmusic #ballardseattle
Homicide in the air / New community is teething. 

New single drops Friday.
📸 @raphdoesthings 

#photography #golf #pnw #rockingchair #chair #newmusic #musicvideo
Things I do for @brianizaplant 📸🐌 And you can too!
Lost my wedding ring on Sunday during Day 1 of the shoot! Luckily it was still there in the ground when I came back with wifey to find it 😬 #FML #jewelry #lucky #tacoma #losingmyshit
Wrapped up our music video shoot in 2 days! See our latest Storiies! Next show will be our EP release on Saturday 10.25 @tnt.liveroom in North Seattle (yes it’s a home audio store!). Designing the flyer this week 😊 

#seattle #albumrelease #videographer #rigs #musicvideo #sleep
Next, we’ll be working on a music video spotlighting the OUD like you’ve never experienced it before. This instrument sits in the heart of everything Khaleeji 🖤

After failed attempts, we’re excited to share our first track featuring an oudist !!!

And there’s more good news from our end! The EP is 75% done & we are confirmed to play @tnt.liveroom on Saturday 10.25 for our EP release celebration 🎉 

#bands #seattle #pnw #arab #greenwall #bandphotography #halloween #newmusic
Meanwhile in Ballard 🍕 

#vegan #pizza #eatwell #goodvibes #seattle #ballard #pnw
This week we began our ascent in reaching out to writers, podcasters, radio hosts with previews to our upcoming EP 📧 It’s going to blow your mind!

You’ll be seeing us in the studio as we make our final touches on an incredibly rewarding sonic journey for our listeners! Shooting for a 10/18 release 🫶🏼 #bands #photoshoot #lifted #lift #newmusic #funtimes #seattle  #goals #lifegoals
A longtime Patreon supporter took their monthly pledge from $5 to $50 this weekend - a huge milestone! 

Let’s look at some of the data:

1️⃣ Getting my first supporter in September 2018 was a massive rush of validation. Especially because the patron is from my hometown of Mishref in Kuwait.

🌐 15 supporters in, nearly half are Khaleeji (typically Kuwaiti, Emirati or Qatari) and the other half has been American/Canadian. Currently, we have 8 paid members, all of them supporting Kuwaisiana for 4+ years.

Free & paid subscription tiers available. Come see what’s brewing on @patreon! Link in bio.

📸 by @ceeteebo 

#supportartists #hair #musiclover #angst #community #makemoments #arabamerican #kuwaiti #crowdfunding
One week till our next show(s) 🎉 Time to start texting friends & acquaintances in North Seattle 💬

@porchfestedmonds: 3-4pm
@bluemoonseattle w. @opliammusic and @wavefunction_band. Music @ 9pm

#seattle #friendship #workhard #community #pnw #alternative #musicislife #bands
When you can’t unsee the truth.

#watermelon #retailtherapy #fruits #seattle #freepalestine #shopsmall
Raw Power! 📸 by @ceeteebo 

#pnw #backyard #menshair #menswear #arab #singersongwriter #singers
Howlin’ at the big sky after a rainy day felt so good 🐺 🌖 We played @GravelpitTacoma alongside other dope acts like @queenfisher_music and @soggypossums @theratutopiaexperiment. We LOVE this capture from behind the fire pit (special thanks to you know who you are 🔥).

ALSO massive props to SHANE, BAILEY, SHANNON and friends for your hospitality & organizing to make sure everyone is comfy, makes bread, etc.

Next Seattle show 🎉 Saturday September 7th @bluemoonseattle alongside @wavefunction_band and @opliammusic. More info coming this week!

#backyard #tacoma #livemusic #dishdasha #skylovers
The greatest reward of being an artist is finding others who make it easier for you to manifest your work. These individuals always seem to enter your life after a spell of rejections and disappointment.

🤘🏼One such individual is Dr. Ahmad Hamada, someone I met many years ago before we finally found projects to collaborate on. A great truthful friend (and humanitarian even).

He absolutely loathes social media & prefers to be behind the scenes always/forever but Kuwaisiana’s visual & lyrical content would be at a great disadvantage without this incredible man.

Here’s his bio 📰 Ahmad Hamada is a distinguished media scholar & faculty member at Kuwait University. With extensive experience in the field, he excels as an author, filmmaker, producer, writer, and editor of creative content. 

🤓 Known for his passion for media and pop culture, Ahmad’s work is research-oriented and reflects his dedication to academic pursuits. Check out his “The Integration History of Kuwaiti Television from 1957-1990: An Audience-Generated Oral Narrative on the Arrival and Integration of the Device in the City.”

#kuwait #arab #kuwaiti #denim #90s #mensfashion #menswear #collaboration #filmmaker
Chub is live across platforms 🚨🔗 Share our links with your peeps on Reddit, WhatsApp, DM’s & elsewhere! 

Thanks to those showing us love on YouTube & Spotify. Come on babies light our fire & hit up our Linktree 📈

#seattle #hair #rockout #arab #newmusic #chub #kuwait #arabic #thirdculturekid #hmua #pnw
Brian the Bass Ripper.

#photoshoot #seattle #bass #bassist #menswear #tophat
What a run! It’s back to studio now until late August for @gravelpittacoma. Subscribe to our Substack newsletter & be the first to see, hear, smell the goods!

#bands #bandphoto #sunday #weekendvibes #three #chill #kuwaiti #arab
Join us at Edison Square (5145 S Tacoma Way) this Saturday night (5pm) for an ALL AGES 🇵🇸 benefit raising money for 4 Palestinian families. $10-25 NOTAFLOF. Event starts right after our PorchFest set ♥️ 

Raffle! Bake sale! Weird bands n freaky DJ’s!

#seattle #tacoma #pnw #arab #palestine #freepalestine🇵🇸 #stopwar #streetart
This sunny Saturday will be a double-whammy where we’ll play @TacomaPorchfest @ 4pm and a fundraising event for @TacomaMutualAid shortly after.

Excited to plug back into our Tacoma community! Come rock with us! #tacoma #porch #weekendvibes #showtime #fundraising #pnw #freepalestine
Next newsletter goes out Monday 📨 Get your sure shot by subscribing to Tribe of Tribes on Substack as we build a path to podcasting 📻 Link in bio

June was a month of moving tasks downstream & enjoying good weather 📝 Here’s the topline:

- Fresh photoshoot, done! Swipe for #BTS 

- Application for $25k grant, done

- Kick off our livestream with OBS, which will help us broadcast to different platforms simultaneously. DONE

- What’s next? Finish up tracking all instrumentals for our upcoming EP (6 tracks 🌝).

- More convos with photographers/videographers.

- As you might recall, our song Chub is the End Credits song for an indie Kuwaiti film called Akh (which means ‘brother’). We’ll release a music video soon as the film passes Kuwait’s censorship apparatus.

- Expressing our political anger with Status Quo, a new song we’ll be playing at our next shows in #Seattle (7/12 at @skylarkcafe) and Tacoma (7/20 - @tacomamutualaid show and @tacomaporchfest). Two sets in one day! #nosleep 

#pnw #musicians #kuwaiti #arabrock #menswear #arabstyle #90s #gulfwar #photoshoot
We’re bringing our sound to Portland this weekend! Pumped to play with @tndrgrl and @sodajinxpdx at @pdxswandive on Saturday (6.29) followed by a stop at Olympia’s @le.voyeur.olympia on our way back on Sunday (6.30). Details in our bio.

Next Seattle show: July 12th 💫

📸 @rabbithutchpunk 

#musicians #portland #seattle #olympia #weekendwarrior #together
I first tried makeup in a theater class at Penn State 👨🏻‍🎓 My curiosity took on a fresh turn after realizing a Patreon supporter is a makeup wiz 👩🏻‍🎤

We tried this “K” concept & the results were FAB 💋 DM for a glimpse at the Pinterest board! Going to gather materials to replicate this look.

#tryit #makeup #kuwait #khaleeji #inspiration #musicianlife #menswear #solarpunk #grit
A good drummer holds down a beat but a GREAT drummer is someone who fully apply themselves, bringing a whole other layer to a band’s workstreams across songwriting, practices, recording process, etc.

Excited to be cooking up new material this summer!

📸 @rabbithutchpunk 

#seattle #arabamerican #arabs #drummer #drumlife #rocknroll #tacoma #musicians
The future is multicultural 🇲🇽 🇱🇧 Beautiful work by @nlvss702

 #streetart #graffiti #lebanon #mexico #pride #habibi
Last night was unforgettable 📸 Thanks for snapping these moments Rebecca Berrace and Ayesha Q! Make sure to follow @shaker_bloomheart and @raenandfire for phenomenal music!

#polaroid #seattle #livemusic #onstage #weekendvibes #sundayfunday
Can’t tell you the last time we performed in a well lit room. Grateful for windows🪟and these great shots from @barksdalejonesphotography!!

#tacoma #rockband #livemusic #bandphotography #armory #light #lighting
In the studio groove: we have about 4 new songs to take from raw to refined. The next batch is refining our recording workstream and it’s starting to show fruit in our productivity💡 PS: As you see we’re keeping books around to stay curious & inspired. Time to read!

#musicislife #recording #seattle #sunday #goodmorning #kuwaiti #arab #portrait #bookworm
Being shunned by your people, whether it’s family, friends or a broader community, can be triggering for those of us on the margins of belonging.

🗳️ Here are 3 tips for dealing with those who shun you. Add your advice in the comments:

1) Remember why you began on your path to begin with. Don’t allow their ghosting or callousness to overshadow the bigger mission you’ve embarked on.

2) Take the higher road. Mirror their word count and keep your emotions out of it. If they ghost or start writing in an unusual way, focus on identifying if there’s anything in the relationship worth salvaging. Read between the lines and allow that to help you make peace with letting them go.

3) Being shunned can motivate some to double down  and work harder, but if you feel broken, take a step back. Find new faces and communities that can help you move on. Trust that you’ll find more supportive people even if it doesn’t feel like it right now.

📸 @rabbithutchpunk 

#livemusic #seattle #unity #community #ghosting
Guess the artist 🧐 Yes, it’s a Keffieh made of silky smooth hair. #palestine #art #fineart #keffiyeh #hair #arabart #arab

Join our tribe

Fund the band on Patreon

Join our tribe

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PATREON

Videos