Patreon Makes All the Difference: Support the Music!
Patreon enables musicians like myself and bands like Kuwaisiana to thrive in the post-COVID world. Please consider joining our humble Patreon community. It’s a lovely and diverse group of people!
As you might already know by now, KUWAISIANA is a sextet producing a danceable big band sound with a world music influence; we debuted our album Chapter 1 with Universal Music Middle East (out of Dubai). The journey is long when you’re blazing trails and trying new things. With a little from friends, new music is being made & growth is made a reality!
My identity is comprised of being a native Middle Eastern artist with American roots. My goal is to continue ideating against the concept of Khaleeji Rock in order to synthesize the experiences of everyday Arab-American youth, Muslims, and express emergent perspectives of Khaleejis living in the Arabian Peninsula.
Here Are 4 Reasons To Give :
- To tackle widespread misunderstandings of Arab, Persian, Desi and MENA cultures (to foster cross-cultural understanding).
- To Amplify 3rd culture music! The goal of this music is to bridge experiences and show the many dimensions of the Arab and South Asian identity to the world.
- To sustain Kuwaisiana cover expenses until we can cover them ourselves! Your support will help us cover production costs, practice space rental, etc. In return, you’ll get thoughtful rewards, my eternal gratitude & a highly personalized experience of what goes on behind the scenes.
- To Be First: Enjoy the unique merchandising that comes along with it.
Sink into my personal story in this in-depth interview with Bahrain’s Switched Magazine. After developing a debut solo EP while living in NYC, I relocated to New Orleans to develop a world rock group Kuwaisiana (follow-up EP being released Jan. 15).
Whatever the future holds for musicians, this is the path we’ve chosen!
Categories: News
Music & Lyrics
Chapter 2
Sink your teeth into Kuwaisiana’s Chapter 2 release, a 5-track exploration of Khaleeji and Arab-American identity. Working in Arabic and English, Kuwaisiana is a full-bodied band producing a danceable, dynamic sound that draws on world music and indie rock. Led by Kuwaiti singer-songwriter +Aziz, the 6-piece blends funk, rock, ska with New Orleanian jazz, adding a unique twist to what Indie Arab Rock can sound like.
Born out of +Aziz’s desire to explore parallels between American and Khaleeji cultures, Chapter 2 is the band’s followup EP to Chapter 1, which was released through Universal Music MENA. This 22-minute EP deepens the band’s exploration of the day-to-day experiences of Arab-American youth and the evolving viewpoints of Khaleejis living in the Arabian Peninsula. It will be self-released on Bandcamp and then published to streaming platforms.
Lyrically, +Aziz explores the cultures he knows so well through his metaphor-rich lyrics, which sustain a tension between conversational and a more evocative, poetic perspective. Kuwaisiana is making progress at a time when so much of the world is in flux. Give the EP a listen!
Chapter 3
This EP was recorded at Marigny Studios in New Orleans (2021) right before +Aziz’s relocation The 25-minute EP presents a full-bodied sound, mixing funk, rock, ska with New Orleanian jazz, adding a unique twist to what Indie Arab Rock can sound like. As the pandemic wore us all down, the band leader relocated to Seattle to push forward with his vision.
Chapter 1
“Kuwaisiana’s, Chapter 1, is an awesomely interesting release by an equally intriguing band from New Orleans with bridges to Kuwait who combine the vernacular of topics between there and the US southern region. They cross bread everything from Cajun to Pop music in their combination of styles that never leave out the two areas in which they’re grounded, yet they have a universal appeal in the process. Chapter 1 wins on that premise alone.” James McQuiston, Editor at NeuFutur
“Drawing fitfully from their surrounds, the septet’s sonics are bolstered by bursts of brass and the lilt of (apparently synthesized) accordion, conjuring a rootsy, Cajun vibe around +Aziz’s raw, DIY-rock approach. At the best moments, a barn-storming, street-party abandon overcomes these slightly flat, self-produced recordings… But there is a potent spice found amid this audio stew. Split into two “sides” — the first in Arabic, the second English — the lyrics on “Chapter 1” carry subtle weight as a reflection on the modern Arab experience.” Martin Wingham, Arab News
“Given the current banal state of popular music, an album and a band like Kuwaisiana are just the tonic that is needed… So here’s to Kuwaisiana for treading new ground and charting a new path. In a musical landscape that sometimes feels too cookie-cutter and too safe, Kuwaisiana are paving new ground, and hot damn, it is awe-inspiring.” Greg Robson, Step Inside This House