LiB: Salman, thank you for speaking with us…
SA: No worries. I really like what you are doing. Trying to bring together our cultures is always a good thing and I’m happy to Support you. I think the way forward is to viral the idea out and meet with people who love music & culture to connect with them to spread the word out.

LiB: Let’s talk about Rock and roll Jihad. What is the idea behind Rock and roll jihad?
SA: The idea of writing the book has come much earlier because in my journey where I chose passion over profession, music over medicine, this resonated a lot with the young generation of Pakistan who want to follow their passion. This was due to the elders and seniors in the family telling them to always pursue engineering or medicine; you need to make money, and so on and so forth. There had to be a break in this.

I just thought I need to tell this story and so, got down to writing the book. It took me almost 3 ½ years to write the book and my focus was really about my Musical journey. Once I was done with the book, it just came naturally to me to release the album which really complemented the book and it, all in all, made a lot of sense. The book released in January while the album launched this June.

LiB: Your top 3 reasons someone should read the book?
SA: Well, firstly, if you believe in listening to the whisper in your heart and want to follow your passion, you have to read the book. Secondly, if you love Junoon, you should read the book and lastly, if you love how culture and politics go hand in hand and make a world of difference, you should read the book.

If you want to know about a boy who never touched a musical instrument growing up and was never into music, whose family wanted him to become a doctor, all of a sudden dropped it all and decided to pursue music, follow his heart and found his true calling, you should read the book.

And I can’t really summarize the idea or inspiration in a sentence because there’s so much build up and backdrop the book has that it just doesn’t seem fair. This is the first time an artist from the subcontinent has told a story. Musicians release albums all the time but I’m not sure too many musical artists tell the story. I’m sure at least no artist from Pakistan has done this before.

LiB: How do you connect the book with the album?
SA: The album has 5 studio tracks. David Cole (Record producer and studio mixer for artists such as Melissa Etheridge, Tina Turner, Richard Marx, Bob Seger) got a chance to listen to them and said he’d love to Produce the album and mix them. One of them is a funk version of Bullesha/Lonely Heart, which has done very well. Coming to the question though, for people who read the book and who aren’t familiar with my work and who want to get an understanding of my influences, my culture and style, the album fills that gap. It’s about how I’ve grown up listening to Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Santana and I wanted to write songs which would reflect that style and influence. The music depicts the culture, the struggle and the passion which also comes through in the book. That’s how they connect.

LiB: And how has the album faired so far?
SA: It’s been doing really well and it’s gotten some positive reviews. In fact, A R Rahman got a chance to listen to it. He really likes it and he did mention that when he comes to New York this summer, he would love to get in touch with me. I’m a huge fan and colleague of Rahman and I would love to collaborate with him.

LiB: Your favorite track from the album, if you had to pick one
SA: So I really like the new version of Bulleya. The other song that I have to mention is ‘Love can you take me back’ which has some nice Poetry to it. It sounds like a good rock song which has elements of Beatles meet U2 with an obvious layer of Junoon in there. I really like the mix and what we’ve achieved with the song.
And I also believe the live version of Sayonee deserves a mention here. This was performed at the UN General Assembly Hall in September ’09 to raise awareness of Refugees in Pakistan.

LiB: Coming to the lighter side of things, what’s keeping Salman Ahmad busy these days? We read that you teach at Queens College?
SA: Yes I do. I teach at Queens once a week. I teach Islamic Music, Poetry and Culture of South Asia. I really didn’t know if I had a teacher in me when I was asked by a colleague of mine at Queens. This was 3 years ago. Now, I have one of the biggest classes at Aaron Copland Music School at Queens! The best part of the course is its diversity. We have students from almost every race, nationality and faith, and that’s how it should be. That’s the power of Music.

The rest of the week, I’m busy writing music, shooting for music videos and spending time doing Social work at SSGWI Organization – The Salman and Samina Global Wellness Initiative

LiB: Any upcoming tours and Collaborations?
SA: Right now I’m preparing to leave for a concert in Alexandria, Egypt. Here I would also speak about my work and my book. I just got back from UK where I was on a book tour. I tell stories, play my acoustic guitar and generally have a good time spreading the word. I’m going to continue to go around and continue by book tours for the next 6 months at least. And if all goes well, I’m hoping to setup a Junoon tour across the United States, sometime September or October.
Regarding Collaborations, Faisal Kapadia (of Strings) got in touch with me recently and we’re talking of performing together sometime in the near future. It could be at end of July. I’m also hoping to continue my talks with A R Rahman and we’ll see how it goes on that front.

LiB: Salman Ahmad, Thanks a lot for speaking with us. It was truly a pleasure to get an insight into the world of Salman Ahmad and Junoon and we’re looking forward to hearing more from you!
SA: Thanks and Peace!

For regular updates from Salman, Catch him on Twitter: Sufisal

For all you Junooni’s out there: Junoon’s new single – ‘Love Can‘ is around the corner and due to release within the next couple of weeks. However Salman Ahmad has been generous enough to make it available to you right here at LiveIsBetter.

Salman Ahmad is also getting ready with his book ‘Rock and Roll Jihad: A Muslim Rock Star’s Revolution for Peace‘ which is due to release this coming January 12th. You can also read more about the book at: Simon and Schuster: Salman Ahmad

Salman Ahmad and Samir Chatterjee perform in NY on Dec 3rd, 2009 to present you the fusion that is Raaga Rock. So if you happen to be in New York this Thursday be sure to be in the audience.

If you want to know more about Salman Ahmad or Junoon, visit:
- The Salman and Samina Global Wellness Initiative
- The official Junoon website

Meanwhile, enjoy the new Junoon single ‘Love Can’:

Salman Ahmad new single: Love Can

Concert Update
UnityJam 2010
When: January 17, 2010 @ 7pm
Where: Spangenberg Theatre, Palo Alto, CA
Click here for details & tickets

An Encore that’s one of a kind. The Audiences couldn’t ask for more but they’re definitely getting a lot more. Two renowned world artists, Salman Ahmad and Samir Chatterjee coming together for the third time. An enriching musical experience from Raaga to Rock

When: Thursday, December 03, 2009 @ 6PM
Where: Jewel Of India – 15 W 44 St, New York, NY 10036

If you haven’t caught them in concert already, we strictly advise you to put this on your Holiday list.

Event Details: Saturday, November 7th starting 5:00pm @ Fine Arts Facility, Westlake High School – 4100 Westbank Dr, Austin, TX.
More information: Aid India, Austin

Event Details: Sunday, November 8th starting 4:00pm @ Chabot College – Performing Arts Center, Building 1300 – 25555 Hesperian Boulevard, Hayward, California 94545
More information: http://roobaru.org/

Vishwa Mohan Bhatt also known as V. M. Bhatt, is a fine exponent of the Indian slide guitar. Infact, Bhatt is the creator of the Mohan Veena. One of India’s premier Hindustani classical performer has won a Grammy Award too! He received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1998 and the Padma Shri in 2002.

Bhatt is best known for his Grammy winning album A Meeting By The River with Ry Cooder and other fusion and pan-cultural collaborations with Western artists like Taj Mahal, Béla Fleck and Jerry Douglas. He has collaborated with the likes of Eric Clapton at the 2004 Crossroads Guitar Festival.

Folk musician Harry Manx, who studied with Vishwa Mohan Bhatt for five years, plays a Mohan Veena. Counting Crows’ Bassist Matt Malley also plays a Mohan Veena and is a student and friend of Vishwa Mohan Bhatt.

Salman Ahmad is the phenomenal guitarist, composer and the soul of the musical group Junoon. Since its formation in the early 1990s, Junoon has become a phenomenon in the South Asian music scene and beyond, performing all around the world and spreading their fan base across the globe at a rapid pace. Only a few bands have seen the kind of success they have experienced.

Ahmad, with Junoon, has been increasingly involved in humanitarian efforts, including playing at events such as the Building Human Rights Culture Gala, the Empower Peace program with students in Pakistan, and fundraising for Hurricane Katrina victims. Most recently in coordination with the UN, Ahmad joined relief operations for the October 2005 earthquake victims in northern Pakistan.

Daniel Weiss started playing the drums at the age of 6. He has performed and/or recorded with several artists of international acclaim. He has also played in South America and Asia and has recorded for Omnitone, Fresh Sound/New Talent, Arabesque, Pi, Criss Cross, Between The Lines, Act, Hat Hut, and Auand record labels. Dan has been studying tabla for the last nine years exclusively under the guidance of his guru Pandit Samir Chatterjee. Weiss has two recordings under his own name.
Dan will also start contributing articles to modern drummer dealing with Indian rhythm and its applicability to western contexts.

Samir Chatterjee is a virtuoso tabla player. He travels widely across the world throughout the year performing in numerous festivals as a soloist or with other outstanding musicians from both Indian and western musical traditions. All of his teachers have been from the Farrukhabad Gharana (school) of tabla-playing, which he now represents. He has performed at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway on December 10th, 2007. His compositions as well as his writings are widely acclaimed.
Samir Chatterjee has been teaching for the last 30 years and many of his students are established performers. He is the Founder-Director of CHHANDAYAN, an organization dedicated to promoting and preserving Indian music and culture.

Catch them in performance on:

Saturday, November 7th starting 5:00pm @ Fine Arts Facility, Westlake High School – 4100 Westbank Dr, Austin, TX.
More information: Aid India, Austin

Sunday, November 8th starting 4:00pm @ Chabot College – Performing Arts Center, Building 1300 – 25555 Hesperian Boulevard, Hayward, California 94545
More information: http://roobaru.org/, Aid India, Austin

The band were one of the first bands in Pakistan to insist on playing live music where most music was sampled and programmed synthpop. Junoon’s music is based upon issues in the world.

One of the legendary tours that Junoon had undertaken was their tour to Denmark and Europe in 2000-2001 which played a pivotal role in increasing Junoon’s international popularity and standing and in spreading awareness about Pakistani music.

When Junoon plays, you better be there!

• When: October 01, 2009
  Where: Kaufman Auditorium – 611 North Front Street, Marquette, MI 49855
• Salman Ahmad to Perform on United Nations Day!
  When: October 23, 2009
  Where: The UN General Assembly, New York
• Salman Ahmad at Kalamazoo!
  When: November 22, 2009
  Where: Venue details coming soon
• Salman Ahmad, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and others @ Milan
  When: Saturday, November 7th starting 5:00pm
  Where: Fine Arts Facility, Westlake High School – 4100 Westbank Dr, Austin, TX.
  More information: Aid India, Austin
• Salman Ahmad, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and others @ Roobaroo 2009
  When: November 8th starting 4:00pm
  Where: Chabot College – Performing Arts Center, Building 1300 – 25555 Hesperian Boulevard, Hayward, California 94545
  See Roobaroo 2009 for more information