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[OUR MAIN WEBSITE IS BEING REBUILT. IN THE MEANTIME, ENJOY THIS PROMOTIONAL SITE WHICH TELL’S YOU WHAT WE’RE ABOUT. PEACE AND CARDAMOM,  - THE CREW.]

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HUMANITARIAN BAZAAR MUSIC 

We created the Humanitarian Bazaar Music project to be the world’s first alliance of performers who risk their lives for music, primarily local hard rock, metal, punk, and hiphop groups who perform in war zones and places where musicians are threatened. 


HOW IS HUMANITARIAN BAZAAR MUSIC UNIQUE?

Although there are other human rights groups out there helping musicians, like Freemuse.org and Impossible Music Sessions, Humanitarian Bazaar Music produces projects aimed more at developing selected performers’ music business strategy rather than simply telling the world about their plight. Focused primarily on hard rock, metal, punk, and hiphop performers who are attacked, threatened, or facing extreme hardship, we provide music industry advice and produce collaborative projects aimed to help them eventually start to get paid to perform, to commission their music, and to sell their mp3s and merchandise like musicians in safer situations until they are able to get on a global label. That’s where you, the listener come in! Check out our music allies and hire them, commission them, and help them raise money to promote peace and music culture in tough parts of the world! 


WHAT HAS THE PROJECT ACHIEVED SO FAR?

Humanitarian Bazaar Music (originally HELO Media’s “frontline music alliance”) started off producing stories, videos, and interviews with musicians ranging from SIERRA LEONE’S REFUGEE ALL STARS to the DRESDEN DOLLS to HENRY ROLLINS for our pilot project, HELO MAGAZINE. We then joined COMBAT COMMS in producing SOUND CENTRAL, Afghanistan’s first regional rock festival and the world’s first ever “stealth” music festival, which included surprise concerts in war-threatened Kabul, Afghanistan. The festival in Kabul and our concerts in New York were covered by The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, WNYC Soundcheck, Stuff Expat Aid Workers Like, NBC,CBS, BBC, Reuters, and other media. 


WHO’S INVOLVED SO FAR?

Since then we have been producing rockumentaries, concerts, websites, music promo videos, and fundraisers with these frontline musicians and key allies. If you would like to contract musicians to perform at your event or commission their music for your project, please check out their links and let us know if we can help make the connection at HumanitarianBazaar@gmail.com: 


RISING STARS


KEY MUSIC ALLIES
  • ACRASSICAUDA  |  Iraq’s heavy metal band, based in New York
  • YULA BEERI  |  Post-punk singer, songwriter, performer of YXFM / Yula & The Extended Family, formerly of Nanuchka, World Inferno Friendship Society and Star Fucking Hipsters, New York
  • SALAH DONYALE  |  Somali music producer, songwriter, and entrepreneuer with Somali Public Radio, Minneapolis and Nairobi
  • ABBAS HIRAD  |  Somali music producer and singer, New York
  • BRIAN VIGLIONE  |  Rock star, cabaret punk drummer of The Dresden Dolls, Face of the Sun, and formerly World Inferno Friendship Society, New York
  • FERESHTA  |  Afghan-American rock, Los Angeles
  • GATO LOCO COCONINO  |  Stefan Zeniuk’s New York-based psycho-mambo ensemble, New York
  • ALSARAH & THE NUBATONES  |  Sudani soul and Nubian, New York
  • ARIANA DELAWARI  |  Afghan-American psychadelic folk rock, Los Angeles
  • RELIGIOUS TO DAMN  |  New York post-punk
  • PUTA DE CAVA  |  New York experimental post-punk
  • OPAL ONYX  |  New York experimental post-punk
  • EKLEKTIKA  |  Kazakh progressive / emotional guitar rock, Almaty
  • TEARS OF THE SUN  |  Uzbek funk, Tashkent
  • AFRO-SIMBA  |  Kenyan Afrobeat and support for Somali hiphop group Waayaha Cusub in Nairobi
  • SHLOMI LAVIE  |  Marcy Playground, Dolchnakov Brigade, New York
  • FREEMUSE.ORG  |  Music and human rights, Copenhagen
  • IMPOSSIBLE MUSIC SESSIONS  |  Music freedom performances, San Francisco
  • FRIENDS FOR BENEFITS  |  Concerts for causes, San Francisco
  • And many more [The order above is hard to explain, but if we explained it to you, it would make sense.]

Peace and amplifers,

    - The Bazaar


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PROJECTS INCLUDE



Live from Mogadishu  |  Waayaha Cusub’s Tour for Peace & Solidarity in Somalia and the African Horn

We’re partnering with the top Somali hiphop group, Waayaha Cusub, Radio Daljir, Somali Public Radio, and others to produce a documentary film and media package about Waayaha Cusub and their quest to rally Somali youth for peace through a live hiphop concert tour through Somalia to the most dangerous city in the world, Mogadishu. [See video above.]


Rock Freedom Concert Series

We produce concerts events in New York on behalf of the Sound Central Afghan rock festival, frontline musicians, and local arts communities. Future locations likely to include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Nairobi, and inside crisis zones. Performers and speakers so far have included Yula Beeri (YXFM), Acrassicauda,  Religious to Damn, The Casualty Process, Gato Loco Coconino, Opal Onyx, and Puta de Cava.


Sound Central  |  The Central Asian Modern Music Festival

US-side producer of the Afghan regional rock festival which took place in Kabul, Sept-Oct 2011. The Humanitarian Bazaar produced the advisory board, opening and closing night events, promotions, and some on the ground support in Kabul. Production secured rock ambassador Brian Viglione (The Dresden Dolls); performances by Religious to Damn, Gato Loco Coconino, Yula Beeri (YXFM), Opal Onyx, Puta de Cava; and speaking roles by Acrassicauda and The Casualty Process; and advisers Ariana Delawari, Fereshta, Impossible Music Sessions, Freemuse.org, and more.


Brian Viglione Virtual Drum Clinic  

Co-produced video conference led by Brian Viglione to help musicians in Afghanistan, Turkey, Brazil, and the US with percussion technique. It was videotaped and posted online, New York, 2012. Enjoy and learn from the Viglione Virtual Drum Clinic here. 


Humanitarian Bazaar Music Transitional Support for Musicians at-Risk

The Bazaar has provided some early transitional support to musicians in Afghanistan, Iran, and Somalia, primarily helping promote their promotional and fundraising efforts, and fingers crossed the Bazaar will do much more for people who risk their lives for music in tough places.


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