Al-Qasar (with guest Lee Ranaldo)
Counterpoint Series
Thursday, September 26, 2024
Brooklyn Bowl – 61 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn
Doors: 6 PM | Show: 8 PM (opening act TBA)
Tickets: $25 – Member Benefits Apply – Member price: $20
21+
Co-presented with Brooklyn Bowl
Al-Qasar, a band formed by Moroccan vocalist Jaouad El Garouge and French-American producer and guitarist Thomas Attar, is known for a sound they call “Arabian fuzz”, described by The Financial Times as “an intoxicating, highly torqued vision of a psychedelic Arab culture”. Their signature sound layers hypnotic Arabic and Berber vocals over gravelly guitars and North African instruments. Their most recent critically acclaimed album Who Are We? features collaborations with Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra and Sudanese singer/songwriter Alsarah (Alsarah & The Nubatones), along with guitarist Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth) who will join the band for this show.
Uncut magazine praises Who Are We? as “a gutsy debut” filled with “passion and outlaw swagger” and Songlines notes that “a heavy rhythmic imperative sits at its heart…global in its reach and compelling in its urgency. ★★★”
The COUNTERPOINT series focuses on contemporary artists who push the boundaries of what “world music” can mean in the 21st Century.