The Kominas
| The Kominas | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Genres | Punk rock, taqwacore, funk, alternative |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Labels | Poco Party |
| Associated acts | Dead Bhuttos, The Fatsumas, Notable Drew, Sunny Ali & The Kid, Cool Feelings, The Saturnines, Kelly Milk |
| Website | www.komin.as |
| Members | |
| Basim Usmani Imran Ali Malik Sunny Ali The Kid |
|
| Past members | |
| Karna Ray Arjun Ray Shahjehan Khan |
|
The Kominas are a Pakistani-American Desi punk rock band from New York City. The band currently includes Basim Usmani (bass), Imran Ali Malik (guitar), Hassan Ali Malik (guitar) and Abdullah Saeed (drums).
Contents |
[edit] History
The first Kominas' song ever released was "Rumi was a Homo (But Wahhaj Is a Fag)", by the website Muslim Wake Up! in response to then recent homophobic comments made by the Imam Siraj Wahhaj. In 2007, The Kominas pressed 2000 copies their first album, Wild Nights in Guantanamo Bay, which is now out of print.
In 2010, The Kominas released a 7-song E.P. entitled Escape to Blackout Beach, and a documentary that follows the early history of the band entitled Taqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam was released.
[edit] Media attention
Since the beginning, The Kominas have piqued the attention of mainstream media. The Guardian called their music "irreverent and un-PC".[1] As the L.A. Times put it, "The recognition that the [Kominas] have gotten is a Catch-22 for them: While they welcome the attention from both the mainstream media and the blogosphere, they resent that the focus has been more on the Muslim angle than on their music."[2] CNN wrote "Many conservative Muslims may peg [The Kominas] as heretic for their suggestive and irreverent lyrics. But the musicians say they are just trying to show both cultures how broad the spectrum of belief can be."[3] The band has expressed frustration with the lack of quality music journalists covering their work.
Music by The Kominas has been used in films like The Taqwacores and Slackistan.
[edit] Discography
The Kominas' debut album, Wild Nights in Guantanamo Bay was released in March 2008, and was cited among the top ten CD's of 2008 by Boston Globe reviewer Siddhartha Mitter.[4]
On June 15, 2010, The Kominas released a 7 song E.P. entitled Escape to Blackout Beach through a special site on their website.
[edit] References
- ^ Guardian: Islamic Street Preachers
- ^ Abdulrahim, Raja (August 12, 2009). "Nevermind the Islam. The Kominas are punk". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2009/aug/12/entertainment/et-muslim-punk12.
- ^ CNN: Punk meets Islam for new generation in U.S.
- ^ Siddhartha Mitter's top CD picks of 2008, December 14, 2008. Retrieved on 2009-03-13.
[edit] External links
- Official Website
- The Kominas on Myspace
- Photostory by Kim Badawi
- Muslim Wakeup Article on the Kominas
- "Middle Eastern Popular Music" U. Arkansas Honors Colloquia Spring 2006
- "Never mind the Burkas" The Sun
- Skidmore Press release on "Music Against Hatred"
- Newsweek Piece
- Taqwacore Documentary Wins 2nd Place at Banff World Television Festival
- Rolling Stone Magazine
- BBC Newsnight
- PRI's The World
