Qayaas: Metal-Mania Debuts in Pakistan

The last year or so has been by far one of the most interesting and crazy for me as far as music is concerned. I've started composing again although royally suck at it but somethings better than nothing, I guess. Also, I've had the opportunity of delving into genres other than Heavy Metal, Rock n Roll and Blues. However, every time I did go down that road, always ended up listening to over-driven guitars and headbanging music which apparently noobs called noise. Yes, you...YOU are a noob if you call the likes of Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen and Black Sabbath, noise! 

Pakistani Rock has evolved over the last decade or so. There were a few very promising bands that broke into the scene in early 2000s; Aaroh and [eP] being one of the most prominent of them. Both outfits were extremely talented and could've gone on to do wonders had they stuck on together; wasn't meant to be, they were just another 'one-album' wonders. For the record, I think Aaroh's second album sucked and without Nabeel Chishty on guitars, it was just not Aaroh. On the other hand, the break-up of [eP] was even more saddening. Around that time another Rock band came into the picture; Call. They were impressive at first, playing some hardcore alternative rock music but was, sadly, short lived. What happened to Call was much more tragic than a break-up; they lost their bollocks and became the Pakistani version of Backstreet Boys. 

I could go on and on about a zillion Pakistani bands who would've done so amazing had they continued to make the kind of music they initially intended to, but I won't. Instead, I'm going to talk about a new band that has caused quite a raucous in Pakistan of late, 'Qayaas'. 

The one and only reason why Qayaas caught my interest was the beast on vocals; Umair Jaswal. I listened to Umair sing for the first time back in 2006, I think, at Islamabad Club auditorium. He was with a band called Silversmoke at the time and I vividly recall them covering GnR's version of 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door' and 'Sweet Child O' Mine'. I, too, was in a band then, 'Aaraiz' and somewhat prided myself as being a pretty decent vocalist within Islamabad's underground music scene at that time. But then there was this beefed up character, full-on attitude with a downright throaty, hoarse made-to-sing-metal voice mimicking Axl's antics and actually bloody well pulling it off. Umair Jaswal had blasted himself onto center stage with a bad-ass attitude found so desperately wanting in Pakistani bands. Needless to say, I was absolutely impressed. 

Soon after, Silversmoke released their first single, 'Zakham', and I traveled to Australia to pursue a Masters. They went onto to release another single, 'Soch' and that was it from Umair until 2009. During that time I was too busy with University and was not too keen on listening to songs by new Pakistani bands; they were all pretty darn disappointing and reminiscent of our very own version of Justin Beiber, 'Atif Aslam'. However, I was asked by a friend to listen to two new songs by a band called 'Qayaas'; 'Tanha' and 'Umeed'. 

I still remember the chill down my spine when I listened to Umeed! The build-up to the chorus was so beautifully done, blew me away. And then there were Umair's trademark heavy metal screaming backing vocals which he displays right at the end of the song as well. And then there were the guitars with a decent solo - which wasn't overdone which a lot of lead guitarists in Pakistan end up doing - beautiful licks and fillers throughout the song which made the song an instant hit with me. The second song 'Tanha' which was heavier of the two numbers, and lyrically richer as well. The vocals were a lot more raw and the guitars heavier; this song displayed the potential of Qayaas as one of the first Heavy Metal bands coming out of Pakistan after Mizraab, only much more refined, melodic and complete. 

Qayaas released their first album, 'Uss Paar' in April 2011. The Heavy Metal inclination I was teased with in 'Tanha' was given a massive steroid-boom right from the word go. The album is metal galore with songs like 'Uss Paar', 'Inquilaab', 'Halaak', 'Shehrezade' and especially the crazily heavy, full of aggression, rage and frustration 'Mera Wana'. I highly recommend everyone to give the album a listen; if you don't like it, please get your sanity verified or even better, kill yourself.  

I definitely hope Qayaas is not a 'one-album' wonder and do go onto release a lot more records. Its definitely one of the most complete Heavy Metal outfits to have come out of Pakistan. And the time is nigh for a second album. I wish the band good luck with all their future projects. Umair Jaswal, you're a goddamn beast of a vocalist, and one of the most talented metalheads I've ever known. You solely carry the Heavy Metal torch in Pakistan; don't drop it. Qayaas is destined for bigger and better things; keep at it. Metal forever \m/!

Until next time...

P.S. Ironically, Umair is teaming up with Beiber in the first Coke Studio Season 5 episode...oh shit, I said Beiber?? I honestly meant Justin...oh dammit...I mean...Atif Gayslum. Definitely wish Umair best o' luck, and Atif a sore throat :P. 

P.P.S. This post is dedicated to my friend, poco pinzone. Thank you. 

The 'H' Word!!

After a lot of skepticism (still some left), maswaq sessions (still more to come) and speeches, I have developed faith in the capabilities of the Khan in pulling off a miracle i.e. saving Pakistan from total obliteration.

Last time when I had an opportunity to cast a vote in Pakistan, I refused because of the track record of the Presidential candidates at the time. They were all corrupt right down to their core, and so were their subordinates. I don't think any one of us is privy to whatever's been going on in Pakistan all these years.

A pretty big part of this dirty chunk of politicians is now joining the Khan's team in hefty numbers; it's been increasing since the famous Lahore jalsa. Now whether these people are joining PTI for their own personal agendas or out of genuine faith in the Khan, the important fact is that Khan becoming the next leader of a nation, with ever-decreasing hope, is definitely a possibility. How the corrupt are dealt with by Imran Khan is yet to be seen. He, himself, is honest and has willingly declared his assets publicly. Besides, other political parties have been trying for a very long time to somehow throw some dirt on Imran Khan's credibility and honesty; they have failed to date, and will keep doing so. Based solely on this fact, its highly likely that anybody who works under him will most probably take a turn for the better, or wont be a part of the team for very long.

A new day will dawn on Pakistan when Imran Khan is elected as the leader. And I now desperately wait for the time when the Quaid's dream of a powerful Pakistani nation comes true. Imran Khan is here to lay the foundation for a better future, and then it'll again fall into our hands to make something beautiful out of it.

Life and death is in the hands of the Almighty. Whatever harm may or may not come to him is in His hands as well. Imran Khan, may Allah protect you and make you successful in all your endeavors. You are a breath of fresh air for so many who actually understand your worth.

Today I officially registered my vote as an Overseas Pakistani. Seemingly it isn't much but the feeling is actually exhilarating. There's something very different in the air; something that I'd never really experienced before when it came to the future of Pakistan. Hope, and it's beautiful.

Happy Birthday dear Quaid and a very Happy New Year.

God Bless!

P.S. Thanks Maulvi, Freaky and Pulsi for a very thought provoking discussion the other night. I still believe we shouldn't close our eyes to skepticism, it only helps in bringing out more answers.

No Substitute for Honesty

Sydney has been a very boring place of late. Eid outside Pakistan is anyways extremely dull and with every single person I know visiting Pakistan, it was far from being anything worth mentionable. Nevertheless, Eid came and went once more this year without any bakras (goats) or dummbas (lambs) being halalofied; so envious of everybody in Pakistan. But now things are looking brighter and more hopeful than ever; all those who left are slowly returning...woohoo!!

Julsi returned yesterday. He had been gone a month which basically means I've been off exercise for that duration but wait, I've been resting my knee so I can be in tiptop shape when we start our routine again. So anyways, once we had picked him from the Airport, we drove off to Maulvi's for an amazing breakfast, all thanks to Junior Bhabi and NOT to Maulvi. Everything was coming along nicely until Julsi declared that his travel wallet was missing. Following were the contents of that wallet:

- $8000 AUD

- Passport

- ID Card

- Credit and Debit Cards

- Driver's Licence

Pretty much his life! He had gracefully left it on top of the luggage trolley. It's amazing how easily smiles come to a person who has had that big a mishap. Julsi, composed and calm, called the 'Lost Property' office at the Sydney Airport. In the next 15 minutes we had been told where the wallet was and where to pick it up from. I'm sure the drive to the Airport under such circumstances wouldn't have been a joyride for poor Julsi in any possible way even though it was after shoving down parathas and bhindi (a day old). Nevertheless, everything was given back as is, and Julsi is whole again...yayy!

Needless to say, I'm impressed and have developed a new level of respect for these people. It's apt to quote Tiwanz here, '...agar goray kalma parh lain to inn kay lyay aik jannat main naya level banana parh jae ga....'; all of us laughed it off instead of actually being ashamed. The minute we figured out that the wallet had been left at the Airport, my main apprehension was that if a desi or a Paki has found the wallet, there's no way in hell Julsi's getting his money back. It would've been a perfect crime; clean as a whistle with no strings attached.

As heartbreaking, cruel and cold as it may sound, we are a nation of dishonest, amoral and corrupt people. I would personally shy away from dealing with Pakis for fear of being duped. The first opportunity we get to steal or make easy money, we run after it like a dog after bone. Why didn't Steve - from the Airport - decide to keep a thousand for himself? I'm sure he doesn't make millions at Toll Dnata's reception, and would've loved to buy himself a comfortable getaway trip to Port Stephens.

The sole reason behind Pakistan's turmoil is dishonesty and nothing else. We are a cursed nation due to our predilection for corruption. Can we please stop dreaming of revolutionizing Pakistan and change ourselves first? Imran Khan is a sorted out and focused character in his own being, are we? We love heroes and are extremely impulsive in 'making' them, but are we switched on enough to try and be one ourselves? If you want to save Pakistan, please save yourselves first.

I see good times ahead...for me; the lamb pulaos, BBQ's, Julsi's Chinese dishes and biryanis, Sehree's dahi bhallas and burritos. Sigh!! I'm hungry now, time for some food.

Cheers

Words with Friends

This is the second post I'm writing on Scrabble, or world related games; seriously, I need more stuff in my life to write about.

Anyways, I was recently introduced to 'Words with Friends' (WWF) by Doc, and it was him that I played the first game against. Before we started the game, Doc warned me not to cry if I don't get decent tiles to play with because that was how this game was. WWF is a bit different classical Scrabble. It has a completely different board layout, and most of the tiles have different points e.g. 'L' has 2 points instead of 1, 'J' has 10 instead of 8, and so on. It took me a while to adjust to the new setup but that I did to Doc's immense dislike, I'm sure. I don't think he was expecting me to give him a run for his money. Well, as it turned out I won that first game and plenty thereafter. Having said that, playing on a phone is very different from playing face-to-face with a board in between; I'm sure I would be smashed out of the park if that ever came to par.

There is one Scrabble player that I've never won against without cheating; the General! By far one of the best players I've had the honor of playing, and I owe it to him for introducing me to this game when I was a child. I still haven't been able to figure out how he makes those 7 letters out of nowhere. I miss playing Scrabble on a board since nobody I know likes the game. Fine, the game does require a bit of patience and can get boring if the only words you can come up with are three lettered but there's no harm in trying. I actually find it as a good way to wake yourself up in the morning.

Recently, I came upon a player from LA who calls herself 'thefiercebunny'. Now this is important (for people who haven't played Scrabble) to understand that winning is not exactly the main aim of the game; it's the experience that one has to take in and enjoy. I've played a lot of games against Doc and...well, I'll make an exception here...winning is the main aim :D. We'll take 'thefiercebunny' as an example. We've played a lot of games against each other with most of them being very close and high scoring; it's not even that which makes a great game. It's the challenge before every single move and the thought that goes behind it as to where to place the tiles for maximum points apart from the word itself, to give slight and subtle openings so that the game isn't blocked entirely, and to dread how badly would the other player finally smash you (the intimidation factor).

Board games are old news now; everybody carries a Smartphone with access to millions of games allowing one to revisit old times virtually. Games like Risk, Cluedo, Monopoly, and Scrabble are a mere download away now. Yes, you can get these games and play them as well, and it is very convenient as well, but is the experience there? I'm afraid not. Apart from street Cricket and other sports, board games were a source of entertainment for Pakistani children until video games came along and produced wehshi mummy daddies.

Nevertheless, Scrabble is something that I'll always cherish and continue playing; not against anyone and everyone but people who actually deserve to share this experience with me :).

Dear Doc, I love you and please continue playing Scrabble with me; that's my only channel to be in touch with you constantly, otherwise your scary to talk to.

Cheerios until next time!!

P.S. Welcome back Julsi...you were missed!!

Ramadan!!

Following are a few useful websites:

http://www.scholaris.com:
The entire collection of Dr. Israr's Tafseer-ul-Quran (commentary) in English and Urdu can be found on this website.

http://quranexplorer.com/:
This is an excellent website for everybody who wants to listen to qirat (recitation) along with its translation (Urdu and English) or only the translation as well.

http://alafasy.tripod.com/:
The link to my rock star :)...Mishary. You can find all the surah's recited by him on this website.

http://www.islamtomorrow.com/quran/:
You can download a PDF version of the Quran in English and tafseer (commentary) in English as well from this website.

May Allah guide us on the right path.

Scrabble anyone?!!!

INICTEH..can anyone come up with a 7 letter word? I did, and completely instinctively. It was challenged, and I ended up getting 5 extra points. I didn't know the meaning or origin or how to even use it, but nevertheless was a valid 7 letter. To come and think of it, I wasn't even sure if it existed or not, it just sounded one of those duh-challenge-it-if-you-like words.

Scrabble is just plain simply an amazing game. It's a very good pass time and at times really jogs the mind; 3 consecutive Scrabble games, a guaranteed headache!! I have come across some really weird words, especially those two lettered 'unfair' ones. I mean c'mon man, 'CH' is a word, or 'AA' is a word - the latter actually meaning 'flow of hot lava' or something like that.

There is one other word which actually got me into a fight with his highness, thy Hamster :D - 'QI'. He never used to play against me, maybe out of fear that he would lose and he'd discover that I was a deadly player...HA..no, definitely no. In fact, I do recall somebody higher up letting me know as politely as it can sound - 'Sufo, you just aren't that important'. Anyways, getting back to the incident, so here we were playing ourselves out, trying to outdo the other, going neck and neck, with only a few tiles at hand, and he comes up with, not 'EN or 'AN' or 'BE' or 'UN' or anyone of those zillion two letter words, but 'QI', and that too on a 'Triple Letter Score'. 'QI'?!!? It sounds more Punjabi than English or any other God forsaken language. Of course, i ended up losing the game and, in the process, my cool. But yea, just to get the record straight, 'QI' is in fact a word. It's pronounced 'CHI' and means 'life energy', in short.

For those of you who don't know - 'Q' has the highest points, 10, out of all Scrabble tiles, hence, a 'Triple Letter Score' would give the player 30 points straight away. So, bloody unfair, right?

Scrabble has been an integral part of my family's entertainment, along with trekking and hiking. Trips to Kalabagh meant a walk to Meran Jani, and loads of Scrabble to be played while basking in the sun. Oh, good old days!! Every single time we used to be pummeled by the General - experience!! Besides, he is a genius when it comes to this. I'm not sure if Hamster has had any success against him. As far as I recall, I've only been able to best him twice or thrice.

In the recent past, quite a lot of Scrabble has been played at 6/21. Mu'adib and Sakeena make a pretty decent team to play against. So far, the score is 5-1 in my favor. I had the pleasure of introducing this beautiful game to them with all those two letter controversial words. The rules and plays of the game are always met with such disbelief and shock combined with loads of 'nahi yaars'. It's always fun.

It's sad that there aren't a lot of people I can play with. I miss the old times, and soon will be playing against my old competitors again :). Till then, Scrabble anyone?!?!?

Oh, by the way, the 7 letter word was 'NITCHIE' - disparagingly offensive. :)

Cheers

'Sigh' - How bloody self-explanatory!

After almost a years hiatus, I'm back :). I started writing this blog solely concentrating on what used to be my passion - Music. However, the last one year has been a roller-coaster ride for me. Something inside me has changed, I know it and I'm still trying to cope up with it. I haven't written on my blog mainly because I just didn't know how to put my thoughts to words; there was just too much going on in that small head of mine.

Of late I feel things settling down, and my mind getting out of some sort of engulfing vortex of weird and crazy thoughts which I did know existed in as puny and dumb head as mine. Damage control...no no...reflecting...hmmm..close...not making any sense...YES.

Anyways, the main purpose of writing this excerpt is to rid myself off of the lethargy combined with some remote sense of inferiority that has come to reside in my very being. There is a lot to talk about and share; how that has to be done is the challenge. Am I suddenly scared of being questioned and not being appreciated for what I write...maybe.

Over the years, Hamster and Buddy have just been too supportive of every single crappy little piece I've been coining up, musically or otherwise. There are very few blokes I can actually rely on; the feeling of somebody having my back through thick or thin is just overwhelming. I love you guys.

Sigh!! That is one big load of crap I've written. Hopefully, I'll come up with something better in the near future. However, right now, I need to get back to my CDRs - another load of crap I'm writing to give worth to my all so superficial qualifications :P.

Cheers!!
Happy St. Skeletor's Day!! (I know I don't qualify but still...:P)