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Imaad Wasif | |
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Background information | |
Born | October 27, 1977 |
Origin | Vancouver, B.C. |
Genres | Goth-Folk Psychedelic rock, alternative rock, folk rock, experimental rock |
Occupation | Musician |
Instrument(s) | Guitar, Piano, Bass guitar |
Formerly of |
Imaad Wasif is a singer, guitarist and songwriter whose music combines elements of psychedelic folk and rock. Wasif's music has been described as "unbelievably intense with sparkling, raga-influenced guitar and a mystic bent." [1]
Wasif has released seven solo albums. He was the primary songwriter and guitarist in the slo-core band lowercase and also collaborated in the projects alaska!, Grim Tower with Stephen McBean, the Folk Implosion with Lou Barlow and the sci-fi concept band ACID.
In 2006, he joined Yeah Yeah Yeahs as a touring member, playing acoustic guitar, bass and synths. He performed as the supporting act for most shows. Wasif also wrote songs with Karen O for the soundtrack to Where the Wild Things Are (2009), most notably the song, "Hideaway."
His first self-titled solo album was released in 2006 on Kill Rock Stars. The record featured minimal, acoustic songs with psychedelic influences, reminiscent of Skip Spence's Oar and Syd Barrett's Opel , and was recorded by Mark Nevers in Nashville, TN. This record introduced Wasif's primary lyrical themes; love, madness, transformation, solitude, exploration of the spiritual, which continue through his subsequent albums.
Wasif's second album, Strange Hexes , was recorded in Los Angeles and self-released in 2008. The album is a "tense, trippy collection of songs that become fiercely emotional explorations." [2] The songs incorporate Eastern modal tunings and drones.
Wasif's third album, The Voidist, was released in 2010 on Tee Pee Records. Recorded in Los Angeles, The Voidist is at once "regal and exuberant. Its unique sonic tapestry is sprinkled with ragas, blues rock, and something totally new that exists at the apex of these varied influences." [3] Influences that Wasif has cited include Paul Bowles, Gérard de Nerval, Neil Young, CAN, John Fahey, Captain Beefheart, Jimmy Page, and Vilayat Khan.
In 2017, Wasif released "Dzi,". The album was recorded on a Tascam Cassette 8-Track Machine by Bobb Bruno, capturing a raw, live feel.
Wasif's album Great Eastern Sun was released on December 1, 2018, on Nomad Eel Records. This album was recorded earlier in 2013 but held back from release as Wasif deemed it "too dark and personal." In 2021, he self-released a compilations of rarities, demos and B-sides called "Afterimages."
His seventh album, So Long Mr. Fear, was released on Aug 9, 2022. Co-produced again with Bobb Bruno and mixed by Lewis Pesacov, the album was recorded remotely during the pandemic year 2021. The album features a vocal appearance by Karen O on the song "Poet Of The Damned". In 2023, the title track was remixed in collaboration with Money Mark and released as 'Mr. Fear, So Long'.
Wasif played the role of a British musician named Dean in the 2002 film Laurel Canyon , directed by Lisa Cholodenko. The film starred Frances McDormand and Christian Bale.
Solo albums
Bands, collaborations, and guest appearances
Solo contributions on compilations
Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O, guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are complemented in live performances by second guitarist David Pajo, who joined as a touring member in 2009 and replaced Imaad Wasif, who had previously held the role. According to a 2004 interview that aired during their appearance on ABC's Live from Central Park SummerStage series, the band's name was taken from modern New York City vernacular.
Kathleen Hanna is an American singer, musician and pioneer of the feminist punk riot grrrl movement, and punk zine writer. In the early-to-mid-1990s, she was the lead singer of feminist punk band Bikini Kill, and then fronted the electronic rock band Le Tigre in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Since 2010, she has recorded as The Julie Ruin.
Louis Knox Barlow is an American alternative rock musician and songwriter. A founding member of the groups Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh and The Folk Implosion, Barlow is credited with helping to pioneer the lo-fi style of rock music in the late 1980s and early 1990s. His first band, which was formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, was Deep Wound.
The Folk Implosion is an American band founded in the early 1990s by Lou Barlow and John Davis. It was initially a side-project started by Barlow to explore different territory than that which was being canvassed with his primary band at the time, Sebadoh. The name is a play on the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. The band was on hiatus from 2004 to 2020.
Russell "Russ" Pollard is an American rock musician, who has been a member of Sebadoh, The Folk Implosion, Alaska!, Everest, and the Calf Fiends, a trio fronted by Louisville-born writer J.D. Daniels which also included stalwart Louisville musician Tony Bailey, who died in 2009 at age 31.
Alaska! is an indie rock trio from the United States. The band was formed in San Francisco by Russell Pollard, Imaad Wasif, with Lesley Ishino later joining as drummer.
Deep Wound was an American hardcore punk band formed in 1982 in Westfield, Massachusetts. They released one self-titled 7-inch and contributed two songs to the compilation LP, Bands That Could Be God, both of which are sought after by fans and record collectors alike. The band influenced the Massachusetts hardcore scene and the development of grindcore.
Joe Preston is an American bass guitarist and a former band member of the rock bands Earth, Melvins, Men's Recovery Project, The Need and High on Fire. Preston has also played with Sunn O))), and has his long-running solo project called Thrones. In 2007, he joined Harvey Milk in the studio for the recording of Life... The Best Game in Town and toured with them during their 2008 US and European tours. He is currently serving as a touring member of Sumac. He is the uncle of actor Dominic Janes.
Thrones is the solo project of American bassist Joe Preston.
Chokebore is an American indie rock band formed in the early 1990s in Honolulu, Hawaii, and subsequently based in Los Angeles, California, United States. The group was active between 1993-2005 before taking a hiatus for 4 years. The group reformed in 2009 and is currently active. Over the course of the band's history they were most successful with European audiences, though are based and primarily toured in the United States.
Supernova is an American punk rock band, founded in Costa Mesa, California in 1989. The band has released three full-length albums, numerous singles and EPs and were part of the original 1995 Vans Warped Tour line-up. They are perhaps best known by wider audiences for their song "Chewbacca", which was featured on the soundtrack to Kevin Smith's 1994 independent film Clerks. They are also known for the song "Up & Down", which was performed in 2007 on the Nick Jr. children's show Yo Gabba Gabba!
Josh Garza is an American musician and drummer for the New York City–based rock band The Secret Machines, as well as the Los Angeles–based rock band EFG. Originally from the Dallas, Texas area, Garza formed the Secret Machines with brothers Ben and Brandon Curtis, and EFG with guitarist and vocalist, Imaad Wasif, later joined by bassist and engineer, Tom Biller.[1] He was part of the original lineup for the noise pop band COMET, and in the late 1990s, Captain Audio.[2]
The Sound the Hare Heard is a 2006 compilation of mostly acoustic arrangements by a number of singer-songwriters, both well-known and relatively obscure. Kill Rock Stars founder Slim Moon was the driving force behind the album, but not all of the artists on the album are signed by Kill Rock Stars; rather, the uniting factor of the compilation is the singer-songwriter status of each artist and various connecting themes between the songs.
The New Folk Implosion is the fourth studio album by the Folk Implosion. It was released on iMusic in 2003. In Europe, it was released on Domino Recording Company. The album was the group's first release without co-founder John Davis.
Sexy Pee Story is the sixth studio album by Minneapolis-based noise rock band Cows. It was released on March 23, 1993, by Amphetamine Reptile Records.
Imaad Wasif is the first solo album by the Los Angeles–based songwriter Imaad Wasif, released in 2006. The album was recorded in Nashville, taking only a week and a day and was produced by Mark Nevers. Wasif toured in support of the album as the opening act for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs in 2006 and 2007.
Strange Hexes is the second album by Imaad Wasif. It was self-released in 2008. It was recorded with his backing band, Two Part Beast.
Where the Wild Things Are: Motion Picture Soundtrack: Original Songs by Karen O and the Kids is the soundtrack album to the 2009 film Where the Wild Things Are. It is performed by Karen O and the Kids. It was released on September 29, 2009, in CD, LP, and digital download formats.
Lowercase was a band from Palm Desert, California, led by Imaad Wasif on vocals and guitar and Brian Girgus on drums. The band put out 2 full-length albums on the Minneapolis label Amphetamine Reptile before recording their last LP for Vern Rumsey of Unwound's label, Punk in my Vitamins. Tours with Sebadoh, Karp, Unwound, Hovercraft, Caustic Resin, The Lies, Faith No More, and Chokebore helped gain them a national as well as international following.
The Going Away Present is the third and final studio album by Lowercase, released on May 4, 1999 through Punk In My Vitamins.