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Listen: The music of the Yellow Dogs, who were shot and killed this morning by an ex-bandmate

Many of us awoke this morning to news that an ex-bandmate shot and killed the remaining three members of Brooklyn dance-punk band the Yellow Dogs. As details emerge on the murder-suicide, the music of the Iranian band, which moved to New York in 2009, has been circulating online. The Yellow Dogs released the Upper Class Complexity EP in May of last year, and their record-release tour hit O’Brien’s Pub in Allston on June 30, 2012.

Here are some press notes and music embeds as we try to comprehend what exactly happened. Hat tip to Annie Zaleski for the links.

What SPIN said: “They may be from Iran, but they’re a badass, Gang of Four-influenced punk band with dancefloor-moving songs.”

What the Huffington Post said: “What repression can do for art: The Yellow Dogs are an amazing rock band in Iran, where rock bands are illegal, along with other important things that make life worth living. I don’t think I’ve felt this way about discovering a band since the White Stripes. My God– the Yellow Dogs are brilliant. You wouldn’t believe they could sound this good unless you’ve seen them live”

What AOL Spinner said: “If medals were given for determination and perseverance, the four young rockers of Iranian underground band the Yellow Dogs would now be standing proudly on top of the podium.”



And here is their full bio, re-posted in its entirety, written by Meghan Green. It circulated in a 2012 press release…

In 2006, the Yellow Dogs were born. These three native Persians from Tehran, Iran began to collaborate on creating a sound that is naturally raw, rock n roll, honest and completely illegal in their home country. First gathering in a hidden local park, this underground scene full of artists, skaters and fellow punk rockers became the watering hole of success for the Yellow Dogs and other local artists like the newly stateside band Free Keys, and street artists Icy & Sot. Having been described as a “bad ass Gang of Four influenced punk band” by Spin, they sound determined, a veritable riot of sound, dead set on raging. Consisting of Looloosh on guitar & synth, Koory on bass & keyboards, lead vocalist and guitars Obaash, and a rotation of drummers, these “brothers of the jackal” (slang for ‘Yellow Dogs’ in Farsi) began making moves.

This trio has travelled far from their past soundproof rooftop rehearsal sessions, top secret underground shows and hyper-restrictive home land. First publicly appearing in the Cannes Festival award winning film, No One Knows About Persian Cats, which followed the up-and-coming clandestine Tehran music scene they helped create, they were then exposed. Later teaming up with fellow local band, The Free Keys, they began building the only underground rock venue in Tehran. Thus allowing them to start developing a name – a daring one. “It was an illegal venue,” says Obaash, “anything illegal was legal there: A dance floor, no veils, smoking pot, booze, whatever you wanted.”

Migrating to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, USA in 2009 into a seedy 4th floor artists’ loft with no running water nicknamed the “Hazy Kennel”, they began recording their first four-song EP, In The Kennel with Keith Souza & Seth Manchester at Machines with Magnets (Battles, Deer Tick, Neptunes). Completed in the summer of 2010, the album freely executed their Clash, Modest Mouse, Kinks and The Rapture influences along with a fresh sound of urgency and “dance floor moving songs,” describes Spin. In 2011, the band struck gold when they found Pablo, a NY music pro, newly wed, human drum machine who performed and eventually recorded the most recent EP. Arash, drummer from brother band the Free Keys, later stepped in to assist with summer tours and future projects. Building a fan base by word of mouth, they started playing roof top parties, underground basement lofts, and even holding gigs in their own living room. The band then began touring music festivals across the country including SXSW, CMJ, Northside Festival, and Filter’s Culture Collide, boosting a status that would later open show-supporting slots for like-minded rockers such as The Black Lips, Thee Oh Sees, Art vs. Science & CSS. All this catching the attention of industry media like, The Rolling Stone and MTV, who openly noticed the unfiltered and organic edge that is The Yellow Dogs.

The group’s first EP In The Kennel, its authentic sound just being a sketch of the future and a small taste for what’s to come, has sparked rising expectations from fans and media. Releasing their 2nd EP, Upper Class Complexity in May 2012, after again teaming up with the notable producers at Machines with Magnets, the Yellow Dogs are planning to fulfill such expectations. The guys are also looking forward to an upcoming US tour in the late summer of 2012 and a “welcome back” titled show in Istanbul, Turkey later in the fall. Rockethub and eMusic, helping further promote this “DIY band”, has been assisting in the effort to raise funds for a world tour by matching money donated, and even shooting them a promotional video. Now creating in their modern-day, fully equipped music “factory” in Brooklyn with influential musician Ali Eskandarian, and Ali Salehezadeh, the band manager/label owner of Neverheard, Inc., the group is still learning to balance a new age rock n roll life style/business and whose turn it is to take out the trash. Although still faced with the constant daily struggle of rent, food, citizenship and their vices, The Yellow Dogs have still come a long way from the restrictions of Iran to the pavements of New York City. And it’s only up from here…

— by Meghan Green


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