Talking Music | Episode 1

Here’s our first episode of Talking Music featuring renowned Lebanese Solo artist / Guitar player / Composer Alan Azar.

Topics

00:00 Welcome
01:05 Leaving Lebanon for the U.S. / Motivations
03:04 New start in the U.S.
04:57 Easier to learn/know about music for the newer generation
05:34 Growing up listening to Rock/Metal music in Lebanon
06:16 Learning music on the internet vs VHS tapes
08:08 Picking up the guitar as an instrument
10:06 Getting into Metal music
11:02 One of the first Lebanese Prog bands ALIENZ (1999)
13:13 Learning music (books, DVDs, music theory, musicology)
15:28 Composing music
19:01 Defective Harmony (2008)
21:14 Music copyrights
24:42 Educating the Lebanese public about Metal
32:46 Music covers, Hotel California, hidden messages
35:30 THE KORDZ and GHOST
37:26 Sounding like yourself vs playing what’s hip
39:06 The Cosmologist (2011)
37:26 Sounding like yourself vs playing what’s hip
45:06 Instrumental music / featuring some vocalists
47:33 Performing your own music live
49:31 Wonders – Mysteries & The Archaeologist (2019)
54:53 Archeology, Baalbek and the biggest stone in the universe Hajar al-Hibla
58:25 COVID-19 lockdown in the U.S.
59:16 “High Expectations” single
01:00:15 Difference between Rock music fans in Lebanon and the U.S.
01:02:06 Music promotion in the U.S.
01:04:38 Youtuber or not?
01:09:46 Reaching audiences / Pay-to-play / new audiences
01:19:58 Outro