Rock ‘n Growl By Amr Hussien5 comments

Rock ‘n Growl
By Amr Hussien

Hi. I’m new here, which makes a lot of sense because Ink is a new publication anyway. However, since the Editor will be going through this article before it gets published, I will say that I’ve always been reading Ink and always wanted to write for it. Can we talk about my raise now? OK, let’s postpone that issue and talk about music instead.

I’m Egyptian and I know that in almost every country music is not really taken as a serious profession. But due to the conservative nature of the Egyptian society, things are more complicated here. If a young boy is asked “What would you want to be when you grow up?” and answered “a doctor” or “an engineer” he would be encouraged. The total opposite happens if the answer is “an artist.” Artists are even ridiculed by their own friends – until they succeed and prove everyone wrong!

A lot of people don’t even know that we have a very active rock scene here. Some think that rock emerged in Egypt in the 1990s, but let me tell that it was popular four decades earlier. Rock ‘n Roll was featured in old Egyptian movies, Elvis and the Beatles were loved by many people and various kinds of rock were hugely popular even back then.

Many rock bands were formed in the 1960s and some of which are still remembered, like The black Coats. By the end of that decade the rock festival “Sandstock” was held in Alexandria – the name was inspired by “Woodstock” as you might have noticed.

Two decades later heavier kinds of rock were big here. Youngsters were listening the likes of Metallica, Megadeth and even Sepultura. There bootlegged albums T. shirts were everywhere. A popular show on Radio Cairo was dedicated to these genres – the appropriately titled “Monsters of Rock.”

November 1993 saw Cairo’s first rock festival. It was catered to appeal to all rock fans, including those who were into the loud stuff. Thousands of them gathered at the Tennis Complex of Cairo Stadium from the early afternoon till around midnight to enjoy their favorite rock genres. They screamed along and head-banged to almost everything – even Pink Floyd covers!

Speaking of which, one of the best and most popular bands that day was Andromida, which had always been heavily influenced by Pink Floyd. Andromida was formed in the late 1980s and included some of the best musicians in Egypt. But the guys also covered songs by Deep Purple, Queen and more.

That was the first of a very successful series of festivals, which lasted for three years. Then, a devastating rumor spread out – rockers are Satanists! There was a time when any man with long hair, or even with a Chicago Bulls cap, was presumed a devil-worshiper by the public. Most people were brainwashed, not only by tabloids, but also by well-established publications and television programs. Many innocent rockers were arrested and after weeks of interrogations were released. This disaster was finally over in the summer of 1997. Naturally, many quit playing music and the remaining few kept a very low profile. Some said that they’ll switch to jazz playing because it’s safer. No more rock festivals were organized. Rock was a taboo and it wasn’t expected to be listened to again.

In 1998 one band emerged and was determined to change the wrong impression – the soft rock band MARCH. It didn’t only manage to revive rock at a time when it was regarded as a criminal act, but also this band was the first to play rock songs at the Cairo Opera House. It was a message sent to everyone, declaring that rock is played at the biggest and most prestigious venue owned and managed by the government. Although MARCH never played thrash or doom metal, the public was thrilled to have rock back in town and the band’s concerts were sold out. The fans included children, who were highly influenced to the extent that they later learned music and became musicians, like 12-year old guitarist Hatem El- Chiati. On the other hand, there were people in their 80s, who wanted MARCH to play Frank Sinatra too! MARCH knew that the 1950s Rock ‘n Roll was going to be cherished by elder members of the audience and loved by younger ones. There was something for everyone, even in the original songs of MARCH, which the band concentrated on. This band became the darling of the media with unprecedented exposure. There were even some rumors about the band and stories of it splitting!

Four years later, Andromida became one of the only two rock bands ever to play at the Cairo Opera House. Since then both bands have been playing regularly at the opera’s venues in Cairo and Alexandria.

Other bands were less fortunate – there wasn’t a proper place for them to play. No band in Egypt is popular enough to perform on its own at a stadium – such a huge venue will look ridiculously empty. Although pubs are constantly crowded with rock-loving people, they are still relatively too small to accommodate all who want to attend and also too expensive for some. Besides, many of the rock lovers are youngsters, who can’t stay out late. Finally, in 2003 a venue was inaugurated to present various kinds of arts and music, including rock. In fact rock is probably the most popular genre at this place – El Sawy Culture Center, which used to be a garbage disposal area under one of Cairo’s main bridges. At first the administration was very selective and the shows were of high standards. Superb performances by renowned as well as new and promising acts were given there.

One of the best bands is Screwdriver with its huge fan base formed of those who used to attend the band’s performances at pubs. Screwdriver mainly played classic rock.

Another band with a lot of potential is Helium, which has a rougher sound to its songs. This band gave a highly impressive debut performance at El Sawy Culture Center, recorded an original song or two, then mellowed down its sound by switching to soft rock and funk. That was mainly done to ensure regular performances at smaller venues that don’t allow heavy metal to be played.

As time went by, bands were required to audition before they were given the chance to perform at El Sawy Culture Center. Ironically the result was very disappointing. More and more mediocre bands were allowed to play there. In addition to this, the venue doesn’t provide the proper facilities, like reliable sound equipment or professional sound engineers. That’s enough to sabotage any concert and flush any band’s hard work down the drain. Even the financial agreement is unfair to the bands. As a result, some stopped playing there.

Another venue that offers better quality and terms is Azhar Park. However, rock concerts are rarely played there.

Currently there are dozens of rock bands and some of them are good, like Invaders, Fading Dreams and Sirens. Respectively, they play Iron Maiden, Megadeth and Savatage. One question remains unanswered – how long will they last? Despite the popularity of rock in this country, we could never compare it to pop tracks sung in Egypt’s official language – Arabic.  In pursuit of commercial success, many new bands decided to make original Arabic tracks set to rock music. Most of these attempts are pathetic but the bands are just after fame and fortune as Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing” goes; “I want my MTV.”

Few years ago, when one of the world’s biggest record companies established an office in Cairo, the administration claimed that they’ll support local talents, but… when they approached the singer of a rock band, they told him “Girls will love your looks. Gain some weight, leave your band and sing Arabic pop numbers. You will be a hot product.” Everyone knows that those people don’t care about music – they are only business people, but no one expected them to say things so bluntly.

On the other hand, many musicians switch to Arabic music just to make money. They play in the backing band of a third class singer, if not a belly dancer! Others quit music all together. Many of the ones I know fell in love with music at a very tender age, studied it in their teenage years, formed a band and started playing while in college. By the time they graduated they just quit and got day jobs. They turn to others who didn’t give up on their music and say “I really admire you for following your dream.”

But is it a dream or a nightmare? As much as I love music, whenever someone wants to study it asks me my professional opinion I just say “Forget it, unless you really believe in your dream and are willing to fight for it.”

I have to go now. It’s a long way from Pakistan to Egypt and I want to be home before it gets dark!

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