Black & White World | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

Black & White World

A Look Inside the Mind of a Musical Activist

36
Black & White World
Samon Rajabnik

Thanks be to the magic of social media, I had the pleasure of serendipitously connecting with someone over a thousand miles away who reached out to me about our shared stance on cultural appropriation. He happened to, over the course of just a few weeks, become one of my favorite humans. As the months progressed, I found I could relate to him and his life experiences on a much grander scale than I could relate to most others who graced my reality. His growing presence in my life has reassured me that there are indeed phenomenal humans out there who are actively shaping the world around them for the better. This particular person, Salar Rajabnik, shares his brilliance through the art of music. He is the embodiment of authenticity, something that seems so rare in American society these days. His pursuit of emotional liberation and creative expression, although daunting at times, manages to live innately within the deepest layers of his existence and his life’s work. His desire to bring awareness to social and political issues of injustice in inequality is admirable and inspiring. He's truly a diamond in the rough.

Salar's multicultural/Persian influences, along with rock & roll and R&B, has shaped his flourishing musical career. With Salar not arriving in Denver (for a short stay) until May, I imagine if he were physical present for this, we'd be sitting down for black tea or red wine, listening to Miles Davis on vinyl and enjoying each other's sarcastic banter before the interview. Instead, we connect from afar as we always have.


Jasmine: Let's just dive right in. How did your musical journey begin and how did it progress?

Salar: It began at 12 when I started playing bass, then from there learned other instruments & started writing mostly on guitar. Kinda always was very sensitive to music & really affected by it but started playing at 12.

Jasmine: Let's discuss current projects.

Salar: The vast majority of my time & energy is spent on my own music, my own songs & writing. Formerly was under the band name Moon Age but that band disbanded & dissolved so now continuing under “SALAR” moniker. But I also play guitar for Minnie Driver live whenever she takes breaks to do music & produce. And I play with many friends & colleagues... have been working with Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick on the Rock Your Speech autism awareness project & with good friend Warren Pash (who wrote Private Eyes for Hall & Oates) on a forthcoming split release & shows. Also been out on the road tour managing Quiet Life.

Jasmine: Sounds like you’re a busy dude doing busy things. Do you have any major passions outside music?

Salar: I do, I feel that music is sort of the avenue of expression that chose me in a way. I mean I do feel I chose it but I also feel it chose me. It’s interesting to me to think about how for many artists, including musical ones, their intention & passions (or lack thereof) are reflected by their art or music. For me I’ve always been moved by art with intention or emotional expression of some kind. So when I started playing I wanted to provide that same feeling I got from so much of the art & music I admire. And part of that is that I have always felt involuntarily possessed by what Reinhold Niebuhr referred to as “sublime madness” in the search for “perfect justice” (page 32 of his book “Moral Man and Immoral Society: a Study in Ethics and Politics”). I suppose you could say that my social or moral or political convictions give way to my expression through music.

Jasmine: So, essentially, much of your music is considered a form of social activism, in a sense. You’re clearly informed and invested in world issues - and have the desire to make waves, or at least do your part in awakening some minds with your music.

Salar: The feeling that the downtrodden or subjugated should & must be defended & those who practice acts of injustice & wrongdoing should be confronted is a deeply rooted concept within my consciousness. So as a result of that I am quite passionate about all of the things that sort of help inform that context: History, philosophy, linguistics. The practical methods of understanding power & how the world actually works. The easiest way to sum this sort of ethos up is to refer to the title of Chris Hedges’ most recent book - Wages Of Rebellion: The Moral Imperative Of Revolt.

I feel that primal imperative & consider myself to be within the same rank & file ideologically as many of the great protest singers of the past.

Jasmine: A present salute to protest singers of the past…and future. Feeling and hearing your passion is likely incredibly inspiring for budding musically-inclined activists. I wonder if it’s ever overwhelming to be so politically-charged all the time in your work.

Salar: I don’t only sing politically-charged songs, I have plenty of tunes about mundane daily experiences which are all too real & important, things which every person experiences. But music is my primary method of delivery of message & the message is clear: to be virtuous & fight the inequality & injustice in the world around us one must personally heed the basic moral imperative of revolt. For me that often involves writing & playing about such issues in a way that hopefully makes a real impact.


Jasmine: Nailin' it. Thanks for sharing all of this, you brilliant, brilliant man. Let’s talk about influences. Where do you draw inspiration from?

Salar: Musically it was always very classic stuff. Initially, I played bass only so I would lock myself in my room with a little boombox & teach myself to play along to mostly old funk & R&B records. So the motown stuff, old soul like James Brown, & eventually stuff like Prince. Once I started branching out to other instruments & writing melodically I really gravitated toward the British Invasion sound of the 60’s & classic bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Kinks. I always felt that they were grounded in the tradition of black American roots music but were adding a European melodic sensibility, plus they were just so damn cool aesthetically. Those bands really influenced my visual style. Lyrically once I started writing I really started drawing more from the classic poetic singer songwriters like Bob Dylan & Neil Young, etc. To this day they serve as great inspirations but I draw a lot of modern influence from figures such as Chris Hedges, Cornel West, Noam Chomsky, etc. I think the thing that the classic soul and rock & roll bands seem to have in common with seemingly unrelated figures like Hedges & the like is that they all are providing social commentary on their surroundings. Or at least were, at the time in the case of some of the classic musical acts. The sixties were a tumultuous time of great social progression & it’s reflected in their music. People were expressing themselves in ways they never had & there was a desire to push that envelope for the sake of progress & exploration. Obviously someone like Chomsky is progressive in a totally different context but he is still pushing the boundary of what is considered to be acceptable for the sake of bettering society & humankind. And of course I can’t not mention the ingrained & culturally native influence of my Persian roots & culture. I am lucky to have been born into the culture of the great mystic poets Rumi, Hafez & Saadi, so their immense esoteric impact on the world and on me cannot be stressed enough. They were masters of spiritual, dogma-free prose that was so pure & beautiful, and now centuries later their work is still as relevant as it’s ever been. They are a constant north star to look to.

They found a way to tap into something that was simultaneously mystical & grand while still being rooted in the primal organic beauty of nature & basic human existence.

Jasmine: Their work has had a profound impact on my life as well. Are you open to talking more about merging activism and music?

Salar: Absolutely. Yes, and that's actually the main thing I'm working on for this next "wave" of my career. When I started production on my new record last year, I was sifting through my notebooks & realized just how much I had written about issues relating to “activism” so to speak. I intentionally selected several songs from that bunch & was very aware from square 1 of starting this project that I wanted to prominently feature my activism or social commentary on this new album. Part of why it’s not out yet is because, despite being musically finished, I want it to be released in a meaningful way & be presented with a clear message & high level of production quality. So as an independent artist it’s just taking me time to prepare it for release the way I see fit.

Jasmine: Speaking of being an independent artist... the struggle for success as a musician is well known. Has this ever affected your dedication/determination? Have you ever experienced a “dark night of the soul” in regard to the patience and stamina needed to pursue these passions?

Salar: Absolutely, it’s a constant struggle. Feeling like your life’s purpose is to deliver this message & then facing every possible roadblock is incredibly discouraging & difficult. I’ve described it before to people by saying that it’s almost like I don’t have a choice. I feel possessed by the innate need to express this message. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it, being on stage or in the studio letting it all out is the best, most aligned feeling in the world. But the logistical difficulty of being able to do that in 2016 is so immense. In a time in which anything beyond surface vapidity seems to be discouraged & people do not pay for music or value the process of intentional & non ironic creation, there’s not a lot of space left for people doing things the way I do them.

Jasmine: I can imagine it’s often a whirlwind of emotion.

Salar: It is really hard a lot of the time. Depression & discouragement are a serious struggle & I think my belief in the message & music is the only thing that keeps me going. It also bothers me that many people today assert that simply having a social conscience & not being an intentionally ironic & vacuous artist that spends a lot of energy on fronting an “I don’t care” attitude is rewarded while many people who do not put on an act & are more motivated by expression than by image are left in the wake.

Jasmine: Absolutely.

Salar: It really reflects society at large today. Kinda the Aristotelian Mimesis concept...the “art imitates life” thing.

Consumers have been trained to value the "fast food" stuff more than the stuff that took more time & energy & intention to create. So much of what is allowed through the channels of distribution is the musical equivalent of fast food: cheap, fast, tasty going down but so incredibly devoid of any real nutritional value.

Jasmine: Yes, 100%. The sweet evolution of human consciousness seems to be on a regressive backslide. But no matter. Let's talk progress. Let's talk about your new album.

Salar: Yeah, so it’s a collection of songs from my writings over the past few years. Some deal with basic things we all experience in the day to day like broken hearts & feeling jerked around by people. Some deal with broader concepts like the ones I’ve mentioned. Social issues & the like. The theme of the album comes from the title track, Black & White World. I wrote the verses to it I think in 2012 & they sat for years. It was originally written about depression, as an analogy for feeling everything is bleak around you. When I dug it up last year & was playing it again it hit me in a whole different way....as a double entendre sort of thing where it seemed to take a really strong literal connotation as well as commentary on the recent resurgence of realization around racial & social inequality.

Jasmine: And from previous conversations we’ve had, I recall you mentioning a song with a sample of Noam Chomsky’s words.

Salar: The song sort of quickly became the overall centerpiece of the record. There’s an instrumental breakdown about halfway through & in production I felt it needed a spoken word sample. David Wright (engineer & co producer) asked me who or what I heard. I thought about it & said “I mean, Noam Chomsky but yeah right.” I emailed Noam expecting nothing, and he actually wrote back & gave his blessing to use his voice & words.

Jasmine: I know how much Noam inspires you, that must have felt really incredible. How’d you come to decide which sample to use? Is there a specific significance to what you chose?

Salar: I had so many examples of his I could’ve used but the one I went with was from a speech he gave & i just thought it was a pertinent statement in the midst of the context of the song.

Jasmine: Wonderful. It’s been really cool getting to know your style over the past year or so...So touching on Black and White World and speaking of depression, I'm sure you often feel like the metaphorical black sheep since the music industry is essentially dominated by vapid, talentless "musicians."

The second you say anything of the status quo that's ACTUALLY revolutionary or just different, you're immediately blacklisted & relegated to the lunatic fringe.

Salar: The entertainment & music industries are not unlike any other field where corporate conglomerates dominate & dictate the market, seeking cheap & easy products to churn out for profit. Take for example the terms Americana or Indie. They used to refer to truly alternative genres of music that were not within the spectrum of what was considered marketable or desirable. Now, those words have a totally different connotation in that they refer to commercialized & watered down versions of what they once were. It's much like politics: As long as you fit well within the narrow spectrum of what's allowed, you're okay. So because I don't back down from my creative vision when it comes to the music & the content, I often feel like a pariah just for sticking to my guns & not writing flavor of the week stuff for a free ride. That said, I feel like more & more people are getting sick of what's being force fed to them & hopefully those are the people that this new record will resonate with.

SALAR’s newest album (in the making) is titled Black & White World. For release dates and more information on Salar Rajabnik’s numerous projects, check out his website: www.salarrajabnik.com.
Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
girl holding phone
NYCPRGIRLS

Now that it seems “talking” is the new way to date, and will stay that way until another idiotic term is used to describe the people who can’t settle down and just date someone, I feel as if it’s time to go over the unwritten rules of “talking.”

Rule 1. Having feeling without feeling.

Keep Reading...Show less
The Stages of Having FOMO in College
iamthatgirl.com

Are you one of those people that gets super upset when you miss out on anything? Well, you may have FOMO, or fear of missing out. In college it’s not hard to experience FOMO every once in a while. You just love doing everything and anything, so hen you have to miss out on something it's the worst possible thing in your mind. Whether you’re sick, have to work, or have so much work to do you could cry – FOMO will hit you hard in college.

Keep Reading...Show less
Vivien Leigh
Revelist

I've lived a whole 21 years with an RBF (Resting Bitch Face), so naturally, I go through most of these struggles on a daily basis.

And before you ask, yes I'm fine. No, I'm not mad. This is just my face, so take it or leave it! To those of you who have been #blessed with an RBF, you'll probably relate to these more than you'd like to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Iconic Duos: Timeless Legends

From Luke and Leia to Beyonce's twins...

774675
Luke and Leia from Star Wars, a iconic duo
Lucasfilm

“Name a more iconic duo... I'll wait." OK, well, if you insist. In no particular order, here's a list of 100 iconic duos that seem to be timeless.

SEE MORE: This Is The ICONIC Disney Sidekick You Are To Your BFF, According To Your Zodiac Sign

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

A Candid Letter to My Best Friends Ex

Because this is the real form of torture you deserve.

870
middle finger
Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

What's up Asshat,

I've composed a list of things that I wish upon you, and they're harsh and cruel. These things are things that I wouldn't wish upon my worst of enemies, not even that Starbuck's barista who always screws up my order, not even him. You fall into a whole other category of hate. You surpass Starbucks barista. Congratulations, I'm actually a pretty nice person, making you worthy of every single bit of torture I wish upon you. What are these things I wish upon you you might ask?

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments