Sound Central: Rock Music in Afghanistan

Taking place across September and October, 'Sound Central' is the first rock festival in Afghanistan since Ahmad Zahir's show in 1975. The Taliban banned music when they controlled the country from 1992 to 2001, and radicals continue to threaten or harass musicians and modernists, not only in Afghanistan, but all over the region, from Iran to Uzbekistan. This global event, based in Kabul, hopes to build solidarity in a non-partisan, not even political, but simply musical way.

'Sound Central' is organized as a ‘stealth’ festival, meaning the day, time, and location of events will not be released until 24 hours beforehand, and the musician workshops are held privately.The festival also includes opening and closing events which take place in New York and Los Angeles in the US.

On the bill are all four rock bands that exist in Afghanistan, plus a number of rock bands from Central Asia, Iran, and Pakistan: Kabul Dreams (Afghanistan), White City (Kabul), Blurred Vision(Canada), District Unknown (Afghanistan), Ariana Delawari (Afghanistan/USA), Rich Poor Boys (Pakistan), Eklektika (Kazakhstan) to name a few!

Visit http://soundcentralfestival.com/ for more information.

Sound Central Musical Festival Teaser from Combat Comms on Vimeo.