Music You're Not Supposed To Hear

Yesterday on NPR, I heard a piece on something called The Impossible Music Sessions. It basically goes like this. A band in another country is imprisoned or threatened for playing, recording, or selling their music. Enter American band that wants to help. The American band will play a show for the oppressed musicians, Skyping the foreign band in to meet their fans. And by playing a show for, I mean they play all covers of the band being honored. The band featured in the piece was The Plastic Wave, an Iranian electronic rock band who is in and out of prison for playing their "western" music, which, by the way, is available for free download here. And it's not half bad. The singer is a bit pitchy sometimes, but if you can get past that, the results will be rewarding--rock and roll that actually embodies the old rebel spirit of rock 'n roll; music that is being created not for a profit, but for the love of the music itself. Even if the music wasn't as good as it was, I would still be a fan, just because of the idea of pure artisanship.

It got me thinking, though. If I lived in a country where I wasn't allowed to create the kind of music I do, would I still do it? I'd like to say I would, but I really don't know.

The full NPR story is here.