STARBUZZ

Mickey Stardust

The Mekaal Hasan band is set to release a first ever full concert DVD. Titled Live at the Bahria Auditorium and courtesy ARY, the DVD depicts their older style of performing. According to Mekaal Hasan Band, the performance in the DVD is from 2005 and there have been slight changes in the line-up since then.

Another upcoming release from the band would be a video directed by Peshawar-based director, Zeeshan Parwez, on the MHB song, Hunsdun. According to Zeeeshan, the bits where the band makes an appearance were shot in Lahore last year. The concept of the video is focused around the Aghan refugees settled in the Northern Areas and their official repatriation which was supposed to have taken place sometime in 2005.

Shot in the tribal areas in the Khyber Agency with some of the footage from Bajaur, the video focuses around three Afghan friends who embark on their journey home. Coming up with the concept himself, Zeeshan says that the footage is very happy-go-lucky and goes with the overall theme of the song. The video is expected to be released on the airwaves shortly.

Overloading to new horizons

Masters of the unconventional — they came out with a mostly instrumental album, are a percussion-based band without a vocalist and have proven to all that this somewhat unconventional formula when it comes to the desi music market can work — Overload seems to be doing 'it' once again.

Taking the Sains place for a couple of their jam sessions and gigs has been Chet Paserella, a seasoned saxophone player who was previously teaching at The American School in Lahore. Having been in Pakistan for almost five years, Paerella has to his credit performing with the king of upbeat, high-energy performances, Bruce Springsteen.

Extremely happy about how the musical collaboration between Overload and Paserella is working out, according to Farhad Humayun, the drummer for Overload and spokesperson for the band, he might even be featured in Overload's second album.

Paserella isn't the only one Overload's been working with. According to Farhad Humayun, the popular model Meesha's vocals will also be featured on several tracks in their album. Preferring to sing in English, she has already performed with them in a couple of gigs.

"I didn't really plan it, and I've wanted to. I've been singing since I started talking. I like working with people who make my kind of music and share my kind of sound. I've been singing underground for a long time but I haven't been able to bring that out", she says on coming out as a singer.

On collaborating with Overload she says, "It's great because they're very polished and they're extremely trained and they know what they're doing. They're very good friends of mine as well and we have good coordination between us, which makes every session a lot of fun as well" —MS

photos:

—Zeeshan Parwez by Madeeha Syed
— Farhad Humayun by Amean J

First Published:
Images
May 27, 2007