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if medals were given for determination and perseverance, the four young rockers of Iranian underground band the Yellow Dogs would now be standing proudly on top of the podium. Since 2006, the bandmates have been secretly rehearsing five days a week in a tiny, soundproofed rooftop closet overlooking the streets of Tehran. At the risk of being jailed, flogged, or accused of Satanism, the Yellow Dogs have found their way to SXSW 2010 by traveling a path strewn with the debris of authoritative censorship and political boulders. Their illegal performances, crackling with the combustible heat of performing under a constant fear of being found by government crackdown agents, have served to inspire universally human and simplistically humble goals. Now, with new digs in a Brooklyn, N.Y. loft, Obaash [vocals and guitar], Looloosh [guitar and synth], Koory [bass and vocals] and Zina [drums] are ready and able to turn up the volume. Obaash recently took a moment to talk about the Yellow Dogs with Spinner.
Describe your sound in your own words.
It's an indie sound -- rock with heart. We're passionate about music. Some of it has elements of dance music. Some [of it] has elements of oriental music. It's always different. It's definitely our own style.
How did the band form?
Two of our members were originally with Hypernova. I used to go to their studio all the time. When Hypernova left Iran, their former members tried to make their own band. One day, they called me and asked me if I'd like to join. I said yes.
What are some of your musical influences?
Joy Division, the Kinks, Arctic Monkeys.
How did you decide on the Yellow Dogs as a band name?
At first we used to call each other yellow dogs. Yellow dog is Persian slang or Farsi for "brother of the jackal." One day we decided that would be a great name for the band because we always called each other that.
The Yellow Dogs were scheduled to perform at the 2009's SXSW, but couldn't make it. Has the wait been tough?
Last year we were prepared, but we had some passport problems that got in the way. Now we are still prepared. We are really ready to play. We are excited because finally, this thing is coming true.
Many of your songs understandably speak about government oppression, and there are also numerous references to American capitalism. How do you relate the two?
Our songs, we have balance between American capitalism and Iranian laws. They are always intended to be truly independent. Even in Iran you can sometimes feel the effect of American consumerism. But the main problem we have is the laws of the government. We want to break the borderline of the authorities and try to make music for ourselves, express our own style of thinking and way of living and being able to make our own music, not speak for everybody.
Describe your first show in America. What was that like?
The performance was really, really good. We had our first legal concert in Istanbul in January, and then [we had a concert] in February in New York. New York was a small local venue near to our house, and we made friends with the people there. The crowd was really chilled. It's totally different than the Iranian underground. In Iran, you feel the adrenaline from maybe the cops coming at any moment. The atmosphere was mind-blowing. Here, people come to hear your music, chill and relax. It was a good reception, and a much more comfortable feeling. Now we have a lot more shows to perform. All we want to do is to play our music.
What is your goal for the 2010's SXSW?
No one knows about the Iranian underground. We were in a movie that won an award at the Cannes Film Festival about the Iranian underground called 'No One Knows About Persian Cats', and that will be showing there too. We'll be there for the opening of the film and to play our show, [and] then in April we'll be back in New York in support of the opening of the film there.
http://www.spinner.com/2010/03/07/sxsw-2010-the-yellow-dogs
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