72 March 2014 www.bahrainthismonth.com SIMI KAMBOJ Basking in the glow of his January concert in Bahrain, Ala Ghawas is set to make his debut elsewhere in the region this year. On a Roll Bahrain’s home-grown talent Ala Ghawas has reason to be pleased with himself. The 32-year-old marketing professional has released his fourth album, Armor, that’s been well received in the Kingdom. In January, Ala performed at the Bahrain Fort alongside local band Likwid to a packed house of over 500 people. He now has two gigs lined up in Dubai and another in Beirut over the coming months. And if everything goes well, he will open for the Eric Clapton concert in March at the Spring of Culture event. Ala took up the accordion when he was seven and started playing the keyboard the next year, followed by the guitar and piano in his late teens. Fortunately, he went to a public school that cared a lot about music. “We were a band of around 50 kids between the age of six and 10. Many of us from that school are still in touch with our instruments,” he says. Ala’s generation grew up on the music of The Brothers, the only local band in the 1980s. He counts Pink Floyd, Jackson Brown and Jeff Buckley as major influences. While the intent to release an album was always there, it wasn’t until he went to Boston on a Fulbright Scholarship that he was able to cut his first album, Hums, a nostalgic take on childhood. He next released Whispers, a collection of romantic numbers, followed by Screams. “This album was lyrically a very angry record. One of the songs referred to a school teacher who told me to quit the school band and give up music if I was to go to heaven,” he says. “It features a single Roadie, which goes, ‘Dear God, don’t take me to heaven if there’s no rock and roll’”. Armor is his most mature work, he feels, a product of his learning and evolution of the last 30 years. With this album, he decided to collaborate with Likwid, who play most of the music. “The music industry has changed worldwide; it’s not about selling CDs anymore, but about getting noticed around the world with concerts and tours,” he notes. He has built his own recording studio and promotes his albums on platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, Sound Cloud, Amazon and iTunes in addition to the Virgin store. Ala feels artists in Bahrain have to struggle to get noticed by agents and managers because of the nonexistent music industry here. “While we appreciate the efforts made by the Ministry of Culture in promoting cultural events in Bahrain, we need more support for Bahraini artists. Not many local artists get to perform at platforms such as the Spring of Culture, where they’re sure to get noticed,” he says. He’d also appreciate feedback from critics. “While a lot of people have asked me for interviews, there isn’t much reviewing by the press here. I don’t mind being criticised as long as I get a feedback on my performance,” he adds. Ala Ghawas spotlightthismonth xxxxx The music industry has changed worldwide; it’s not about selling CDs anymore, but about getting noticed around the world with concerts and tours
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mjk0MTkxMQ==