Our New E.P ready for you on I-Tunes!

Hey everyone, our new E.P, 'There We Were Now Here We Are is ready for you to download on I-Tunes! Spread the word! Preview and get the tunes digitally here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/there-we-were-now-here-we-are/id343470389

Our own Paolo did all the art work! Tell us what you think.

Peaches,
Mo
zerobridge

New E.P Featured on AOL Music + MTV Concert and Feature!

Hey dear fans,
You can hear our entire new e.p as AOL Music/Spinner's featured new releases (till Nov 22nd) : http://www.spinner.com/new-releases#/18 We the only unsigned band in their featured line up! If you like what you hear, spread the word and tell us what you think of the new e.p!

We just played the gig for MTV Iggy at Vermillion that was pretty mental. Vid of the show here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMVVC80t7wY ;




MTV Iggy have featured one of our new tracks: http://www.mtviggy.com/video/exclusive-audio-zerobridge-how-long ;

Much Love,
Mohsin
zerobridge

Sold Out CMJ/Avaaz Show in Brooklyn

Hey everyone,

Friday we played a vicious set at for CMJ/ Avaaz's Indo-Indie Music Festival at Public Assembly along with the Bamboo Shoots and My Pet Dragon. We were all so excited to play and it was quite surreal to play a packed show in Williamsburg, BK when considering our last shows were in Morocco during our tour there in July.

Greg made faces and melted faces on bass. Din was an animal and rocked his aviators and sang like a pro. Paolo was cool as a cucumber on the keys and Jay had a big smile on his face during our song 'Dedicated'. I just was trying not to pass out on the kit after our second song.

Turns out that we had the joint at capacity and it was sold out! People couldn't get in! ( our show at BAM was the same too) Sucks for some but makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Thanks to all our dear friends, new fans, and other acts for making it a crazy night. We even sold our very own ZB t-shirts for the first time. They look bad ass.

Random notes: Polish told us that a very famous Polish pop star was in attendance. No, Polish did not get her number. And Aizaz told us "that indian guy from the office was there!" No Aizaz (of the awesome DJ Mixer Assassin crew) did not get his number.

Stay tuned for more shows, more madness, new record November 17th. We have a tune in Oren Moverman's new film 'The Messenger' with Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster, out mid November. We also playing a private party for MTV World on 13th.

Much Luv,
Mo

Zerobridge Tour Morocco!

HIGHLIGHTS VID OF TOUR


DAY 1: 1ST SHOW IN MOROCCO


DAY 2: CRAZY DANCE PARTY AT SHOW 2


DAY 3: ZEROBRIDGE ON MOROCCO RADIO!


DAY 4: CONCERT AT CINEMA RIF IN TANGIER--MAYHEM


DAY 5: PLAYING TO 5,000 MOROCCANS

Our Show at Brooklyn Academy of Music!

On June 12th we played a show at the prestigious Brooklyn Academy of Music at the BAM cafe for the Muslim Voices Festival. It was literally the greatest show we've played so far. We filled the room to capacity of about 300 people! We were told afterward that there was also a line out the door and a 45 minute wait to get in. It was rock n' roll heaven. There was such diversity in the crowd and we had them in the palm of our hands the whole night through. Many thanks to all those who came out. Brahim Figbrane played a great set as well. It was a glorious night indeed. Now it's off to Morocco to play some shows, teach music to kids, and travel through the Atlas mountains. We'll keep you posted. Here was the set:

Dedicated to the Haters of Song

2 Mins 5

The Shake

Suffering Moses

There We Were, Now Here We Are

Unrequieted Lust

How Long

All Places From Here

It Is What It Is

Late Bloomer

Havre de Grace

'How Long' in Morocco

The US Embassy's Office of Public Affairs invited me to do a workshop with some 55 children from several Moroccan villages. Most of the kids had never left their village before, or heard rock and roll, or met an American. I did not have any supplies, just my guitar, my two Moroccan friends Hicham and Najib, and one Jimbai drum.

I was terrified being that I did not have any trusted relationships with any of these kids as I have with the kids at Dar Lekbira childrens center. I barley speak Arabic, I barley play guitar, I had to work with 55 village kids, and I just gotten off a 5 hour bus ride from Tangier. I brought my talented friends who are MOroccan to join me in my workshop, which made it more open, real, and special. Hicham adn Najib were instrumental in the success of today's event. I gave a short speech in Arabic then I played 3 songs accompanied by Hicham on Kazoo and Harmonica and Najib on a hand drum. We did the Yeah Yeahs Yeahs: Soft Shock; Oasis; and our own Zerobridge tune written by brother Mubashir Mohi Ud Din, called 'How Long'. After playing the songs for the kids, we split the kids into groups and had one group drum a rhythm to the song 'How Long', another group sang the chorus which is "how long". Such was the first time many of the kids spoke English.

The Kids were magic and were so awesome and talented. It sounded great and it was such a trip to play music and have a chorus of Moroccan village kids singing along in a Zerobridge tune. The children were so open to try somehting new and were so happy to experiment with music. Some were shy, but then later they could not stop singing! The kids had a blast and wanted my autograph (even tho it aint worth nothing) and kept hounding me to take pics with them afterwards and were so grateful to just shake hands with me. I felt so honored. It was wierd but so humbling bc in fact I learned more from them. They could not stop singing the song!! They were super amped and they lifted my spirit and they show to all of us that no matter Arab or American, music is universal and we are all one. Our music arts initiative, Lollipops Crown, is really having an impact, thanks to these talented and brave kids.

Love,
Mohsin
Fulbright Scholar
Zerobridge

How Long in Morocco/ w. Kazoo Solo

Oasis in Morocco:

What is Lollipops Crown Music and Arts Initiative-Morocco?
Lollipops Crown is a multi-dimensional pilot youth arts/music education initiative founded by Radouane Arraoui and Mohsin Mohi Ud Din. Our program aims to empower children, (specifically those children identified as street children and orphans), and encourage them to pursue creative outlets to express and record their unique experiences and learn new skills. Music and art can be the avenue of not only inspiring the youth, but art can further be a bridge of understanding between America and the Arab world. Our workshops will combine education in film animation, music, photography, painting, and dance workshops. The outcome of our workshops will be a number of short-animation films produced and scored by the children. At the conclusion of the workshops, the art and music produced by the children (photos, paintings, and the short animation film) will be on display and sold at a series of events for the associations of DARNA and Dar Lekbira and the Rabat Children's Hospital.

At the end of the workshop I said in Arabic, " I am from America and you are from Morocco, but the language of music is the language of the world. We are one and in this together." Cheesy but true. Sounds cooler in Arabic. See below:

METAL MUSIC MOROCCO: Interview w/ Arab band: Wanted

Hey world,

Mo here from Zerobridge and current Fulbright Scholar, reporting to you from Tangier, Morocco, exploring today's question, "Do Arabs rock?" Yes, they do. I witnessed a crazy show by the Moroccan Metal band called WANTED in the Cinema Rif. The place was packed. Young Arabs wearing crazy hoodies and Korn and AC/DC t-shirts, rocking out.  The young Arab rock fans here are no different from the routy, bored, confused teen rockers in America. Yet, there is something really cool and special about seeing a girl wearing the conservative head covering (Hijab) who throws up the universal Metal/Rock sign with her hands! Such is not your typical image of Arab, Muslim youth, yet the Arab world is dynamic and rich and in the world of music and art, Western and Middle Eastern actually can co-exist and communicate with one another, case in point: Metal music, (music originating in West), being played by young Arab-Muslims in Morocco. Or even visually, you can see this when you see a young Arab metal head walking around in a Korn t-shirt. I asked the band about the status of Rock music in Moroccan-Muslim society and also their thoughts on America and the world. I hope you take the time to hear what these Arab youth are saying. It might surprise you.

These are awesome,peace loving, practicing Muslims who love to play rock and roll. Great players. Hope you dig. 

Visit my blog dangerville.wordpress.com for more footage and articles.
Cheers from Morocko,
Mo
Zerobridge

And now some zb news back in the Dirty Apple.

Nice one Mos. Can't wait to get over there and join the party and play some shows! Here are some video & photo updates of my recent excursion in the studio with our talented engineer, John D'uva in his Brooklyn apartment, as we work on the new zerobridge record. His cat Muck Muck gave me his feline blessing and the vibe was clear, but Jon gave me quite the workout on the vocal mic. Check out some clips:










Here is a rough vocal take on "How Long"




And taking a break with Muck while Jon makes some tea. Sorry, no coke or hookers here.



Alright, I'm out. Peace in the Middle East.

Din

Friends of Danger--Rock and Roll in Morocco

I was invited to tag along to see a friends rock band rehearse in a space in Rabat, Morocco. This was not a pretentious band o hipsters looking to get signed with a gimmick. These are just some young Moroccans who love rock and roll and want to make noise. I hope you see tht Arabs are not limited to negative images we see of them in America. They are artists, they are punks, they are young, they are bored, the same as we are. They also introduced me to my first dose of Broken Social Scene. Awesome. Hope you dig.
This clip is dedicated to all those hipsters in Brooklyn.

With love,
Mohsin
Zerobridge

New Vids from Morocco

Here are some more vids from Morocco

My Drum Workshop w the Kids at Dar Lekbira


Hanging out w/ friends from the Old Medina, playing Gnawa music.
Gnawa music is native Moroccan music combining African, Arab, Islamic elements. Its beautiful.


My Photo Workshop w/ Kids from Dar Lekbira Center


Hope You Dig,

Mo

ps
I really miss the dirty apple NYC.

Scotland's Dark Angels take over Williamsburg, Brooklyn along with a little Nowegian Wood

It was an amazing weekend: back to back, balls to the wall rock n' roll with 3 of the finest bands out there right now. On Saturday night at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, I saw Scotland's latest and greatest import, Glasvegas, with Sweedish popstress Ida Marina as the opening act. On Sunday, it was Primal Scream. God save the Scream! They were just awesome. I've never been to a louder show! My ears are still ringing from that shit!

Opening for Glasvegas was Ida Maria. I have never been to a show where the opening band had such a command of the audience with great songs and riveting showmanship. She came on with nothing and everything to prove, forcing the audience to take notice and no sooner having everyone cheering her on and singing lyrics like, "I like you so much better when you're naked, I like me so much better when you're naked!" It was like Bjork fronting the Pretenders. The songs had this jittery energy with strong, quirky melodies, beautiful pop hooks and great tribal rhythms. She's been making waves recently and the whole band was incredibly tight keeping up with the pace of their disheveled and charismatic frontwoman. And she plays a Strat, which is pretty badass! Here's a clip courtesy of our lovely Grace:



Next up was the band I was just dying to see: Glasvegas. They're just so fucking cool! What else can be said? Their sound is borrowed from the past but also unmistakably from the future. They came on like a biker gang from the 50's, all clad in black, with pompadour flare. Lead singer Jim Allen is a dead ringer for Joe Strummer, and his gigantic voice is earnest, passionate, and vulnerable all at once. Their drummer, Caroline McKay, is straight out the Velvet Underground/Jesus And Mary Chain handbook. She plays two drums and two symbols standing up. You would be amazed at how loud and yet so intimate this can be. Lead guitarist and also the lead singer's cousin, Rab Allen, provided incredible fuzzed out melodic atmospherics while losing himself with bassist Paul Donoghue, the skinniest of the bunch, but you just know he is that guy you wouldn't want to mess with cause he would come at you like a bad surprise and kick your head in. The highlights were "Geraldine", "Flowers & Football Tops", "Go Square Go", and of course "Daddy's Gone." This tune was the last of the evening and the band stopped for a second to hear the house chanting in unision "He's gone, He's gone, He's gone, He Go-On, OH-OH-WO-OAHHH!" Just brilliant. Here's a clip of Glasvegas opening with my favorite, "Geraldine," courtesy of Grace once again. Notice the two douchebags in the front fighting. Jim Allen comes out and kicks them apart and motions to the bouncer to yank the long haired hippie who started it. KILL ALL HIPPIES!!!




And that brings me to the weekend closer with a killer set by Primal Scream. Also from Scotland, but these guys don't cross the pond that often because its tough for them to attain a visa, apparently due to their drug-related issues of old. I felt lucky enough to catch them this time around and it was just pure class, pure badass, and man was it loud! I've never been to a louder show! They came on with that Stonesy swagger. Lead singer Bobby Gillespie (who was the standing drummer for the Jesus & Marie Chain back in the day) had that waifish Mick jagger vibe with a Dylanesque snarl, clapping the audience into tribal submission. He cared, but knew he didn't have to and could care less about who thought what, as long as the music was sounding alright, which of course it was. Bassist Mani, originally of that "seminal pop group" from Manchester, England, the Stone Roses, was pumped, constantly going up to the audience and inviting them to join the party. Touring guitarist Barrie Cardigan was just pure Kieth Richards, circa 1970's Rolling Stones during Sticky Fingers or Exile On Mainstreet (Two of my favorite records of all time by the way). But the real beast was guitarist Andrew Innes. I was stage left where he was playing and it was just atrociously loud!!! I was thinking afterward, when I could still hear his fuzzed out tones ringing in my ears, that he probably has to play that loud cause even he must be close to deaf. I wanted to tell the sound man to turn his ass down! But the boy can play. He was just awesome, despite making everyone's ears bleed. Drummer Darren Mooney was tight as hell keeping up with the dance rhythms and samples while keyboardist Martin Duffy was chillin' behind Andrew Innes. All you could see of Martin Duffy was his fedora creepin' out behind the wall of sound that could only be Primal Scream. They played the best songs from another one of my all time favorite records, the politically charged "XTRMNTR." They opened the show with "Kill All Hippies." They did rousing versions of "Shoot Speed, Kill Light," "Accelerator," "Country Girl," "Rocks," and of course "Movin' On Up." Primal MotherF'ing Scream everybody:






Peace,

Din

Drumming Bollywood in Morocco

Here is some video from last week of a drum workshop I did with the awesome kids at the Dar Lekbira Association. Many of the kids at Dar Lekbira were street children and some are orphans. No matter where you go, be it in India, Brooklyn, or Africa, one thing is for sure, music makes the world go around. Enjoy the vid. More to come from Morocco. My music arts initiative is going well, but the 5 hours of Arabic a day is kicking my ass. I miss NYC too. Miss playing with the band, but I am excited to hear how well our new album is coming along and I am aching to play BAM in June.

HERE IS VID OF DRUM WORKSHOP:

HERE IS VID OF WALKING THROUGH OLD CITY OF RABAT:



To read more about whats going down in Morocco or to see more vids check out my blog: http://dangerville.wordpress.com/
Pics from Morocco here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/talesfrommaroc/


Your Kid
Mo

zerobridge featured in The Indypendent

The Indypendent has just featured an article on us last week. Stephen Nessen was the reporter and a very cool guy with a keen interest on South Asia, especially with the Kashmir issue. Mo had been talking with him last fall and invited him out to our show the last time we played at the defunct Club Rehab (sad. very few rock clubs left in Manhattan.). After the show I remember talking with him for a while and I saw him again at the Kashmir panel discussion Mo organized at NYU late last year. The article turned out pretty well but there are of course some corrections and shout outs I have to note:

1) E-C-K-E-L-M-A-N!!!! Greg Eckelman has been and is our esteemed bass player, colleague, and road dog since we started taking the stage in NYC back in '04. We would be in serious trouble without him. Paolo Arao has just joined us on keys. Jay Barclay has lent us his guitar hero virtuosity (and I'm not talking about the video game!) since 2007.

2) Mo's very impressive and emotionally charged photo documentary was done in the Spring of 2003 , a year and a half or so after our trip in December 2001 that inspired many of the songs off our first record. I was working on the album in NYC while our kid was doing his thing in Srinagar.

3)Anayatuallah Bhatt was the name of the Kashmiri musician, son of a local baker, who was shot and killed by Indian Security forces outside his home. He was 26 years old and is survived by his mother, father, younger brother and sister. We were in Kashmir again during the summer of 2006 and protests were going on over Anayatuallah's death. I had read the article and immediately asked that my brother and I visit the family and get their story. To this day there has been no inquiry about the incident or against the Indian army who carried out such a heinous act with impunity. In January of 2007, two weeks after my brother and I got back from Mecca for Hajj, we organized a benefit concert with a bunch of NYC bands that we knew. It was a great success and we played to a packed house. All the proceeds went to the non-profit, CHINAR, in Anayatullah Bhatt's name.

Despite those points, it's a fine article that represents us very well and pretty accurately. We're totally psyched to be in the Indypendent! If you get a second let us know what you think.

Peace.

Din

Phil Spector, when not in court, is taking the time to sell our EP on Ebay!!!

Well, not exactly. Turns out someone is auctioning off our 2007 EP, "Havre de Grace" on Ebay. He's a top seller who goes by the name of PSpector. Don't know whether to be flattered or a little annoyed. Bidding starts at $8.99! We were selling it for $5 at our shows before we....uh... started giving them away for free. You can get it for the same price on iTunes. This Pspector character is making more money than us off our own record! Oh well, Whaddaya gonna do? Happy Bidding!


Din

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Wow. The new single from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs new record, It's Blitz, is pretty incredible in my opinion. Karen O is just awesome. Check out the video here.


Din

Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) making pop music again!!!

Yusuf Islam, better known as Cat Stevens, is getting back to what he does best, writing good pop music! I wasn't too keen on 2006's 'An Other Cup' but a new record is already on it's way called 'Roadsinger (To Warm You Through The Night)'. "I was absent from my audience for so long, people thought another album would never come," said Yusuf of the new record. " The 2006 album was a surprise. With this new album, the distance is much less. I'm back to doing what I do best – painting pictures with music and storytelling on a very human, positive, intuitive level through lyrics and song, so I can help people feel good again."

On a personal level, growing up as a Muslim and being into rock n' roll or just music in general always seemed to pose a problem in the community. It was confusing to say the least to find a talent, love and passion so innately part of my being and have the religious figures, community, and overall culture frown upon it, using every absurd excuse to put it down. Artists in general were never given and still don't get their due respect in the Muslim community, although there are signs now that hint of that narrow minded attitude may be changing. It's a huge issue that needs more attention and a bigger discussion but Muslims may finally be getting it. Especially in the times we live in presently, art and music are major players in bridging the gap between Western and Islamic cultures, caused by so much misunderstanding and ignorance. Music is truly a gift and universal language irregardless of race, religion or creed.

For me there was no role model or public face to relate to. When I discovered Cat Stevens, even though as a kid he seemed a bit too folky, it was still cool to know that here was a Muslim who was at one time considered to be one of the great rock n' roll songwriters, up there with Dylan or the Beatles. When I heard that he stopped playing, I resented him. Sure it might have been snot nosed and arrogant, but for a 15 year old kid who loved music so much to the point of pursuing it as a career (God forbid!) and was equally proud of his religious heritage, hearing that the one person I could relate to on that level had stopped making music because of our religion was disheartening. As I matured and grew into my own as a songwriter, I rediscovered his music and found a new respect for his work as an artist, as a humanitarian and as a Muslim. Who knows if his new work can match up to his classics. From the sound of it he's going back to his roots and that's a good sign. I'm just so glad he's pickin' up the guitar and singin' songs again! He's still got the goods as far as I'm concerned. Check out his recent performance of the classic "Peace Train" on Jools Holland.

Alhamdulillah.

Din

P.S. At 2:51 I think Johnny Borell of Razorlight was quaking in his boots! But they suck anyways.

The Kids in Morocco Dig Zerobridge

Here is a photo of a boy dancing to Zerobridge at a center for orphans and street children in Kenitra, Morocco called Dar Lekbira. The kids are brilliant and strong, despite having suffered immense abuse and exploitation. The staff are equally inspiring. Check out darlekbira.org. 

P.S.

They dig on 'Nazr' off of the E.P, 'Basement Tapes'. 

Cheers from Morocco,

Mohsin

God Bless John Stewart!!!

On Thursday March 12, John Stewart interviewed CNBC analyst and host of Fast Money, Jim Cramer, on The Daily Show after a week long media feud between the two tv personalities. Stewart rips Jim Cramer and the rest of CNBC to shreds for being disingenuous about their reporting of the financial market and being part of the shenanigans perpetrated by Wall Street that has fucked up our economy. Now I am no financial expert in the least, but I know a snake in the grass when I see one! Stewart was visibly pissed and emotional. Cramer got served big time and was at a loss for words for once, unable to shake off Stewart's attack. Check it out for yourself here.


Din

Ahhh... New York

On the way home the other night, I witnessed a total Seinfeld moment live on the street. Two cars were competing for the same parking spot. One was backing in while the other was trying to pull in from behind, just like that old Seinfeld episode. People surrounded them and even the cops on horses showed up. When a passerby laughingly asked the cop to do something he said, “Let ‘em beat the shit out of each other!” It was the guy pulling in from behind that eventually won out, which I disagreed with but I wasn’t about to tell him that. That dude was on roids or something, cause at one point he even got out of the car and threatened to break the other guys neck. You gotta love NYC.

Din

Lessons with Lady GaGa’s vocal teacher

Last night I scheduled singing lessons with prominent vocal coach, Gordon Grody. He’s taught Alicia Keys, and has recently been training Lady GaGa over the last year and a half. Not that I plan on turning into Din the Diva or singing like those two lovely ladies but it’s still pretty cool. He’s also sung with John Lennon & Yoko Ono, David Bowie, Blondie, The Talking Heads, and countless others. I guess Gordan will be another degree of separation for us from the Thin White Duke and Lennon after Earl Slick. My first lesson is next week so we’ll see how it goes.

Recording vocals for these sessions has been a pretty grueling experience so far. It wasn’t a case of not singing well or not hitting the right notes, but more about being under the microscope and trying to sing differently and avoiding bad habits that detract from the tune. Being in the isolation booth for 2 1/2 hours or so, trying to get just 2 lines right just totally sucked. But also the really cool thing is that I’m learning how to sing better and can feel and hear the difference. We sent him an mp3 of How Long and he loved it! Surprisingly he said the vocal was already strong and almost there. He’s basically going to teach me how to sing my own song better. So it’s pretty exciting and hopefully I’ll get to realize the possibilities of what my voice can really do.



Din

Oh yeah......

E-C-K-E-L-M-A-N!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Out of Place, Out of Time

So this is the start of something new. zerobridge has finally joined the the ranks of cyber hipsters and every other band on the planet. Today is the start our new official blog, "No Epiphany." For all you trainspotters, you know where that title stems from, and give us about 10 Grand and we might even break that number out for you in our next set...or not. So we're back in the studio, recording our new record and it's sounding fantastic. We recorded basic tracks at the famed Power Station in Connecticut, just before Mohsin left for Morocco in early January. Now, just when the weather is getting nicer, we're huddled up in a studio in engineer Jon D'uva's Brooklyn apartment doing vocals, overdubs, and fine tuning everything. His lovely cat, Muck Muck gives us the much needed TLC throughout our days of hard work. We have a new official member, Paolo Arao, who plays keyboards for us. Jay Barclay is lending his guitar hero shenanigans as well. The result is something majestic, unique, poptastic and just pure rock n' roll. The album will be more or less a diary of zerobridge in our 5 years as a band hustling it out in New York City, the greatest and toughest city of them all. The goal is simple: to be the toppermost of the poppermost and make Coldplay, the Killers and the Kings of Leon think twice about their day jobs. We will keep you posted on the daily happenings of zerobridge from NYC to Morocco and beyond....

Tracks I love right now:

U2- "Magnificent"

Glasvegas- "Geraldine"

The Gaslight Anthem- "59 Sound"

Honorable Mention-

John Lennon- "Mindgames"

The Cult- "She Sells Sanctuary"

Peace,
Din