Kuwaisiana

With songs in Arabic and English, Kuwaisiana is a sextet led by Kuwaiti songwriter +Aziz, who work to produce a raw, danceable, full-bodied sound. The group explores their band leader’s Arab identity by drawing comfortably on world music, alternative rock and the inspiration that is New Orleans.
The cosmopolitan group blends a wide range of genres spanning ska, funk rock, Sub-Saharan blues, Khaleeji rhythm, and New Orleanian jazz. Their upcoming EP, Chapter 2, demonstrates a crystallization of their sound, compared to the “genre-hopping” nature of their debut album Chapter 1.

While there is a spectrum of alternative Arabic music being made today in places like Beirut and Cairo, Kuwaisiana’s sound explores new territory for the Khaleeji dialect (the culture associated with the Arabian Peninsula, which is typically more closed off and protective of its symbols). The result is a unique twist to what “Alternative Arab Rock” or a “New Orleans band” can sound like and a highly imaginative journey for listeners. Explosive. Urgent. Epic.

Look for Chapter 2 everywhere on January 15th.