Acrassicauda Update
Posted by Mr. Earhart on September 24, 2012
As we discussed in class, Acrassicauda is stateside and I was fortunate enough to see them live here in Austin. Facebook page here.
This NPR interview with the band was on Fresh Air in April.
Though tragic that they, like 3 million of their Iraqi brethren, are unable to metal-it-up in Baghdad, it’s refreshing to see the foursome headbanging with hair down to their waists. Below you’ll find a video produced by VICE, the same company behind Heavy Metal in Baghdad.
If you like what you here, this Amazon link will allow you (for a small fee) to purchase the bands first EP, Only the Dead See the End of the War.
Anonymous said
It’s always good to see people live out their dreams, especially when they come true and when they’re faced with so much hardship in their lives. For Acrassicauda, the Iraqi heavy metal band, life in Baghdad must have been very difficult. After watching the film in class, it brings a subject matter and problem to my (and probably all the other students)attention that I never thought existed. Music has always been so free to us Americans, and the thought of being limited on how we dress, what music we play, or how we make a living (in most cases), has never crossed our minds. And because we have never thought about it, since we have always been granted such rights, we never stop and think about other people in countries who are not granted the same rights. The movie opened my eyes not only to a heavy metal band from Iraq, but to the extent of limitation in some foreign countries. The idea that freedom isn’t always a given right, that it depends on the laws of the country; the idea that self-expression through music can be denied to bluntly; the idea that life is not always easy, nor fair. Yet, on a brighter note, the follow-up story of the band shows how hopes and dreams can come true if one works hard enough, and follows a path of life they wish to live.
Anonymous said
I agree with Ryan, about a lot of Americans taking things for granted. Not to be offensive, but you have to be very aware of other cultures to know what you are missing, which i feel that most of today’s youth doesn’t know much about others culture. I think it’s really great that this film was made, and most likely helped get this band out of the turmoil they were in. Another realization i made when i saw this movie last year in history of rock, was that these musicians are very talented, and it is a shame that many great musicians may have existed, but been oppressed like these so their talents weren’t shared with the world.
pie4ever1 said
I’m glad that they got out and were able to start thier band. My best friend loves thier band.
Earhart said
So… I’m currently gawking at Tony an Fasil, as I wait for a band named Eagle Claw to clear the stage for Iraq’s only metal band. I’m at Red 7 on a Tuesday/Wednesday to see these guys do what they always have wanted to do… play music. I’m stoked.
Wizard said
Lucky! Wish I was there. Would be really suck to meet them.
Wizard said
Er, sick*
shishimato said
It’s nice to see that they’re living out their dreams and doing well for themselves, although it’s a sad thought that they were forced to leave their family and friends in Iraq in order to live out that dream. I remember during the documentary one of them saying that they really missed Iraq and wanted to go back home, and that really surprised me. You don’t ever think about the civilians of places such as Iraq–who are able to escape–missing their home when it’s so torn apart by war. Of course it makes sense to miss the place you grew up, but as an American I only thought about their home– the place where these people grew from children into the band they are today–as simply a prison for them that they couldn’t wait to abandon in favor of an American-type is awful of me. I’m glad I was able to understand such an important loss through this documentary and, more importantly, this band.