I’ve been a Wharnsby fan from the age of 13, when his 1996 song a Whisper of Peace calmed a lesson of Islamic education. Imagine how intrigued and pleased I was that Dawud Wharnbsy began an eco-blog on frugal living earlier this year (thank you Cambridge eco-mosque!). A Picnic of Poems, In Allah’s Green Garden is Dawud’s most recent environmental creativity.

He writes on Wharnsby.com,

“Lately I have really been making an effort to simplify my life – clear out both ideological and physical clutter that I’ve accumulated. Other types of artists – potters, sculptors, painters – all work alone in studios, taking time to craft their work without interruption or unnecessary influence, so I felt it was time for me to approach my music that way. No producers, session players or engineers… just me, myself and I.” – Dawud Wharnsby.

A Picnic of Poems is a wonderful collection of 30 poems aimed at children and ‘young at heart’. These spiritually rooted poems cover a number of topics including, advice on motherhood, daily prayers, baby siblings, life on a farm, bullying, ramadan, mosques and appreciating nature.

They are educational poems first, songs second, says Dawud. “A song like ‘Dear Mr. Crow’ comes across as a simple conversation between a child and bird, but really speaks about the dangers of nationalism and modern day warfare. ‘Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah and InshaAllah’ is an educational ditty to help children remember Arabic phrases of prayer, but it also subtly addresses the harms of urbanization and the importance of ecological awareness and preservation.”

I absolutely love the eclectic illustrations and attention to detail. The songs are exciting, they give advice and ‘sound colourful’. But they too are laid-back, easy to listen to and beautiful. One can tell time and grace was used to create these poems. Kudos to the illustrator Shireen Adams.

The book comes with an audio CD of Wharnsby and company singing each poem. This book is a must for every household and makes an enchanting gift for young and old alike.

A Picnic of Poems is available to buy on Kube Publishing.

By M.HAROON ABBAS QAMAR – Tue Aug 23, 12:08 pm
Originally posted at State Times.net here

Hadiqa Kiani hаѕ collaborated wіth thе extremely talented Canadian singer-songwriter Dawud Wharnsby tο record a Hamd. Dawud іѕ best known fοr hіѕ pioneering efforts іn thе musical/poetic genre οf English Language nasheed.

According tο Hadiqa, thе Hamd wіƖƖ bе releasing іn a few days tο celebrate thе spirit οf thе Holy month οf Ramadan.

It іѕ іntеrеѕtіnɡ tο note thаt thіѕ іѕ thе second time Dawud Wharnsby hаѕ collaborated wіth a Pakistani musician, thе first one being wіth Atif Aslam іn thе year 2009 fοr thе reworked version οf “Hum Mustafavi Hain” whісh wаѕ originally sung bу Mehdi Zaheer.

Wе аrе looking forward tο thіѕ іntеrеѕtіnɡ collaboration.

Originally posted August 23, 2011 on The Eco Muslim

We all know Dawud (David) Wharnsby Ali. Born a Canadian poet, singer-songwriter, Dawud is a recognisable humble educator and spokesperson for the voiceless. This year Dawud began sharing outdoorsy updates from his family life near the Himalayas.

After embracing Islam in the early ’90s, Dawud’s performance and writing beautifully expressed an intimate spirituality that was welcome by the socially conscious and Muslim youth.

In recent years, Dawud has become a strong advocate of simple living and more involved in educational initiatives to artistically promote positive social change.

To get an idea of his track record, he began as a street performer in his teens, has set up his own publishing company Enter into Peace, an independent music label Silk Route Media, and has released over 15 solo albums, 2 poetry anthologies – including the recent A Picnic of Poems: In Allah’s Green Garden – and numerous collaborations. I was charmed when two Ramadans ago I saw Dawud Wharnsby singing in Urdu with Atif Aslam for an Olper’s advert.

Dawud’s community activism continues as in 2010 he was declared an Ambassador of Scouting by the UK Scout Association. Dawud Wharnsby is a true gentleman and inquisitive child at heart. Those who meet him, including The Eco Muslim, speak highly of his demeanour and character. I do believe aside from the enlightening talent Dawud has been blessed with, we simply like his down-to-earth goodness.

Now, the eco-poet resides “seasonally” between homes in Pakistan, Canada and the States. Dawud Wharnsby’s blog, ‘Follow a Poet, Following Goats’, is a way of sharing his thoughts on living simply. Some of his posts include talking about tilling and planting in the sweltering Pakistani heat and saving vegetables from pests in Green Garden Blues. Despite some frustration with gardening, Dawud stays optimistic writing a cunning Snail haiku poem:

Snails in my garden,
eating all the new plant leaves.
Slimy little thieves.

“When dealing with nature’s ways, blame for things not going our way can never be placed on one particular source. In the case of my garden ~ both Creation and I have been in a one month tug-o-war, each trying to assert who is in control, with the result that we are both to blame for poor helpless vegetables being stunted beneath our feet. “We plan and God plans” ~ as has been written over centuries.” – D. Wharnsby

Dawud frequently mentions the cultural backdrop of Pakistan, witty encounters with the locals and how his daughter, like Dawud, is a green Muslim. Love it. Masha’Allah.

+ Follow A Poet, Following Goats.
A Canadian Poet in Pakistan…Sipping at Simplicitea.

Dawud Wharnsby, Canadian born singer songwriter, moved to Abbottabad in Pakistan to be close to his wife’s grandparents. On Monday May 2, 2011 he found that this quiet town was suddenly the centre of an international incident. Osama Bin Laden had apparently been living there until US forces stormed his compound and shot him dead. Dawud reflects on local reaction amidst the poverty that he witnesses all around him.

Gosh, I thought that Chai seller looked familiar! Tisk tisk tisk… friends:
as Benjamin Franklin is reported to have said,
“Believe none of what you read and half of what you see.”

*****

Around 1:00 am, while my family and I were sleeping, I awoke to the sound of a helicopter, gun-fire and then an explosion which shook the house. We live near a military academy where we always hear gun-fire, helicopters and explosions – so I didn’t think much of all the noise other than, “Gosh, does that academy have to conduct their training manoeuvres at such crazy hours!” (I am against guns and modern warfare and living next to a military academy is the only thing about this otherwise quiet town of Abbottabad that I dislike, but we wish to stay near to my wife’s grandparents who have lived here most of their lives.)

The next morning, we received a call from my in-laws in America who had been watching Geo News the night before and heard about a helicopter crash in a residential district of Abbottabad. They wondered if we were alright or had been awakened by any noise. They expressed concern that the news story seemed “odd” and my wife and I agreed. Normally the local Pakistani Military Academy (PMA) would not use helicopters in our mountainous region for “test” manoeuvres, but rather, only for flying in/out military officials or perhaps for occasional air surveillance during academy events – and rarely at night. Thus, we were all somewhat confused.

A few minutes later we received a nervous call from another American friend living in Pakistan who was concerned for our security and urged us to “keep a low profile” – not because of an accidental helicopter crash in our neighbourhood, but because President Obama had just announced that Osama Bin Laden had been captured and killed near Abbottabad.

After breakfast, I went to drive my wife to the school where she works only to find the roads near our home, and the very road the school is on in an area called Bilal Town, were all closed by police and media. It was there we realized that the two stories were indeed being linked together by the media, and where we also realised that all eyes in the world were suddenly on our quiet little mountain town.

What are the only facts I can provide? There was indeed an explosion in the night and roads were indeed closed in the morning in Bilal-town and Kakul village, sub-urban areas of Abbottabad where there are indeed large scale homes, as described by various media reports.

At the end of the day – we only know what others tell us and, given the state of politics in the world today, I am skeptical at the best of times about who’s version of The Truth to believe. The death of anyone, in my opinion, is never something to party in the streets about. It is something that should make us all reflective, humble and cautious about how quickly we judge others, and how easy it is to justify killing with what is perceived as “divine right”.

Whatever happened in the night a few miles away from my home – the news that has spread world-wide today could potentially erupt into more bloodshed if it is not handled with care and humility. We mourn the losses of 9-11, 7-7, all the bloodshed that has since occurred in Iraq and Afghanistan, all the soldiers and civilians worldwide who have been lost over these past many years…. So if Osama Bin Laden was our “Bogey-man”, and if indeed he’s now dead… can we all just stop the killing and hate? Or will the world just find another Bogey-man to chase so we can all justify wars that benefit the rich and keep the poor destitute?

Like the sticker on my guitar case says: “It will be a great day when schools have all the resources they need, and the air force will have to hold a bake sale to buy a new bomber.”

It might be worthwhile also noting my thoughts on the local people’s reactions to the news the US has just released, and to the celebratory reactions of some Americans in large cities like New York and Washington.
People here – my neighbours – are scared of vigilante “reactions” to the news. Parents are worried that schools and public places may become unsafe if impassioned individuals “react” to the “celebrations” they see on TV from parts of the USA. People are also sombre, not because there was public support for OBL or what he or others ideologically aligned with him might think – but because, generally speaking this news – good/bad/however you choose to take it – does not really change the lives of poor people here. 20 years ago people here were poor… now, after all that’s happened in the world – the poverty has only increased for the majority of Pakistanis.

I have been asked, “Are local Pakistani people angry with American’s for dancing over the death of OBL?” Firstly, that would suggest that most Pakistani people actually thought highly of him or supported him, and secondly, it would also assume that Pakistani people are so absorbed with US culture that they are just sitting by their TV sets waiting to see how American citizens do things.

So to set the record straight – the citizens of Pakistan that I interact with day in and day out do not support fundamentalist approaches to religion or politics and do not consider OBL a “leader”. I’m a Canadian born musician with very liberal political, social and religious views – yet my opinions, music and lifestyle are embraced more warmly by Muslims here in Northern Pakistan than by most Muslim communities in Canada, the USA or England! Secondly, the people here in the region of Pakistan where I live tend to be very sombre, majestic and dignified. They are not constantly taking cues for their lives from other nations and cultures. If Americans want to dance – Pakistanis won’t get in their way. Pakistani’s love to dance! Here in the villages – weddings are great fun – full of dance and song…. but death? It makes people sombre and introspective, bringing out their humility before God and in respect of justice.

Through the tragedies in America and UK and the wars that followed in Iraq and Afghanistan, few American citizens or British subjects went without bread or milk. Even with rising gas prices highways are bumper to bumper in both countries with single occupant vehicles. Here in Pakistan, people cannot afford vegetables, sugar, wheat or lentils, – much less a tank of gas at US prices – where most people earn about 6-7000 Rupees (approximately $85 US dollars) a month to live on.

Talk of Afghanistan? EVERY morning I watch the Afghani refugees in my neighbourhood – the women and young girls cutting grass by the roadside and carrying sticks on their back to have kindling for the evenings, and the young boys sifting barefoot through garbage piles looking for things to sell for recycling. For them today is just another day looking for food as refugees from a country that has been wiped off the map. A country that once-upon-a-time was a hub of civilization, culture and learning.

So how are local people reacting? Last night we were attending the birthday party of a friend who turned 12 years old. His father died three years ago due to poor medical attention for a heart condition and his mother raises him and his two siblings alone. 75% of her monthly salary as a teacher goes toward rent and she has about $35 left for all other household needs (including food). To make things worse, their family were just evicted from their home by a wealthy landlord (who manages several homes and also has wealthy family over in Dubai) demanding more rent. They have nothing against Americans – or me as a foreigner – and they have no support for a man like OBL. How are they reacting to the news? I don’t think they have time to celebrate in the streets – they are too busy trying to survive.

Some of you have asked me, “What can we do for those who are struggling in Pakistan?”

Though an easy answer may be for me to suggest we help by donating money to such-and-such organisation. However, in our world we’ve become so accustomed to just “buying” things. We see something we want – we buy it cash or credit. We see others in need, feel bad for them and make a financial donation. There is no doubt that money helps and groups like Red Cross/Red Crescent are always in need of our donations (my family and I are pleased to relate that we administrate two charities here in Pakistan: one for education and one for the building of homes lost by families in last year’s flood.) BUT – it is my belief that we are all interconnected by more than just financial paper trails. To help people like my 12 year old friend or the Afghani kids who search garbage pits near my home, I would suggest we all try to:

- Simply be aware of the extreme financial divide between how most of us live and how others live

- Be wise when we make purchases, by understanding and implementing a proper understanding of “needs vs. wants”

- Teach our children well – not just how to read and count, but about social awareness, social justice and social responsibility

- Try to live with humility, gratefulness, graciousness and compassion to others

- Examine our wastefulness. Remember, whatever we bring into the house has to be accounted for somehow. In places like North America and the UK I see much more emphasis on “Recycling” than “reducing” or “re-using”. By and large, we are not encouraged to cut back on the waste we create, we are just conditioned to buy in bulk because when we’ve tossed the plastic away, somebody else will just recycle it! Waste is waste – costs money to process and takes energy to dispose of or recycle.

- Would it not be better if we all just tried to stop being so greedy?

- Volunteer our time with others in our local community who need love, care and hope.

- Give freely and look for no reward or recognition.

- Stop living in fear of what we don’t understand and try to grow in understanding.

- Stand up for justice without excuses or concern of “how we might look to others”.

The list goes on…

Here in Pakistan, the kids I pass who are shoeless and hungry are all our problem, just as all the kids in foster care or who are homeless in America and the UK are all our responsibility. Practically speaking though, I’m here and many of you folks are abroad, so let me help in my community and please get active in your own communities-always remembering: enough for you, is enough for two, and one life saved is like all mankind.

“I’ve packed some poems for lunch,
some rhymes for us to chew,
a simple, sippy soup of songs
to stir and sing and stew…”

Enter Into Peace and Kube Publishing are pleased to announce that Dawud Wharnsby’s new book “A Picnic of Poems” is scheduled for release in the United Kingdom this coming spring (US release is scheduled for early 2012).

“A Picnic of Poems” is Dawud’s first offering for children in over eight years (the last being his 2003 CD “The Prophet’s Hands”). The beautifully illustrated anthology is made up of thirty new compositions aimed at youngsters ages 3-7 and includes an audio CD of all the songs, inspiring families to sing-along as they read.

The hefty collection of new work was written by Dawud over the past two years, begun shortly after he, his wife and their daughter moved to the semi-rural outskirts of Abbottabad, a small city located on the Karakorum Highway in Northern Pakistan. “My daughter had just turned one when we moved abroad. Around that time my friends at Kube in England suggested I revisit working on spiritually educational songs for children. I had stepped away from recording such material back in 2003 when the trend of hymns based in Qur’anic tradition ~ or nasheed as they are known in many parts of the world ~ became quite commercial.” says Wharnsby.

Dawud rose to international recognition in the mid 1990s for his groundbreaking album “A Whisper of Peace”, one of the first recordings of English language nasheed ever distributed professionally on an international scale, thanks to pioneering educational media producers Sound Vision. Between 1995 and 2003 he went on to release over six recordings for children in his unique vocal-based folk style, with lyrics that often contained deeper messages intended more for eavesdropping parents than for their unsuspecting youngsters. As a result Dawud Wharnsby’s recordings and ideas have literally fostered an entire generation of muslim youth — many of whom are now professionals, community leaders, activists and parents themselves. Out of a desire to keep his messages and educational objectives clear, Wharnsby established a trust fund for proceeds of those old recordings, which to this day continues supporting educational and humanitarian projects.

“As spiritual and educational nasheed began to evolve into a full blown Islamic pop business ~ which wasn’t my cup of tea ~ I figured it was time for me to bow out, raise a family and re-assess both my faith journey and my approach to music. My songs and poetry since that time have been more introspective and my audiences have not been limited to any one cultural or faith community. Being self-employed I am blessed with the opportunity of controlling my own work hours ~ working to live and not living to work ~ as they say. Between my musical tours I am free to slow down at home ~ think, read, reflect, re-examine life and re-awaken my own childlike wonder of the world alongside my own children.”

Dawud’s new collection of songs “A Picnic of Poems” was written primarily from the perspective of his three year old daughter. “My daughter loves to sing,” says Wharnsby, “and I really wanted to write some new material for her to enjoy ~ with ideas and concepts directly linked to Qur’anic ideology, but presented in ways that she could identify with in her daily life.” The result is a warm, intimate, innocent and at times touching series of songs that comes across like a day in the life of the wide-eyed children most of us adults once were. There are songs about ants, bees, corn, spiders, storms, roses and crows, alongside songs about God, prophets, prayer, family and how to deal with loss, fear, bullying and change.

But parents needn’t worry they will go crazy listening to shallow refrains of baby-songs during long road trips. Beyond all the expected Wharnsby-esque silly voices and lyrics about trees and bugs, there are also the subtle Wharnsby Trademarks of satire and sarcasm. This picnic basket of songs may have lilting language, but it also has some heavy metaphors for parents to chew. Dawud continues to use the seemingly innocent platform of nursery rhymes to get his opinions across on subjects that he is passionate about, including gender equity, environmental awareness and preservation, social cohesion, religious tolerance, the promotion of Simple Living, the dangers of nationalism, his outright disagreement with modern-day weaponry and even his personal dislike of urbanization.

The accompanying CD to “A Picnic of Poems” reveals a more polished and mature (but also more relaxed) voice than listeners may recall from the “Whisper of Peace” days. But like “Whisper” (recorded independently in 1995 for a budget of only $500 Canadian dollars) Wharnsby serves up these new chants directly from his home-studio. “I wanted these songs to really come from my heart ~ recorded with no fancy software, no auto-tune, no $50,000 budget ~ just me… my ideas and my voice poured onto a page and then, into a microphone.”

As a way of ensuring the songs do not end up as just another musical flavor of the month, destined to become a worn out CD under the seat of a car, Wharnsby and his publishers at Kube decided from the on-set that the new writings should be released in book form. “My words and ideas have always been the focus of my work ~ anyone who has really listened to my songs knows that about me. In these times of Twitter, Youtube and Text Messaging – where communication is fast and phonetic, I thought these new poems would have a more lasting effect on families if they were presented in book form ~ with good old fashioned ink and colourful illustrations. Though the song versions will also be made available on iTunes, rather than just having people listen to me sing them, it is my hope that families will sit together with the book and reawaken the traditions of reading together, learning together, singing together…discussing the concepts and creating memories around a communal experience. For that reason I took cues from some of my favourite authors who also wrote for children ~ people like Robert Louis Stevenson and Allama Iqbal ~ trying to ensure that my compositions were constructed with great care and attention to literary craft that, God willing, may render them timeless even after my voice and I are long gone.”

In an effort to bridge differences of musical taste, and ensure that no audience feels culturally alienated from what the poems have to offer, the bonus song CD accompanying the book is presented with only vocals and percussion. A folk-music version of the songs (with guitar accompaniment) will however, be made available digitally on iTunes later in the year for families who do enjoy slightly more “campfire style” arrangements.

But weather you choose to sing along with the “percussion only tracks” on the book’s bonus CD, the “guitar and banjo versions” you download from the internet, or just prefer to curl up with the kids and read the poems without any melody at all, we’re sure you’ll find “A Picnic of Poems in Allah’s Green Garden” will become a treasure in your home for generations to come.

“…like all good meals to much,
it would be very rude,
not to begin with bismillah
to bless our poetry food.”
- d.wharnsby
from “A Picnic of Poems”

- Enter Into Peace & Silk Route Media Staff

Dear friends,

news came down the wire to me today about a dear little friend of mine in England who just biked 15 kilometers to raise money for victims of the current crisis in Pakistan.

5 year old Daniel Hasan of London, UK, came up with the idea after seeing footage on television of families effected by the flood. He set his concern for their lives into action and has now raised over £1,100.00, proving that age has no bearing on helping the lives of others.  Let’s all help him get up to at least £5,000.00!

“On TV I saw a boy crying in Pakistan. He was 5 like me. His sister died because she caught germs from the water. She was 2, like my sister. I don’t want more children to die. My mum and dad said I can ride my bike to help them. So I want to ride it very, very, very, very far because I want to help them a lot.”

~ Daniel Hasan, 5 years old

Great job Daniel!! May we all be inspired by your example! If you ever get any more ideas like this ~ just let us all know how we can help.

I was told that Daniel was singing lyrics from my “Everythingsong” as he peddled “I’m gonna take my bicycle and ride out to a field…” ~ making me proud to know that I shared the journey with him in some way.

The Enter Into Peace Arts Initiative and Silk Route Media have also made a donation toward the cause and urge others to visit Daniel’s website and do the same.

- dw

“I’m gonna take my bicycle and peddle with my heart,

if this world’s gonna change I’ll be the one to make the start!”

~ The new Everythinsong

]]> http://wharnsby.com/blog1/2010/09/14/im-gonna-take-my-bicycle/feed/ 6 http://wharnsby.com/blog1/2010/08/04/hijabtrendz-one-on-one-with-dawud-wharnsby/ http://wharnsby.com/blog1/2010/08/04/hijabtrendz-one-on-one-with-dawud-wharnsby/#comments Wed, 04 Aug 2010 03:17:24 +0000 BlogAdmin http://wharnsby.com/blog1/?p=235 Interview by Mariam Sobh
August 04, 2010
Hijabtrendz.com
Read original article here

We had a chance to get personal with Dawud Wharnsby and learn about the man behind the music. Wharnsby’s music has influenced many Muslim artists today and has provided inspiration for American Muslims and others living in the West who are looking to reconcile their identity in the entertainment industry while still holding onto their personal beliefs.

How did  you get started as a musician?
Writing has always been a very important outlet for me since I was a young boy.   Passion for it  continued on through my teens, when I also became very influenced by the music of artists like Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon, Harry Chapin and Bob Dylan.  It was a natural step for me to begin combining my own poems and stories with simple chord progressions as soon as I started learning how to play the guitar at seventeen.   I was never content enough playing other people’s songs.  Having been on stage throughout my teens in school musicals and community theatre shows, I felt eager to share my original songs with audiences.  Within a year of actually starting to compose material, I found myself in a band (called Crackenthorpe’s Teapot, later called The Climba Trio) with a few friends, auditioning for our local downtown business association to be summer street performers.   We got the job, spent a few summers busking on street corners and professional careers in music spun onwards for all of us.

What are your favorite topics to write/sing about?
My songs don’t often start off with me specifically trying to think of a topic to write about.  That approach to writing is difficult for me and the results usually come out very contrived.  Most of my poems begin as thoughts or feelings jotted in my journal, then sort of evolve into a piece of work that may actually have many layers of meaning for me.
For example, a song like “Midnight” didn’t start out to be a focused piece of writing that examines the issue of “conflict resolution”.   It was a reflection on an experience I had…how it made me feel, what I learned from it and how it made me want to grow.  In many ways, the tune is a love song…about learning how to love and respect one’s self as much as how to love and respect others – through actions more than words.

Is it easy to make a living as a performing artist?
It is a very difficult career for me.  My “love/hate” relationship with the music business results in a lot of personal conflict.    It is always  a struggle for me to maintain integrity in what I do as an independent artist — seeking to avoid “selling out” or becoming too ego driven.    When I am on the road touring I am often surrounded by wonderfully supportive people.  I fly high with adrenalin and am often overwhelmed by people’s kindness — always in “go mode”.  Suddenly then, I am seeking privacy in my hotel or in the pages of my journal at an airport, only to find I am being watched or approached by people who recognize me.    Though I am bombarded with love from audiences, I get very home-sick for my family.  I also struggle with very bad stage-freight — usually followed up with great depression brought on by my self-critical nature and the fact that I am never satisfied with my live shows.    Then, when I am off the road and am home for months at a time, I sometimes struggle with re-adjusting to a slower pace of life.  It takes me time to relax and  get back to “real life” – grocery shopping, doing laundry and playing with my daughter.
From a business perspective the music biz is very hard work too — “feast or famine” they call it.  Sometimes the bank account is really padded and sometimes it’s thread bare.   One must really be able to balance the business with the creative expression – especially when working solo as I do without a manger, agent, secretary or accountant.
When all is said and done though – I am my own boss, make my own schedule, have the blessing of being able to travel and share music that is important to me with people who are very important to me — so I would never trade my career for anything else. Now aren’t you sorry you asked?

Are there any people that inspire your work?
Absolutely.   I am inspired by so many experiences, by the people I meet and by the work of other artists.  As mentioned, Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen have been ongoing musical influences to me since my teens.  I am also deeply effected by the work of Stephen Fearing, Richie Havens, Laura Nyro and Jackson Browne.   How I carry myself as an independent artist (in terms of my accessibility to others, my commitments to live and work with integrity, and my responsibility to remain social conscious) is directly inspired by some great heros of mine…people like Pete Seeger, Harry Chapin, Phil Oches, Billy Bragg and Johnny Denver.    Then, there is the “business” model for how to run my music company — and in that regard I watch artists like Prince, Loreena McKennitt and Jane Sibbery very closely.

The Muslim community seems to be going through a new renaissance of sorts with more musicians and performers, do you think there is enough momentum to sustain it?
It’s always great to see people write and record music that comes from the heart.  When those artists find a niche market or an audience to embrace and support their ongoing expression, they should consider themselves very blessed.  Most artists struggle with the dilemma of swimming like fish in a small pond, trying to uniquely establish a support base as they work for that legendary  “one hit” that will put them on the music-biz map.
Finding a niche market is a little like discovering a wonderful well of fresh water to share and enjoy.  Very quickly though, such a well of support can become a trendy place to splash and play.  Suddenly everyone wants to jump in and the pool is just too crowded and not fun anymore.
Most “niche” markets started that way — with a big splash —  and then sort of balanced out with time.
There are many musicians now who write or perform specifically for a faith community — the Muslim Pop, Christian Pop and even Hindu pop music scenes are all really buzzing these days.  But, from what I have experienced, those spiritually focused niche markets all still run pretty much like other genres and niche music markets.   They have their artists, managers and labels who are ego driven, fame driven, money driven and they include those who are just trying to share something beautiful, brighten the world and  who thankful for the opportunity to do so.
It is my belief that the momentum we see within these religious niche markets will continue and evolve — with lots of room for new artists to share their passion.  But I also believe that, like all genres, the  longevity of artists will be determined by their dedication to growth, change, honesty and the integrity of their art — not the financial backers behind them, the scale of their shows or the buzz created around the professional personas they create.

How do you define your music? Mainstream? Indy?
As an independent artist, my work is not very “mainstream”.  You wouldn’t find it on pop charts or on the top 100 Hits wall at HMV.   My airplay tends to be on community radio stations, or on alternative folk, spiritual or political programming lists.   That said, BBC in the UK have been quite a kind supporter of my work and they are mainstream.
My work is folk inspired…spiritually rooted, socially conscious and primarily acoustically recorded.    It has been classified as “modern-folk,” “alternative-folk” or even “world music” at times.
The religious recordings I released back in the 1990’s were intended to be educational and devotional projects.  From my personal creative perspective, I personally do not consider them as a good representation of my musical expression.

If you could meet any artist in the world living or dead, who would it be and why?
There are so many artists who’ve passed on who I wish I could have met or worked with: Laura Nyro, John Denver,  Phil Oches, Harry Chapin, Jim Croce, Scott Joplin…    I’ve already met or corresponded with many of my heros — and in some cases even worked with a few of them, which has been such an honour for me.   I am really privileged to have recorded music with legends like Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), Danny Thompson, Stephen Fearing and Idris Phillips (Phil Bubel) and covered a song by Natalie Merchant, one of my favorite writers.
But – I think the one person I really wish I could meet would be Pete Seeger.  Why?   Because he has worked tirelessly all his life (he’s 92 now) to preserve song, community and justice. I would love to shake his hand to thank him personally for being such a tremendous role model in my life.  I wrote him, and he wrote back with a kind response, but I’d still like to shake his hand and look into his eyes – maybe do a duet with him perhaps….

However, it excites me tremendously when I see young, independent film-makers using technology and their creativity to bang out incredible videos on their home-computers…the way I try to create and share my music. Platforms like Youtube make it possible for passionate artists to develop their talents and reach global audiences, without lining the pockets of executives or middle-men. 12 year old Yusuf Ahmed is one such artist.

Yusuf has created an independent film to go with the new song “Pages of Hope” I had the privilege of producing for and with the Hip-Hop duo Lines of Faith.

Yusuf Ahmed’s video/image-montage for “Pages of Hope” sends chills down my spine when I view it. Nobody on our production team asked him to make the video… in fact I just found out about it by accident through a friend. I couldn’t imagine a better and more grass-roots visual tribute to Anne Frank than what was created by Yusuf Ahmed for “Pages of Hope”. I am honoured that Yusuf decided to collaborate with Lines of Faith and I on this song.

Power to all the young independent artists like Anne Frank and Yusuf Ahmed. We CAN change the world – bridging nations and tribes through education and the arts, one song at a time!”

Check out the video here.

‘Pages of Hope’ is the work of an international musical trio with close links to Bristol. It features the rap lyrics of Lines of Faith’s Danny Raphael and Mohammed Yahya, coupled with powerful contributions from Canadian singer songwriter Dawud Wharnsby.

Set for its world debut on local airwaves for Holocaust Memorial Day, the Lines of Faith rappers will be in Bristol to talk about the song and work with a young people’s choir before joining the evening’s HMD events at Bristol Cathedral.

The international project was developed in Bristol by Salaam Shalom after visitors to last year’s “Anne Frank [+ you}” exhibition, at Bristol Cathedral, were asked to write their thoughts on leaves which they attached to the exhibit’s ‘Hope Tree’. These words were then were incorporated by the musicians into their lyrics. Now the performers are set to visit Bristol to air the song for the first time.

The HMD theme this year is ‘Legacy of Hope’ – a perfect fit with the song title and with the reality of pages in the famous teenager’s diary. Tel Aviv-based Jewish rapper Danny Raphael sings the voice of Anne while Mozambican Muslim Mohammed Yahya responds with the voice of someone alive in today’s world. Dawud Wharnsby’s melodic and infectious chorus focuses on the fragility of the separation for those in the tiny hidden rooms in Amsterdam during World War 2. This was where Anne Frank and seven other people hid for two and half years before being found and sent to their deaths in Nazi concentration camps.

Radio Salaam Shalom Station Manager, Kyle Hannan, is delighted with the global creation of the song resulting in its first airplay back in the city where the idea had started. “We commissioned the song as a reminder that we have the power within us all to turn the page, to move on from tragedy into a more positive place,” says Hannan. “It is an absolute pleasure to work with these talented artists from the Muslim and Jewish communities around the world, and to share their work with everyone as we approach Radio Salaam Shalom’s Third Anniversary”

The song is the first to be created as part of Salaam Shalom’s Jewish and Muslim Sessions (JAMS) initiative and was made with support from Rolls Royce plc, the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and BamJimba Productions.

The song will be made available for free download on the internet. Intercultural musicians world-wide will be invited to create their own remixes of the song for inclusion on a Jewish-Muslim music song collection under Radio Salaam Shalom’s JAMS banner.

For further information, interviews or photo opportunities, contact Salaam Shalom Station Manager Kyle Hannan on 07961 441769 or kyle@salaamshalom.org.uk or Peter Brill on 07977 219016.
Notes to Editors:

1. Salaam Shalom is an internet-only media project which went ‘live’ on 1 February 2007. It broadcasts both live and podcast-based programming from its website www.salaamshalom.org.uk. Its stated aim is to create dialogue and understanding between Muslims and Jews and the wider communities in which they live.

2. For more information about LINES OF FAITH visit http://www.myspace.com/linesoffaith

3. For more information about DAWUD WHARNSBY visit www.wharnsby.com

4. For more information regarding Anne Frank and Holocaust Memorial Day (Weds 27th Jan),
visit www.annefrank.org.uk, and www.hmd.org.uk