"will certainly go down in the annals of rock music history" -- Huffington Post

"All Things Considered," National Public Radio

Voice of America-Persian

Washington Post "On Faith"

NBC New York

91.5 FM New York, B-Sides Radio

Wall Street Journal

Planet Green

Trouw

3 March 2010
Doors @ 7 pm
Littlefield, Brooklyn (R to Union Street)
Free and open to the public, ages 18+
Followed by album release party: Listen to the Banned (Grappa Records)

The Plastic Wave are an underground electronic rock band in Tehran. The band was formed in summer 2008 by Saeid Nadjafi (Natch) and Maral, who met while performing at N!, the largest underground rock concert ever in Iran. The authorities arrested 230 audience members and performers, who were suspected of satanism and immoral behavior. Natch and Maral were held for days in prison, where they were interrogated and threatened. "Western" music is heavily restricted by the regime; women are prohibited from solo singing in front of audiences that include men. In Autumn 2008, The Plastic Wave released their self-produced debut album [RE]action, featuring guitars by Shayan Amini, who subsequently joined the band. In 2009, The Plastic Wave were accepted to the prestigious SXSW music festival in Austin, Texas--as reported by The Guardian UK--but were unable to obtain visas to travel. Listen to The Plastic Wave.

For more about freedom of musical expression in The Islamic Republic of Iran, see Freemuse.

Cruel Black Dove are a Brooklyn-based electronic rock bank formed in 2007 by Alan Veucasovic, Shirley Ho, Jonathan Nanberg, and Anastasia Dimou. In the words of one reviewer, their 2008 self-released debut EP, Full Powers, "slithered around our eardrums with a sheen and polish that added a vast depth to their rich, dark sound. . . . sultry songs that straddle the worlds of artists ranging from Curve to PJ Harvey." Limewire has called Cruel Black Dove "a force of their own, full to the brim with infectious sound and fury." In January 2010, Cruel Black Dove released their new EP, The Myth And The Sum. Listen to Cruel Black Dove.