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Had a blast playing with @peteyorn on @latelateshow last night supporting his new single “Elizabeth Taylor” alongside a really incredible band. Link to the performance is in my bio for anyone who missed it. (at CBS) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc53xTIpgGF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Yawning? Yelling? From Monday’s show with @jordan_jonezy. Foto By: @fiestabanphoto (at Bootleg Theater) https://www.instagram.com/p/B7J21LoJQeO/?igshid=sb6hpzw6wal

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Muy feliz de tener mi álbum disponible en el Rock And Roll Circus de Madrid. Si vives en España, visita a Joaquín (en la foto) en su tienda y obtén una copia.⁣ •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ⁣ Very happy to have my album available at Rock And Roll Circus in Madrid. If you live in Spain, visit Joaquín (pictured here) at his shop & grab yourself a copy. ⁣ •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ⁣ #rockandrollcircus #supportrecordstores #shoplocal #philseymour ⁣ (at Rock And Roll Circus) https://www.instagram.com/p/B45sMpJJAOI/?igshid=wttbvqwz1l5f

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On this day in 2017, my album Black & White World was released. ⁣⁣⁣

⁣To celebrate it’s 2nd birthday, I’ve made a limited quantity of metallic silver, black & white splatter & clear vinyl pressings available, (while they last).

⁣⁣⁣Also available is a limited bundle deal: A silver vinyl record, cassette tape & CD for $15. ⁣⁣⁣

Enjoy a few nostalgic recording photos & get your copy here: 

https://salarrajabnik.bandcamp.com/merch

⁣⁣⁣

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For anyone wandering up or down the West Coast, on June 2nd I’ll be playing at the Cuyama Buckhorn in the beautiful Cuyama Valley for Sunday brunch. ⁣ ⁣ Perfect little getaway for any big city folks needing an escape from the hustle & bustle. ⁣ ⁣ @cuyamabuckhorn #cuyama #newcuyama #cuyamabuckhorn #cuyamavalley (at Cuyama Buckhorn) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx0MxB9JtMs/?igshid=c3sbfelp3gk1

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A few shots from my acoustic set Monday. Thanks to everyone who came & sorry I made one of you cry, I guess I write pretty melancholically. 🎭 🤷🏽‍♂️ 📷 : @portra_420_ (at Gold-Diggers) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwXkRc1ndsT/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=2xs71rrefw9d

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Los Angeles folks - Playing guitar for some friends this month & a little acoustic opening set on the 15th as well. Come on out & enjoy:⁣ ⁣ 4/8 - Guitar with @jordan_jonezy for his @golddiggersla residency.⁣ ⁣ 4/10 - Guitar with @starlightcleaningco for @joshschwartz birthday show. ⁣ ⁣ 4/15 - Solo acoustic set, opening for @jordan_jonezy for his @golddiggersla residency.⁣ ⁣ 4/29 - Guitar with @jordan_jonezy for his @golddiggersla residency. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv7EVYhnXwE/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1xcejzgux9ns

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Talking life, love, loss, Iran, music & everything else with @kingraam ahead of his LA show this Sunday. ‎#کینگ_رام #kingraam (at Cafecito Organico) https://www.instagram.com/p/BvfSuogH0uZ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=dqmsbp9y8ny4

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Proud to have contributed a track to “Defend The Scoundrels: Celebrating 25 Years Of CounterPunch” alongside so many incredible artists like Thurston Moore, Dean Warehem, The Fugs, Frausdots, & so many more.⁣

CounterPunch is one of the last truly independent, reader supported news sources that in it’s own words, “Tells the facts, names the names”. We need it in these times more than ever. Check the compilation out via the link below, grab a copy to support independent journalism, & read & support Counterpunch.

http://25years.bandcamp.com

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_T_E_L_E_T_R_O_N_ https://www.instagram.com/p/BqiR9Adn_3f/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=13h1ocj7r9i61

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Today I got to meet the maestro himself, a sartorial genius, the great Yuki Matsuda. Yuki (to my left) is the man behind MEG Company & it’s sub-labels, all of which produce incredibly well made timeless clothing, footwear & more. I got to chat with him about his creation process & standards, & tell him that he makes all of the things I have always imagined but could never find until I discovered his work. Thanks to Yuki & his comrade (to my right) Yushi Kanazawa!! #monitaly #monitalybymegco #yuketen #megcompany #yukimatsuda #everystitchhasasoul #tenaciousforquality (at Rose Bowl Flea Market) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqDaw_znbMz/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=kw33qjs9ihmm

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Super excited to be joining my friends @gospelbeach on guitar in Sonoma on November 3rd. Don’t miss this incredible lineup if you’re in the Bay Area. 🍷 🍇 🎸 🎶 (at Gundlach Bundschu Winery) https://www.instagram.com/p/BpQFLv8HfpE/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=z2zsh3odsvbp

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at Phoenix, Arizona https://www.instagram.com/p/BoplGPFn3Gb/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=7a6blu6x5wrv

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Delta’s maiden voyage. (at Tujunga, CA)

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June 1982, Production Viewpoint: Shelly Yakus. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Hard Promises sessions. Incredible. (at Sound City Studios)

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A playlist of songs that were referenced or inspired the making of Black & White World. Put on shuffle enjoy.

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Black & White World - A Year Later

One year ago today, my album “Black & White World” was released. A lot has changed personally & otherwise since then, yet much remains the same. 

The writing, recording & production of the album was very difficult. What began as an attempt to make a record as the creative & logistical head of a band which dissipated into the cynical & creatively oppugnant haze of Nashville ended up becoming a solo effort. I’ve always just been a person in a band. The idea of being a solo artist, per se always was & still is not preferred & purely a result of practicality. In the case of Black & White World, I knew i’d either have to complete what had begun as a group project alone or to abandon it altogether. The task was to synthesize what would have been a totally different sequence of songs, sounds & ideas if i’d have known I would have full creative control from the beginning into one cohesive sound & feel. This proved to be no easy task. Obstacles appeared in every possible way. 

Fortunately, a few good friends & comrades stuck the process out with me. Most notably tireless in his commitment to seeing the album through was my copilot from start to finish, engineer David Wright. David grasped the “feel” of what was to become the finished product & understood, especially technically, how to make it happen. As much as I relied on him to turn the knobs & press the buttons to get the sounds we needed I also relied on him just as much to keep me going. There were too many times when I was ready to walk away from the whole thing. David is the reason I didn’t. 

And so the process moved forward, with work being done in Kansas City & Los Angeles. Others assisted in playing some instruments, lending their voices, supporting, filming, mastering. New collaborators appeared & aligned with the vision & message of what was finally shaping into a record. It was during this time that I was very lucky to have worked with Kristopher Martin, an illustrator who so elegantly created a visual concept that matched the sound of the music. My brother Samon took the cover image & associated photographs. Nick Gagnon fulfilled one of my lifelong dreams of hearing my music on vinyl by graciously putting out some gorgeous variants of the record on his label Fonoflo Records. Even a personal hero, the great polymath Noam Chomsky personally authorized the use of a sample of one of his speeches from his seminal work, Manufacturing Consent. 

Since the album’s release i’ve moved a few times, traveled to too many countries to count & vividly encountered much of the darkness I write about in the songs in my life & in others’. These adversities are multifaceted. They’re personal, they’re existential, they’re universal. Broken hearts, shattered dreams, political horrors, vicious wars, ruthless betrayal, brutal persecution, emotional surrender, systematic manipulation, sheer destitution. 

And yet, in spite of this grim reality, as I look back on where i’ve been since the release of the album, I can’t help but feel proud of the fact that it was completed. To me it represents the resilience of the spirit of opposing the darkness, so to speak, despite the challenge. A sort of imperative to rebel against what isn’t right in the world. This notion crescendos in the album’s title track, as the disillusionment I posit in the verses is culminated in a sort of simultaneous surrender & self-motivating call to action where I plainly state: “I don’t want to live in a back & white world”. 

And so it’s my wish that the songs continue to provide some enjoyment or catharsis for others the way that my favorite music has for me. I hope that they make people think, make them laugh, make them cry, make them feel. I hope they have for this first year, & that they continue to do so for many to come. 

Salar Rajabnik

09 June 2018