America So BeautifulIRAN/AMERICA Then and Now (1979-2009): A Public Conversation and Special Screening of the feature "America So Beautiful" (visit americasobeautiful.com), with a panel discussion featuring writer/director Babak Shokrian, costar Fariborz David Diaan and international vocal star Sussan Deyhim, moderated by author Mark LeVine.

Presented by CODEPINK Women for Peace (codepinkalert.org), Levantine Cultural Center (levantinecenter.org) and Sociarts (sociarts.com).

Movie tickets $10, available in advance or at the door, call 310.657.5511 or 310.657.5522.

"inside/outside & other oxymorons"

Middle East Arts Festival for Peace, May 23, 2009: photo Joel MosesIn a paean to peace, Angelenos of diverse cultural and religious backgrounds came together Saturday, May 23rd, 2009 as Levantine Cultural Center celebrated its eighth anniversary. The “Middle East Arts Festival for Peace”—a benefit for the center—included such performing artists as Tony Khalife from Lebanon, Mamak Khadem and Hamid Saeidi from Iran, and the Silk Road Music & Dance Ensemble, representing Turkey, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, with Serpil Borazon on vocals, Nyofu Tyson on saz, Neil Siegel on tar, and Robyn Friend on daf. Friend also performed a traditional dance from Uzbekistan. Kutsal, the indie rock singer from Istanbul, sang songs in both English and Turkish. Armenia’s folk/rock star, Gor Mkhitarian, whose latest album is Spirit, poured his heart into several songs in Armenian, while film composer and keyboardist Richard Horowitz ("The Sheltering Sky", "Any Given Sunday") played the ney in both Moroccan and Persian modes. Actress Shiva Rose from the film “David & Layla” read one of her own poems, and performing poet Niloufar Talebi of The Translation Project read in Farsi and English. The world electronica fusion group, Naked Rhythm, whose compositions can be found on Tanta Lounge and Buddha Bar compilations, raised the tempo of the night with percussive electronica in both Arab and Indian modes.

Book Party and Concert May 2Reza Aslan presented his new book How to Win a Cosmic War: God, Globalization, and the End of the War on Terror May 2, at Café-Club Fais Do-Do, at 5257 W. Adams Blvd., LA 90016. Also appearing were Turkish indie rocker Kutsal and Arab hip hop artist Omar Offendum.

check out a few pix from the event:

...A few pix from the evening:

Tony Khalife, Necar Zadegan and Shila Vosough, with Miles Jay on bass......dancing in the spirit of Rumi......with Matthew Huffshui on percussion......the Valentine crew with dancer Joan Terry and......enjoying the music and poetry at Mimoda Studio...

“My Rumi Valentine”

A mystical romantic evening of world music and dance, poetry, flowers, aphrodisiacs...with guest artists Necar Zadegan and Shila Vosough, presented by Tony Khalife.

Get out of your comfort zone and out of your box to meet/mingle/network and brainstorm with new people who also work in the arts, entertainment or nonprofit/NGO communities.

Tuesday, Dec. 9, 6-8 pm but you can stay as long as you want.

El Toro Cantina/Busby's has the best margaritas, 20 draft beers, good food and happy hour specials. No cover and no RSVPs needed, really, but you can call us anyway if you feel like it (questions welcome): 310.657.5511.

More at levantinecenter.org and busbysonline.com.

Hosted by Noora Elkoussy/Levantine Cultural Center the second Tuesday of every month in a different location around L.A.

Bridges LA: third in the monthly series

Kiosk at the ReyKiosk is known as an Iranian Blues/Rock/Jazz band, established by a few friends in a basement in Iran, now all living abroad. The band members are Arash Sobhani (guitar & vocals), Ali Kamali (bass guitar), Ardalan Payvar (keyboards), Babak Khiavchi (guitar), Shahrouz Molaei (drums). Kiosk is often noted for its biting critical social and political, but humorous lyrics.

This month the band releases their third album, “Global Zoo” or “Bagh e Vahsh e Jahani.”

The new album features ten tracks varying in music style from Gypsy Jazz to Waltz and from Argentinean Tango to Blues. Although the music of the album is a big departure from the Underground Blues/Rock soun of the previous two Kiosk albums, the lyrics of Arash Sobhani (lead vocalist , songwriter and guitarist) continue the social commentary on a wide variety of issues affecting the daily lives of Iranians all over the world.

No Borders: by Anna-Marie Lopez de LeonThis eclectic event benefitting Doctors Without Borders includes a silent art auction with work by dozens of contributing artists including Anna-Marie Lopez de Leon, and performances by the Middle Eastern-jazz fusion group Saffron Parade Arabesque Band, Tehran’s heavy metal band TarantisT, belly dancers, deejays and much more. Pic Vicious and Killsonic will perform later in the soirée.

Shams Ensemble with Whirling Dervishes: photo by John MontgomeryIranian composer Kaykhosro Pournazeri and his classical Shams Ensemble are touring the United States this month, with concerts in San Francisco, New York, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles.

The Shams Ensemble performs traditional Persian, mystic Sufi, and Kurdish music with the tanbour, daf (frame drum), and percussion instruments. The vocals feature the poetry of Rumi and other Iranian bards. Shams features Kaykhosro Pournazeri, Sohrab Pournazeri and Tahmores Pournazeri.

Before the 1979 Iranian revolution, which ushered in more conservative guidelines regulating music, the Iranian composer enjoyed a career in traditional Persian music. Even when the incoming Islamic regime thwarted his musical aspirations, Pournazeri said he never gave up hope.

From October 24-26 in Hollywood, Arpa International Film Festival will screen 50 films from 21 nations, including Armenia, Australia, Canada, China, Congo, Czech Republic, Ecuador, France, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Romania, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tobago, Trinidad, Turkey, UK, and Venezuela.

Arpa International Film Festival, which goes green in 2008, is produced by Arpa Foundation for Film, Music, and Art (AFFMA), a non-profit organization dedicated to artists exploring identity, multi-culturalism, war, exile, genocide and global empathy.