Atash

Atash is an Austin based eight-piece band influenced greatly by the Iranian Bandari music, but does not hesitate in diving head-first with the same gusto into numerous other musical traditions that originate from around the world, as in Indian, West African, Latin, flamenco, Roma, and so forth. Vocalist Firoozi sings in Persian with a voice that has a rough and hoarse flamenco quality, and feels equally at home with an oud or a flamenco guitar. It is not uncommon for Atash songs to straddle between traditions, combining sitar and tabla with Latin or West African beats. The musicians bring their experience from a variety of backgrounds and meld their individual voices into the larger collective very well.  Their overall sound is westernized in form to some extent but Atash plays it fairly close to their non-western musical roots.