Hypernova (band)
Encyclopedia
Hypernova is a New York based Iran
ian rock
band from Tehran
. The band is made up of Raam, Kami, Kodi & Jam . Raam is the lead vocalist, Kodi is the lead guitarist, Kami is the drummer , Jam plays bass. Hypernova also has session musicians playing synths & keys at their live shows.
Like many other Iranian rock bands, the group was formed in the wake of president Khatami
's relaxed stance on cultural policies in Iran in the late 1990s and the early decade of the 21st century. Arguably, Hypernova is at the forefront of the Iranian "rock" movement, recently garnering the most attention and press coverage. This is not just due to the novelty of them being a rock band from Iran, but because they are being recognized as a solid rock band, with accomplished musicians who produce well-written songs.
. The album was recorded, mixed and mastered in 2008 but the official release was pushed back to 2010. During this time a few limited edition copies were given out by the band to fans. The limited edition copies of the album were also on sale during their US national tour with The Sisters of Mercy
.
.
Hypernova are the second band from Asia to appear on a Rock Band game's setlist, after X Japan
whose song "I.V.
" was previously released as downloadable content for Rock Band 2.
"Viva La Resistance" is the first song from the '10s
decade to be included on disc.
faxed a letter to the U.S. embassy in Dubai
.
The band performed their first show in the United States at the Fat Baby bar on the Lower East Side
in Manhattan
, New York City, USA. All of their songs are written and sung in English. When the band was asked why their songs are in English as opposed to Persian, they said that the Persian
is a really poetic and harmonious language, but not one well-suited to the harsh and really energetic rock sound. The song themes mostly stay off the topic of politics, but amid the hyperpaced lyrics are occasional references to world events.
The band members' individual names are derivations of their actual first names, probably to avoid undue attention at home in Tehran
, where playing rock music is dubbed as illegal and may lead to arrest, large fines, and even a public flogging, following Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's ban of all Western music from state-run airwaves in December 2005 in a reversal of reforms made under his more liberal predecessor. However, gigs are still played there but only in private spaces: basements in large homes in Tehran, or villas out of town and ostensibly beyond the reach of a vast and prying network of state agents loyal to the ruling clerical establishment.
Hypernova performed at the first Pangea Day
festival broadcast from Sony Studios in Los Angeles
, California
, USA.
The band was opening for The Sisters of Mercy
on their 2008 US tour with their last gig together being on December 3, 2008 and are currently touring by themselves. They also performed at the SXSW festival in 2009.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band from Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
. The band is made up of Raam, Kami, Kodi & Jam . Raam is the lead vocalist, Kodi is the lead guitarist, Kami is the drummer , Jam plays bass. Hypernova also has session musicians playing synths & keys at their live shows.
Like many other Iranian rock bands, the group was formed in the wake of president Khatami
Mohammad Khatami
Sayyid Mohammad Khātamī is an Iranian scholar, philosopher, Shiite theologian and Reformist politician. He served as the fifth President of Iran from August 2, 1997 to August 3, 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture in both the 1980s and 1990s...
's relaxed stance on cultural policies in Iran in the late 1990s and the early decade of the 21st century. Arguably, Hypernova is at the forefront of the Iranian "rock" movement, recently garnering the most attention and press coverage. This is not just due to the novelty of them being a rock band from Iran, but because they are being recognized as a solid rock band, with accomplished musicians who produce well-written songs.
"Who Says You Can't Rock In Iran?" (2006-2007)
While Hypernova were in Iran, they had started to work on an EP called "Who Says You Can't Rock In Iran?" The songs were listed on their website as free downloads, however they were removed once their website got a facelift. The track listing is as follows:- "No One"
- "Consequence"
- "Monster In Me"
"UNIVERSAL" (2008)
Hypernova became critically noticed with their song "Fairy Tales" from their EP "UNIVERSAL" The track listing is as follows:- "Fairy Tales"
- "Universal"
- "Consequence"
- "hill is down"
"Through The Chaos" (2010) [Released : April 6th, 2010]
"Through The Chaos" is Hypernova's debut album and was released April 6, 2010 on Narnack Records. The album is produced by Herwig Maurer and mixed/engineered by Sean BeavanSean Beavan
Sean Beavan is a musician, record producer, and audio engineer best known for his work with Guns N Roses, Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, God Lives Underwater, and Slayer...
. The album was recorded, mixed and mastered in 2008 but the official release was pushed back to 2010. During this time a few limited edition copies were given out by the band to fans. The limited edition copies of the album were also on sale during their US national tour with The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band that formed in 1980. After achieving early underground fame in UK, the band had their commercial breakthrough in mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasing new recorded output in protest against their record company...
.
- "Universal"
- "Viva La Resistance"
- "Lost In Space"
- "American Dream"
- "Empty Times"
- "Here And Now"
- "With You"
- "Fairy Tales"
- "Monster In Me"
- "See The Future"
"Exit Strategy / Live EP" (2011) [Released : August 17th, 2011]
"Exit Strategy" is Hypernova's latest release. The EP was recorded live at "Machines With Magnets studios". The EP was produced by Keith Souza and Hypernova and recorded/mixed and mastered by : Keith Souza and Seth Manchester at Machines With Magnets. Exit Strategy consists of 4 tracks. The track-listing is as follows:- "Children of Gemini"
- "Extacy"
- "Prevail"
- "Reasons unknown"
Rock Band 3 Video Game
In October 2010, it was announced that the song "Viva La Resistance" from Hypernova's debut album "Through The Chaos" will be featured on the main set-list of the video game Rock Band 3Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3 is a music video game, developed by Harmonix Music Systems. The game was initially published and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts, respectively, with Mad Catz taking over both roles a year later. It is the third main game in the Rock Band series...
.
Hypernova are the second band from Asia to appear on a Rock Band game's setlist, after X Japan
X Japan
is a Japanese heavy metal band founded in 1982 by Yoshiki and Toshi. Originally named X , the group achieved their breakthrough success in 1989 with the release of their second album Blue Blood...
whose song "I.V.
I.V.
"I.V." is a single released by X Japan on January 23, 2008 as a digital download. It is the band's first new song since "The Last Song" released in 1998. "I.V." is the main theme for the film Saw IV, which was released on October 26, 2007.- Overview :...
" was previously released as downloadable content for Rock Band 2.
"Viva La Resistance" is the first song from the '10s
2010s
The 2010s, pronounced "twenty-tens" or "two thousand tens", is the current decade which began on January 1, 2010 and will end on December 31, 2019...
decade to be included on disc.
2008-2009 U.S.A. tour
The band were only issued visas after Senator Charles SchumerCharles Schumer
Charles Ellis "Chuck" Schumer is the senior United States Senator from New York and a member of the Democratic Party. First elected in 1998, he defeated three-term Republican incumbent Al D'Amato by a margin of 55%–44%. He was easily re-elected in 2004 by a margin of 71%–24% and in 2010 by a...
faxed a letter to the U.S. embassy in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
.
The band performed their first show in the United States at the Fat Baby bar on the Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York City, USA. All of their songs are written and sung in English. When the band was asked why their songs are in English as opposed to Persian, they said that the Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
is a really poetic and harmonious language, but not one well-suited to the harsh and really energetic rock sound. The song themes mostly stay off the topic of politics, but amid the hyperpaced lyrics are occasional references to world events.
The band members' individual names are derivations of their actual first names, probably to avoid undue attention at home in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, where playing rock music is dubbed as illegal and may lead to arrest, large fines, and even a public flogging, following Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's ban of all Western music from state-run airwaves in December 2005 in a reversal of reforms made under his more liberal predecessor. However, gigs are still played there but only in private spaces: basements in large homes in Tehran, or villas out of town and ostensibly beyond the reach of a vast and prying network of state agents loyal to the ruling clerical establishment.
Hypernova performed at the first Pangea Day
Pangea Day
Pangea Day was an international multimedia event conducted on May 10, 2008. Cairo, Kigali, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai and Rio de Janeiro were linked to produce a 4-hour program of films, music and speakers. The program was broadcast live across the globe from 1800 to 2200 UTC, culminating in a...
festival broadcast from Sony Studios in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA.
The band was opening for The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band that formed in 1980. After achieving early underground fame in UK, the band had their commercial breakthrough in mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasing new recorded output in protest against their record company...
on their 2008 US tour with their last gig together being on December 3, 2008 and are currently touring by themselves. They also performed at the SXSW festival in 2009.
Influences
- Depeche ModeDepeche ModeDepeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
- Nine Inch NailsNine Inch NailsNine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
- Queens of the Stone AgeQueens of the Stone AgeQueens of the Stone Age is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, United States, formed in 1997. The band's line-up has always included founding member Josh Homme , with the current line-up including longtime members Troy Van Leeuwen and Joey Castillo , alongside Michael Shuman and...
- The Psychedelic Furs
External links
- Homepage
- Myspace
- Upcoming & Past Concerts of Hypernova
- http://www.myfoxla.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=7990840&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=3.2.1
- http://blog.wired.com/music/2008/10/hypernova-break.html
- http://www.playboy.com/blog/2008/12/foggy-sonic-forecast.html