Sajid Ghafoor and Zeeshan Parwez speak on the recent Peshawar blast

“I don’t think many people want to watch music channels or listen
to radio stations to check if any new music is out.”
– Sajid Ghafoor and Zeeshan Parwez speak on the recent Peshawar blast,
the adverse affects on the music
industry and more…

Maheen Sabeeh

Instep Today: The recent blast in Peshawar led to countless deaths. How is the situation there now?

Sajid Ghafoor: Numb, just like the rest of Pakistan. But since we are facing this back lash on a more regular basis, we have become more numb than the rest of our fellow Pakistanis living in other cities. It’s so ironic. I can see all of us suffering from a mass general depression.
Zeeshan Parwez: An hour back, we experienced an earthquake, the second one in a week’s time. Something is definitely not right in this country. We have lost too many innocent lives. And for what? In my limited knowledge, I don’t recall our countrymen being so insecure and terrified ever.  Here in Peshawar, we’ve been talking about these issues amongst our friends for almost two years now. Not an evening goes by when someone doesn’t talk about the current situation.  I have had excellent memories of my childhood in and teenage years in Peshawar and to recollect them is becoming difficult with every passing day, because of whatever’s happening, I can’t relate to them anymore.  I can just hope and pray to God that our country and its people are always safe and happy Insha Allah.

Instep Today: As musicians, how difficult is it operating from Peshawar?

SG:  We still haven’t had a single concert in Peshawar since Sajid and Zeeshan were formed.  That fact speaks for itself.

Instep Today: Bomb blasts throughout the country have put everything on a halt. How is this affecting the music industry in your view?

SG: Greatly. Respect and appreciation for the performing arts usually comes in when your basic needs are fulfilled. We already have wheat and sugar crisis. People are losing loved ones in the blasts. I don’t think many people want to watch music channels or listen to radio stations to check if any new music is out. In short, if the demand falls, so will the supply. Having said that, at the same time music can play a very positive role, as it naturally uplifts the soul.

ZP: The music industry is just one of the many departments that have been hit. In these depressing times, no one wants to go out to concerts or listen to music too much, and that includes me as well.  So you’d expect the public to lose interest in a lot of things. Organizers nowadays usually cancel their shows a few days before it’s actually taking place. If I put myself in the audience’s place, I understand I’ll have to think three times before deciding whether to go out to a concert, knowing that our major cities have been hit by bombs. Even if there are new album releases, musicians are not getting any shows (the only revenue generating option in the country) so thus, this affects their ability to chip in media related material, which costs money.

Instep Today: Your debut album, One Light Year at Snail Speed, released in 2006. Are you still planning an English album?

SG: As mentioned before in previous interviews, yes, and we’re almost done with the second album now.

ZP: Yes, our second one is going to be in English as well. We have been at it for the last two years. Our recording strategies remain the same, laid back and relaxed, but the production feel has changed dramatically. So I hope people like our sophomore album. It’ll be great if it’s largely appreciated by majority of people and they can somehow see the hard work put in it.

Instep Today: How far along is it and is there a tentative release date in mind?

SG: It’s almost ready and the tentative dates? I’ll let Zeeshan answer that.

ZP: It’s almost three weeks away when I can finally say “Thank God, it’s finally done”, because we have been working on it for such a long time. At times you want it to get finished as soon as possible so people may listen to it. I can’t give a date because we still haven’t gone to record labels with the album. The plan is to visit various record labels and check out what they’re offering. Otherwise, go to plan B that is to release it ourselves. I know it’s an English album so we’re not expecting much.

Instep Today: Are you planning on releasing it (legally) online via mediums like iTunes, Amazon, Napster etc?

SG: Sounds like a good plan, thanks for the idea (smiles).

Instep Today: Zeeshan, what other videos are you working on?

ZP: There is one music video for me in the pipeline; it’s a song by the Islamabad based band Irtaash. This video is currently in its post production stage. And the other upcoming ideo would be the back-breaking/animated ‘Waris Shah’ from Mekaal Hasan Band, which I finished last summer. I think it’ll hit the airwaves this winter.  But apart from all this, I’m narrowing down my concentration to one place – and that is our (Sajid and Zeeshan) videos, after the album is ready, I’ll jump on it the next day.  I have some crazy ideas so let’s hope it all goes well.

Source: Instep Today