Through elegant rhythms and masterful vocals man can reveal his deepest emotions. With songs wrapped in eternal themes such as love and loss, happiness and sadness, man becomes an alchemist and he achieves something divine. Fared Shafinury, an Iranian-American musician, raised in a small town in Texas, is such an alchemist. He came to public attention with his EP ‘Tehranosaurus’ in 2009, followed in 2011 with the album ‘Behind The Seas’ which marked his efflorescence in becoming a musician who stood apart from his peers.
To describe Fared, as both a man and a musician, it would be this line from ‘Sedaye Paye Aab’ by the late poet Sohrab Sepehri – “Life has leaps as high as the summit of love. Life is really not something that one can forget on the obscure shelf of habits. Life is a grasping hand that picks, Life is the taste of the finest of the first harvest of figs in the bitter mouth of summer.” Essentially, a man who emanates a love of life, blessed with a curious and creative mind.
It was during Fared’s tour of Europe that I spoke with him briefly, a day or so after his performance in the city of London, and prior to his heading across the channel to France. We had arranged to speak sometime before, but the inevitable unpredictability of work matters, for both Fared and myself, prevented any such conversation to take place. But, I digress, it was an intriguing conversation, like all the best conversations there were moments of divagation, in which Fared and I went off at a tangent.
The most endearing features I find of Fared’s personality is his unmistakable integrity and a distinct absence of any pretense or pomposity. We were, for the most part, perfect strangers before our virtual meeting over Skype, albeit the odd conversation on social media, but his kindness and openness were as if we had known one another for a decade. It’s a heartwarming thing to meet someone that you instantly click with, making the conversation ever more free and fluid.
A man who prides himself on refraining from conducting an interview in an austere and formal manner, my conversation with Fared was approached from a more personable level. We spoke about many things, particular attention was paid to his performances “every performance I do is an emotional performance” he said “I tap into many memories, whether it be lost loves or any other moments in my life which had a deep impact, I like to bear my heart and soul. If the audience is receptive even better, because then we create something special, something profound.”
Fared’s performances are always structured with a resplendent aesthetic “the aesthetics are always important, the music and the performance are of equal importance in fact. I try to create a sense of uniqueness, many of the artists I love, from classical Persian musicians like Mohammad-Reza Lofti to rock musicians like Pink Floyd, Willy Nelson, artists who have all had an impact on me, always add something personal and that’s what I try to do.”
A Persian setarist and multi-instrumentalist, Fared has been immersed in music for the majority of his life. Now in his early 30’s, I got the sense he was happy and content with the life of a roving musician, free to continue creating and performing, having recently moved back to San Francisco he said, with a glint in eye “I thought it was time to lay some roots down. I lived in Tehran for a while some years back, and of course my hometown of Corpus Christi, it was the right time for me to move somewhere and settle.”
It is impossible to pigeonhole Fared, for his beauty lies in him having so many musical influences, from the Persian to the American, the European to the Indian, he creates a hybridised concoction. If you listen to any of his work, and listen closely, you’ll hear hints of the Texan with a sprinkling of Kurdish, nothing one could ever describe as this or that, but a truly personal experiment that touches the soul. Always, of course, encased in a rich Persian magic, a magic of the ancients, appealing to those us with Persian blood and those without. He is a reminder that the artistic offerings we treasure are always inspired by the creations of others from across the seas and mountains, as well as our own tribes.
Fared’s life seems like one of adventure from the outside, but it is in fact one of continuing discovery. I got the feeling that the whole world is something he wants to discover and savour, drawing his inspirations from the local and the far flung. It will be interesting to see what his imagination will come up with next.
Photos courtesy of Fared Shafinury