Tag: byblos

by jad

Lebanon: Day 6

“If the palimpsest enables hidden traumas or hauntings to be evoked, then brecciation may reveal other forms of accommodation and seduction present at a site. Indeed, brecciation has the potential to capture another means to be critical of the productions of space and time, and therefore, the practices of heritage.” (Nadia Bartolini) While we were walking here, I overheard a woman berating a guy I’m assuming was her significant other very loudly, basically wiping the floor with him as they brisk walked around me. Her tone raised my eyebrows and when I looked away from my LCD screen, I locked … Continue reading “Lebanon: Day 6” →

by jad

The Music Scene: 20 Weeks of Gratitude, Week 4

Part 1: El Hal Romancy Let’s talk about a concert in Byblos. Yeah, that concert; the one where Lebanon’s biggest indie band, Mashrou’ Leila, was banned from performing for a meme—for basically nothing. That episode seems almost comical now, with all that’s happened in Lebanon since. Here they are playing at the original T-Marbouta in 2008. Is it too hipster to say that I remember them when they were nervous boys playing their butts off for free? With every album drop & NPR Tiny Desk performance, it’s easy to forget how unlikely this band’s success was; how prophetic they sounded; … Continue reading “The Music Scene: 20 Weeks of Gratitude, Week 4” →

by jad

#LilWatan in Seattle

Today I visited Kurt Cobain’s memorial bench, in a park by his old house, to break the late morning quiet with a song in support of @mashrouleila & @_lilwatan. The experience was a lot sweeter than I expected; I saw two other “pilgrims” paying their respects, and the neighbors seemed totally fine with a bunch of sentimental weirdos milling around the area. Yeah, I wore flannel. I walked up to what I figured was number 171, and saw a hummingbird hovering by the gate, looking straight at me. I want to think that it was Kurt’s spirit saying “hey.” After … Continue reading “#LilWatan in Seattle” →