Special guest on this CD: Sean Lennon. ***Check out the companion EP to this one, called 'Morning,' http://cdbaby.com/cd/haalemusic1 *** AND Haale's website www.haale.com PRESS "Percussionists provided driving rhythms...over which Haale's warm, supple voice unfurled like a curlicue of smoke. Her band's amplified rumble served as a reminder of the extent to which rock bands like the Doors and the Velvet Underground turned to the East for their hypnotic efforts; here their borrowings were reclaimed with interest." NEW YORK TIMES 2/6/2007 (click HERE to view full article) "Haale is...a star on the rise. Her first recordings came out in January [2007], and the two five-song EPs show her split musical personality to wonderful effect...her raw sound owes as much to '60s psychedelic rock as it does to the ancient Middle East..." WASHINGTON POST 3/24/2007 (click HERE to view full article) "Totally original songs." CMJ "On her two latest EP releases, 'Paratrooper' and 'Morning' (both self-releasd), [Haale] works a panoramic blend of luscious rock, heady bass, and brilliantly produced rhythms." POPMATTERS '[Haale's] earnest blends of electric guitar, thoughtful lyrics, and vocal gymnastics borrow from both ancient song and the poetry of Persia. The surprise chestnut at the heart of the music is the dynamic, fiery delivery of Haale herself, whose voice is by turns deep and commanding, feather-light and breezy, and as rich and sensual as dark-chocolate fondue.' FLAVORPILL (MUSIC PICK: LA on 1/5/07, SF on 1/12/07) "A mixture of experimental downtown stuff with the vocal intensity of U2, but more intimate." DAVID BYRNE, http:// journal.davidbyrne.com/ April 7,06 "[Haale] draws from both the American rock lexicon and Sufi mysticism...She sings in Persian and English, quotes Iranian poets like Rumi and can shred on guitar." SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE "A combination of Jim Morrison, Nico, Edith Piaf, and Selma Hayek...Haale's voice was playful, sultry, and nuanced; she could wail over the din as well as coax a melody out of her breath... The 90-minute set seemed to pass in a blink." METROLAND HAALE (pronounced HA’-leh, like Hallelujah) was born in New York City, of Iranian descent and grew up as many first generation kids do: with two cultures, two languages, two worlds to assimilate. “I grew up with Hendrix in one ear and Hayedeh [Persian singer] in the other,” Haale says. “I grew up hearing the musical traditions mixing, the languages mixing, sonically and even visually, it was all a big collage.” Haale's music emerges from this early sonic landscape, drawing from both 60's psychedelic rock and traditional Sufi music. Haale’s musical career began when she picked up the guitar in 1996. Within a year, she was performing in San Francisco and was invited to play the HORDE tour, along with a slew of bands including Neil Young and Primus. At this point she was writing songs mostly in English, in a folk rock tradition, but upon moving back to New York she spent four years developing her own distinct sound. "I was listening to a lot of Sufi music. In Sufi tradition, music is a tool for ushering listeners into a transcendent state, for turning them on, awakening their souls, propelling them into an ecstatic state....I think great psychedelic rock does this as well....There's definitely a kinship in a level of energy and fire that's in these two genres and in where that can take the listener...That's what I am interested in." With band members Matt Kilmer (percussion) and John Shannon (electric guitar), Haale creates a trance-inducing tapestry of sound through which she weaves her own lyrics in English with mystical Persian poetry. Regarding performance, Haale says, "I like to get myself and my audience into a hypnotic state when I play...." Haale’s distinctive style and incendiary live shows have led her to collaborations with Tchad Blake, Sean Lennon, and most extensively with producer and composer Dougie Bowne. Over the last two and a half years, they have written and recorded more than 3 albums worth of material together. In January 2007, Haale released two EPs entitled 'Morning' and 'Paratrooper,' which have received luminous praise from diverse publications including the Washington Post, Flavorpill, Pop Matters and Global Rhythm (see Press section). Since January, the band has toured across the country spreading music to audiences in New Orleans, Austin, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington DC and elsewhere.