Blue Scholars new album: Bayani

I was recently lucky enough to hear Blue Scholars latest record "Bayani," which will be out June 12. Fans of Blue Scholars self titled album will enjoy this CD even more. The beats are more diverse and dancable, while the lyrics are both personal and political. Overall, the record is exactly what you'd expect from Blue Scholars, only better. I really enjoyed the references to other cultures as well as the polished feel this album has.

Besides listening to a great record, I was also lucky enough to interview DJ Sabzi. Below is transcript of the interview:

Rose: You seem to be really connected to college students across the country; do you think this is the case? Why do you think your music resonates with that audience? Is it important to you that they appreciate the music?

Sabzi: Well, there is a certain “academic” element to our music, though the music is not exclusively for college students. Also, most of our first shows in each city were at colleges, so it would make sense that most of the word has spread through that medium.

Rose: How do you think your music has developed since Blue Scholars formed in 2002?

Sabzi: It’s developed a lot!

Rose: How will Bayani compare to the Long March EP and Blue Scholars LP?

Sabzi: This record is probably the most cohesive in theme. We discussed the content of this record in theory for 8 months before even really getting to work on the verses or recording. The beats and the rhymes are significantly more sophisticated than the first two.

Rose: Could you explain the title Bayani?

Sabzi: “Bayan” in Farsi, an Arabic root word, means “utterance” or “speech.” In Baha’i history, there was a holy book titled The Bayan, which loosely translated meant the “divine word.”

In Tagalog, the language of the Philippines, “bayan” means “the people.”

“Bayani” is a term we kinda made up for this record, which is a fusion word that’s a nod to both of our cultural heritages. It’s supposed to mean “voice of the people.”

Rose: What did you write about on this new record?

Sabzi: It’s mostly a collection of stories shared from the perspective of individuals at the grassroots level set against the context of the large world issues we face today.

Rose: Can you describe your writing process, how much does each of you contribute?

Sabzi: I make the beats, then Geo writes to the beats. We each give input on each others work.

Rose: What should people expect from your live show?

Sabzi: A good performance. We have a 9-piece live band we’re playing with at the release party on May 11.

Rose: What are your favorite places to perform?

Sabzi: Every venue is different. We do small large music festivals, small club shows, large club shows, college shows, high school shows, and community center shows. Each show is different and yet similar. My favorite shows are the ones where we get a chance to kick it with the folks in the crowd.

Rose: Are you looking forward to playing the new music live at your CD release shows?

Sabzi: Yes.

Rose: How did you go about launching Mass Line Media on your own? Why did you decide to? What is the future for that label?

Sabzi: We hope to develop MassLine into an powerful cultural force in the city of Seattle in order to support the community development, and educational initiatives we intend to implement in the next few years.

Rose: This will be your first release to Rawkus, why did you decide to make that move? What will that mean for the future of the Blue Scholars?

Sabzi: This is a collaborative distribution and marketing deal. MassLine has the resources to make the music, produce the records and make moves here in Seattle, so we partnered with Rawkus to help expand our efforts nationwide/internationally.

Rose: How many more records do you expect to release on Rawkus?

Sabzi: Right now, the deal is to release Bayani and see how it goes.

Rose: Did you expect Blue Scholars to get this big?

Sabzi: No, not exactly. At least, not this quickly. Up til very recently, we’ve been just playing catch up to the demand we’ve seen for our music.

Rose: How have your lives changed as Blue Scholars became more popular?

Sabzi: I get recognized more often around the town. In the U District and Capitol Hill neighborhoods, people roll up on me like “holy crap dude, it’s blue scholars” and in the South End and CD people say “sup.”

Rose: How does Blue Scholars compare to your other side projects like Common Market?

Sabzi: Different styles, different approaches to touching on the same issues. The lessons might change but the essence of the message is the same.

Rose: What are your plans for the future? What will you be doing this summer?

Sabzi: Touring the country! Meeting people, playing music, livin’ life.

Click here to listen to "North by Northwest" and "Back Home" from Bayani.

Click here to visit Blue Scholar's web site

*Photo courtesy of the Blue Scholars