# TAQWACORE WEBZINE

### Showdown with Sunny Ali. AND The Kid.

Posted by Taz on March 8, 2010 · 1 Comment

There’s been some rumbling in them thar hills of a new band that’s rolled into town: Sunny Ali and the Kid. Who is this duo behind behind the quirky name and cowboy hat? I decided to find out.

You may remember Hassan Ali Malik from being formerly of the Philly based POPO (he would be the Sunny Ali of the duo). And The Kid? Well that would be Abdullah Saeed, otherwise known as the intrepid halal-defying investigative reporter at Adventures in Pork. We had a showdown at high noon – here’s what they said.

1. In 140 characters or less, how would you summarize Sunny Ali and the Kid?

> SA & TK: Two gentlemen with instruments.

2. When and why did you form Sunny Ali and the Kid? And where did you find the Kid?

> SA: Our old bands played together a few times. I was doing solo acoustic shows which got kind of depressing. I was flirting with Imran from The Kominas online and he reminded me of the Kid. I poked him.

> TK: Hassan and I were drawn together by a force known as Philadelphia.

3. You had a request up for cowboy gear on your facebook site, and your sound does have a Western twinge to it… what drew you to this angle? What are your thoughts on Kareem Salama, the Muslim country singer?

> SA: I was living in north Philly and randomly came across a cowboy hat at a thrift shop. I started wearing it around town because it made me feel uncomfortable and was just surprised at how much attention it would get. Most people would laugh. Some people would actually get pissed off at me for some reason. I’ve never heard of Kareem Salama.

> TK: He’s a little mainstream for me. I’m into more underground Muslim country singers.

4. What are your thoughts on bacon? I hear the Kid has a love and hate relationship with it.

> SA: My initials are HAM so i have to love bacon.

> TK: I’ll eat that shit, but I’ll never cook it.

5. Hassan, way back in the day you started the myspace page called the Muslim Punk Foundation. You started it as a joke site, but then all these bands started coming out of the wood work that related to the term. What are your thoughts on the “scene” that’s emerged?

> SA: It’s an exciting and important scene. It’s bigger then music. I’d like for the Muslim Punk Foundation to become somewhat of a tastemaker site.

6. What are your inspirations, musically or otherwise?

> SA: Good and evil.

> TK: My favorite drummers growing up were the Brain, Matt Cameron (Soundgarden era), and Clyde Stubblefield. I like old hip hop a lot, but that doesn’t really apply here. I like Squarepusher and JJ Cale and Stevie Wonder. Batman is a huge influence on everything I do.

7. Looks like you are heading to SXSW this year where both Taqwacore movies will be screening and a bunch of taqwacore scenesters will be convening. Is this your first time to SXSW? What are you most excited about? What bands or movies or people are you looking forward to seeing?

> SA: If we can afford it we’ll go hangout. I was there last year. There’s alot happening there, almost too much.

> TK: I’d like to se what a Democrat looks like.

8. If you could collaborate with anyone on anything, who would it be?

> SA: the kid

> TK: I choose you (you).

9. How can I get Sunny Ali and the Kid on my ipod? When can I see you perform? Can we be friends?

> SA: I don’t know really, we need to record more. I thought we were friends?

> TK: We have many songs that will tantalize and entertain us.

After that interview, we are so totally friends. You can be their friend too! Check out Sunny Ali and the Kid on MySpace and Facebook, and add them to your twitter at SunnyAlitheKid and at PorkAdventurer. If you are lucky enough to see this duo perform, do me a favor, and take them a cowboy hat. Thanks.

+++

Tanzila “Taz” Ahmed is an activist and writer living in Los Angeles. She is the Founder of South Asian American Voting Youth (SAAVY), an aspiring novelist and a long-time blogger for the popular South Asian blog Sepia Mutiny.

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Filed under Interviews, Music · Tagged with Cowboy Hats, Interview, Philly, Pork Adventurer, Sunny Ali and the Kid, SXSW, Western

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One Response to “Showdown with Sunny Ali. AND The Kid.”

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1. CWG Magazine | Sunny Ali and The Kid says:
   March 12, 2010 at 4:12 pm

   [...] Kid’s country leanings came in total punk fashion.Malik recently told Tanzila Ahmed, for the the Taqwacore webzine, that he went for the Western approach after getting shocked, and sometimes even angry, reactions [...]

   Reply

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