TAQWACORE WEBZINE

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.

SA & TK: Two gentlemen with instruments.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

SA: the kid

TK: I choose you (you).

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.