Wednesday, June 13th, 2007

Tzadzaaaaaam!

After a long silence, some thrilling news is coming your way:

15:15's latest album "Stoned Love" has been released this Monday, June 11th 2007 and is available just about everywhere!

To refresh our memories: 15:15 is Bai Kamara Jr.'s latest project, the result of his many visits to Spain and the collaboration with his long time friend Nader Hamid.

(Press release:)

15:15 describe their music as an homage to their musical roots, and a dedication to their respective cultures. The two gentlemen who comprise this band are Bai Kamara Jr. and Nader Hamid. One from Sierra Leone, the other from what was formerly known as Babylon, making music in Europe, a mid-point and very appropriate meeting place. They are unique citizens of the world. And though they both come from war-torn countries, the music they make reflects a lighter side of life. The songs are loud, poetic, melancholic, and more than anything they are strong anthems that stick in your head and rattle your soul, like good rock ´n´ roll should.

What has been created in their first album, Stoned Love, is a conscious decision to "taste raw" and "smell fresh". Songs like If you want this, Surrounded and Riverboat Blues are essentially blues songs, but without the blues chords. Stoned Love takes funk and gives it an ounce of hard rock to sharpen the edge. I wanna do something could have been sung by The Beach Boys. But the sound remains 15:15 throughout.

Bai Kamara Jr. (baikamara.com) was born in Sierra Leone, where he lived for most of his childhood. When Bai moved to the UK at 15, his musical talents were awakened by the sounds of the English music scene. He began to write his first songs in college, and soon became popular as a song-writer for local bands. When he moved to Belgium a few years later, he began performing and developing his own voice and live act. In 1996, his first band was signed for 2 albums and a tour of Europe, and in 1999 Bai began working on his solo project. Bai Kamara Jr. has released 2 solo albums so far, Living Room in 2001, an acoustic album of his early songs, and Urban Gipsy, a soul/funk album, both released by Bang Belgium and with publishing rights to Universal. Both albums continue to sell several thousand copies per year.

Nader Hamid was born in Belgium, to parents of Iraqi Origin. He spent his early years moving around Europe, and attended university in the US, playing guitar in a variety of projects and local college bands. In 1996 he moved to Brussels, where he met Bai Kamara Jr. During his 6 years in Belgium he began to perform and record his own music, and played in bars and festivals throughout Belgium. In 2002 he moved to Spain and continued to maintain contact with Bai Kamara Jr., and in 2004 they decided to record an album together. The first recordings of Stoned Love began in September 2004 and lasted for a year, since Bai Kamara Jr. continued to live in Belgium and travel to Spain for the recordings.

This album is as much a testament to their friendship as to the musical roots they have tried to revive.

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So don't wait, go out there, get that album and enjoy it to it's fullest!

Check out the concert pages for performances of 15:15 in your area!