Tim Abdellah’s Web Thing
MUSICKING
الحمد لله
Over the years, I've had the chance to work with some great musicians and to help create some memorable music. These days I'm feeling retired or on extended sabbatical from performing. It could happen again, ان شاء الله. Here are a few of my favorite projects.
THE DUNES - NORTH AFRICAN GROOVES
The Dunes was a North African Fusion (Chaabi Funk Gnawa Rock Berber Metal Arab Reggae) band project. I sang, played guinbri, bass, guitar, clarinet and bendir with the group, and wrote songs in English and Moroccan Arabic for the group to perform. The band members brought together an improbable mix of influences, approaches, attitudes and aesthetics. When it worked, it rocked heavily.
YASSIR CHADLY / MARHABA
Yassir is the longtime Bay Area #1 source for Moroccan folk musicking and Sufi spieling. Whether as part of the Marhaba band, Yassir and the Moroccans, as a duo, or backing the great Pharoah Sanders, I was always encouraged to express my authentic self and to explore the vast oceans of Moroccan song while playing with Yassir.
THE VIRGIN UNPLUGGED: TIM FUSON’S ACOUSTIC MADONNA REVUE
Doing Madonna covers held a sort of hip currency in indie circles in the late 80's and early '90's. The Lords of the New Church, Sonic Youth, and John Wesley Harding had each recorded one. My response was that, well, anybody could do ONE Madonna cover. I put together an entire show. Between 1991 and 1993, I performed my Madonna Revue on Sproul Plaza, KALX-FM, and several times at the Starry Plough.
THE COUSINS GIBB
The Cousins Gibb claim that their more famous alleged cousins, the Bee Gees stole scads of creative ideas, songs and structures from them over the years. You may think that the Cousins' music is derivative of the Bee Gees'. In fact, according to the Cousins, the influence was in the other direction.
During my years of contact with Cousins, I developed an almost symbiotic relationship with Cousin Tomothy. I helped him record demos, teased out the archaeology of the lost "Fes" album and helped produce its recording in the early ‘90s.
THE SQUARE ROOTS
Acoustic 2-piece ensemble that sounded like a full band, punk energy, Beatle-Everly harmony, cranking out infectious pop nuggets left and right, as comfortable and convincing playing at the Fillmore as on Sproul Plaza - The Square Roots tore it up like nobody's business.
