Tuesday, April 29, 2008

The return of Nouveau

By Sarah Poulton

Nouveau — new and different, often fashionably so.

YOUNGSTOWN — It is time once again for Nouveau Rock.

Unlike other Youngstown music festivals that happen annually, or are a one-time thing, The Zou hosts their Nouveau Rock Festival when they feel there is a reason for it. Lead singer Khaled Tabbara says they organize their festival when there’s something worth showing people.

“Nouveau is a special occasion and I feel we’re ready for it again,” Tabbara says. “There’s enough going on that we need to share with Youngstown.”

The Zou’s definition of Nouveau is “New and different, often fashionably so.” Tabbara says The Zou classifies themselves as nouveau because, like art nouveau, they believe their music acts as a bridge between classic and modern.

“We drew a parallel between the music we make and the music we want to make,” Tabbara says. “We want to expand it.”

Tabbara says their first Nouveau Rock show happened about four years ago at Cedars. Tabbara says they booked the show with “underdogs” that couldn’t fill Cedars on their own. He says the show was extremely well-received, so they started doing it biannually until the bands developed their own following.

The show is made up of bands that you haven’t heard of yet, but you will.

“If we wanted to throw a mega music festival with big drawing bands, these are not the [bands] we’d choose,” Tabbara says. “These are bands that we feel are doing something unique and different.”

The Zou incorporated established bands, like The Deadbeat Poets and Nouveau veterans Posture Coach and Third Class, to play with lesser-known acts like Ten Cylinder Typewriter and The Sewing Machine War. Also slated to play are The Devotees, and closing out the night is The Real Time Digimob.

Tabbara says there will be two stages. Weather permitting, the main stage will be on the patio and the B-stage will be inside the bar. The stages will alternate acts, and Tabbara says there will never be two bands playing at the same time. In case of rain, the main stage will be the bar stage and the B-stage will be in the side room, he says.

Also new to the festival is art. Tabbara says local artists and photographers will be displaying and selling their art throughout Cedars, concentrating mostly in the middle room between the bar and the patio.

Bassist Murad Shorrab says if the weather is good, they hope to use every inch of Cedars, including the outside bar. This is Shorrab’s first time being involved in the planning and execution of Nouveau, and he envisions it being a celebration of downtown.

“In a town like ours, it’s necessary to have events like this to get new bands a following, almost like a coming out party,” Shorrab says. “...We feel the bands on this bill typify the new and original music of Youngstown.”

Tickets can be purchased before the show from any of the bands, or at the door for $6.