Sunday, January 27, 2008

Out of intense loneliness came Khaled’s ‘Bright Blues’

By Sarah Poulton

YOUNGSTOWN — Before The Zou, there was Khaled...

In 1998, The Zou's singer, Khaled Tabbara, was at a low point in his life. He wasn’t enrolled in college because there were problems with his financial aid and his girlfriend had cheated on him with his friend. On a whim and a prayer, he drove his Geo Prism to Denver carrying two pairs of jeans, a couple shirts and about 20 instruments.

“It was a very, very lonely time in my life,” Tabbara said. “I was in a new city and knew no one.”

Before he left, he wrote about a third of a solo album titled, “The Bright Blues.” While in Denver, with his emotions running wild, he finished it. Tabbara said when he wrote the album, it was under the pretense that he was not a musician and it was meant to be therapeutic.

Last night, for the very first time, Tabbara, along with various musicians that have made an impact on his life, performed “The Bright Blues” in front of friends, family and complete strangers at Cedars Lounge, downtown.

“I look at that as some of the purest stuff I ever wrote,” Tabbara said. “I wasn’t influenced by anything. When you’re writing strictly for therapy, you get really pure stuff. It was fun.”

The relaxed atmosphere gave the impression that you’re spending the evening in Tabbara’s living room. Emotional vibes given off by Tabbara filled the room with compassion and awe.

“It was everything I wanted it to be,” Tabbara said. “I looked out in the audience and it was my friends... It’s very personal.”

The cover-to-cover performance began with Tabbara and his brother, Rached Tabbara, on stage. Khaled Tabbara said his brother is by far his biggest influence and he looks up to him not only as a big brother, but as a musical mentor.

“We started out the night with me and my brother on stage, how I started out life,” Tabbara said. “The concept of it was to invite you to hang out. I wanted it to feel very intimate. I wanted to let you guys in.”

During the course of the performance, various musicians came and left the stage, representing different stages in Tabbara’s life. At points, there were eight musicians on the stage playing off the wall instruments, including a saw, washboard and tuned beer glasses.

“I was super emotional because I felt like it was my chronological life,” Tabbara said. “It was like, ‘Khaled Tabbara, this is your musical life’.”

“The Bright Blues” was originally recorded in 1998, then remastered in 2000. A lot of the tracks are first takes, and are meant to sound raw. Tabbara, who began his stage career as an actor, said when he was recording, he would lay down on the ground when doing vocals to make it sound less like a musical.

While written during a low point, Tabbara said the album itself is not depressing. He described it as a contemplation album that is meant to spark thought and help him work through his problems.

“It was literally done for expression’s sake,” Tabbara said. “A lot of the songs don’t make sense separately. It’s meant to be listened to the whole way through.”

Ten years later, and in a very different place in life, Tabbara said it was almost bittersweet to play these lost tracks. He said a lot of the songs are pretty and there are a couple on there, like “Ooglie Booglie” and “Rose in a Mason Jar” that are kind of upbeat.

Tabbara said that performing the songs with all of the instruments used on the album simultaneously for the first time really gave his audience, and himself, an understanding of what the album means to him.

“You don’t get the whole picture without seeing it live,” Tabbara said. He says even he felt like he was playing someone else’s songs as the band rehearsed. But once he took the stage, he said, "They were insanely personal again. I felt like I was telling you my life.”

“The Bright Blues” was originally meant to be a one-time show, but Tabbara said there is a chance he will dig into his roots and perform it again. Until then, we are only left with the recorded tracks and memories from this amazing night.