US rock band Filligar tours Azerbaijan

Source: AzerNews

US rock band Filligar is having a concert tour in Azerbaijan from June 25 till July 7. The tour is being organized under the intercultural cooperation project "Cultural Ambassadors" with support of the US embassy in Azerbaijan and the U.S. Department of State.

The band's members will hold free outdoor concerts in Baku, Gabala, Sheki, Ganja, Mingachevir and Sumgayit. Master classes will be given as well.

The concerts of the rock band take place on June 27 at Park Bulvar in Baku, on June 28 in Qafqaz Sport Hotel in Gabala, on June 29 on Azadlig Square in Sheki, on June 30 in Green Theatre "Khan Baghy" in Ganja, Azerbaijan's second largest city, and July 1 in Heydar Aliyev Park in Mingachevir.

Then the rock band will return to Baku and perform at the Green Theatre's stage on July 4 and in the Culture House named after Nariman Narimanov in Sumgayit, a city some 30 km north of the capital Baku. The final concert of Filligar will take place at the Azerbaijan University of Languages in Baku on July 6.

Filligar is a rock quartet from Chicago, Illinois. The band was created in 2000 by Johnny (vocals and guitar), Teddy (bass-guitar) and Pete (drummer) Mathias brothers and their childhood friend Casey Gibson (keyboard player).

Filligar has written and recorded eight albums and over 80 original songs. Filligar's most recent release, "The Nerve", was nominated "Best Rock Album" at the 2012 Independent Music Awards.

In 2013 the United States Department of State asked Filligar to serve as cultural ambassadors representing the "American people and their cultural values," and in the summer of 2013 they will travel to Eastern Europe as part of their participation in the Arts Envoy program which "shares the best of the U.S. arts community with the world to foster cross-cultural understanding and collaboration and to demonstrate shared values and aspirations."

In an interview with Azerbaijan's Trend news agency, the group leader, Johnny Mathias, said he likes Azerbaijani mugham (folk music) and one of the goals of Filligar's visit to Azerbaijan is to get closely familiar with Azerbaijani culture and the national art of mugham.

According to him, discussions on the implementation of joint projects with local rock bands are underway.

Johnny also shared his impressions about Baku.

"I admire the beauty of Baku and cannot put my feelings into words. Baku, located on the coast of the Caspian Sea, would be compared with my home city Chicago, which is located on the shore of Michigan Lake," Johnny said.

Print version

Recommend news to friend

• Your name:
• Your e-mail:
• Friend's name:
• Friend's e-mail: