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Farees has a rich heritage of many cultures and a fertile and robust background in music. With Farees‘ mom being of Tuareg (Black and Berber) ancestry, and his dad being of Italian and German heritage – all of this gives meaning to his embracing of the planet and call to make a difference through his music.
Just as his family roots are embedded and rich, his musical growth and development have also been rich. Farees started in Africa, playing in bands like Tinariwen and Terakaft, and becoming part of that Saharan scene, while sharing stages and adventures in the desert and getting recognized as an influential artist in Africa at first – Mali, Algeria, Niger, Morocco, etc. – then in the western world.
His first record Mississippi to Sahara, did incredibly well – a low-budget project recorded in just a couple of days – unveiling a most blues sounding African music. This record took him on the biggest stages worldwide and allowed him to meet the greats, who all embraced him as “a new bluesologist” (Taj Mahal, Ben Harper, and Calexico, to name a few).
Since his first performances and recordings, he has used music as a means to discuss the issues and injustices we face as humans, no matter which continent we are living in, no matter what our beliefs or ethnicity are.
“To me, music is the strongest therapy, both on the inside, the psyche or spirit, and on the outside, the social and political world; it’s all the same – you can’t separate the two,” Farees says. “I am no Guru. I’m a free man, and I speak my mind, that’s all. It’s the music itself that is a messenger and a doctor and much more. I’m invested in societal change because I’m a musician. It’s as simple as that. It’s natural.”
Both being multiracial and having grown up in numerous countries and continents gave Farees a different perspective on society. He is multilingual, and you can tell he’s someone who can embody different cultures and worldviews without having to pick sides. “Different people will assign us different identities based on our physical appearance at the moment, but our own internal identity may not align with the assigned identity.”
Farees knew what being profiled meant, but he was about to experience it in the flesh. During his first north-American tour, in Chicago, he was racially profiled, arrested, and detained without any apparent reason. An alleged irregularity was also used against him to deny him entry into the U.S. While detained, he was interrogated about his religious beliefs, his racial identity, and treated like a potential terrorist.
Back in Italy, the Italian police also detained him, handcuffing him and taking him away in a patrol car upon arrival. This detention experience (3 days in total) led to new lyrics, new songs, and an increase of his activism. Sometime after that, while touring Canada, he received death threats filled with racial slurs and insults on his Facebook account.
“Things these days are taking an odd turn for people of color, Muslims, and minorities in general,” says Farees. A couple of months after the detention, as he was suffering insomnia, anxiety, and recurrent nightmares, he thought for the first time about spoken-word songs that would tell this story, and a concept record based on it. “The spoken word – the slam poetry thing – came out of necessity for me. You can’t sing all that stuff. I had too many things to say.”
Just as his family roots are embedded and rich, his musical growth and development have also been rich. Farees started in Africa, playing in bands like Tinariwen and Terakaft, and becoming part of that Saharan scene, while sharing stages and adventures in the desert and getting recognized as an influential artist in Africa at first – Mali, Algeria, Niger, Morocco, etc. – then in the western world.
His first record Mississippi to Sahara, did incredibly well – a low-budget project recorded in just a couple of days – unveiling a most blues sounding African music. This record took him on the biggest stages worldwide and allowed him to meet the greats, who all embraced him as “a new bluesologist” (Taj Mahal, Ben Harper, and Calexico, to name a few).
Since his first performances and recordings, he has used music as a means to discuss the issues and injustices we face as humans, no matter which continent we are living in, no matter what our beliefs or ethnicity are.
“To me, music is the strongest therapy, both on the inside, the psyche or spirit, and on the outside, the social and political world; it’s all the same – you can’t separate the two,” Farees says. “I am no Guru. I’m a free man, and I speak my mind, that’s all. It’s the music itself that is a messenger and a doctor and much more. I’m invested in societal change because I’m a musician. It’s as simple as that. It’s natural.”
Both being multiracial and having grown up in numerous countries and continents gave Farees a different perspective on society. He is multilingual, and you can tell he’s someone who can embody different cultures and worldviews without having to pick sides. “Different people will assign us different identities based on our physical appearance at the moment, but our own internal identity may not align with the assigned identity.”
Farees knew what being profiled meant, but he was about to experience it in the flesh. During his first north-American tour, in Chicago, he was racially profiled, arrested, and detained without any apparent reason. An alleged irregularity was also used against him to deny him entry into the U.S. While detained, he was interrogated about his religious beliefs, his racial identity, and treated like a potential terrorist.
Back in Italy, the Italian police also detained him, handcuffing him and taking him away in a patrol car upon arrival. This detention experience (3 days in total) led to new lyrics, new songs, and an increase of his activism. Sometime after that, while touring Canada, he received death threats filled with racial slurs and insults on his Facebook account.
“Things these days are taking an odd turn for people of color, Muslims, and minorities in general,” says Farees. A couple of months after the detention, as he was suffering insomnia, anxiety, and recurrent nightmares, he thought for the first time about spoken-word songs that would tell this story, and a concept record based on it. “The spoken word – the slam poetry thing – came out of necessity for me. You can’t sing all that stuff. I had too many things to say.”
And so he did make a concept album, a double LP entitled Border Patrol, on which he talks, sings, raps and plays tremendous guitar, as well as many other instruments. His poetry takes us back to the best protest music traditions, be it spoken-word African-American heroes in the late sixties or Marley and Hendrix. His rhythms, sounds and lyrics are all at their highest level, and most realized form to date. The album also features the Tucson-based band Calexico.
Farees‘ music is hard to categorize, as with things that are genuinely new or fresh. It’s a unique style, “some kind of next-generation, organic African-spoken-electric-blues-rock,” says Farees. Extraordinaire and innovative guitar player? Check. Producer? Check. Poet? Absolutely.
Farees‘ music is hard to categorize, as with things that are genuinely new or fresh. It’s a unique style, “some kind of next-generation, organic African-spoken-electric-blues-
BEN HARPER : “Mississippi to Sahara is a great record. I love it, and I love how it sounds. I can only imagine the wonderful songs
to come from Farees in the future”
TAJ MAHAL : “This is extraordinary work. Farees has grown so incredibly strong! The new record is nothing short of outstanding!!”
JOEY BURNS OF CALEXICO : This is an important album at a crucial time. I am drawn into the circle of his guitar and voice that is both meditative and inspirational. This is an essential album. Get it now!”
