This video shoot better come soon because the dieting is killing me.
Check out Danny “Devill” Villalba (http://devillonline.tumblr.com/) and I jamming out to my song “Grace”, which we will be filming an official music video for in less than two weeks. We will need to raise another $1400 to make it happen so check out the campaign on Pledge Music. 25% of money raised goes to Willie Mae Rock Camp for girls in Brooklyn and the rest will go towards helping us film an awesome piece of art that will make you think. For the minimum donation of $10 you’ll get my latest CD+four unreleased tracks I’ve been working on. Perks get even cooler as the donation gets higher, but every little bit of help is certainly appreciated.
http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/gracemusicvideo
Peace, salam, paz, pace, and the beat goes on,
-Omnia
I’ll be performing in Brooklyn this Friday at the Notebooks for Peace Benefit Concert at the Commons (388 Atlantic Avenue) with percussionist/musician/whatever he is at the moment Danny Villalba (Follow him @ http://devillonline.tumblr.com/). All proceeds go to transporting inspirational notebooks to youth in conflict zones, starting with Gaza and the West Bank and the show will be full of empowering performances, so hope you can come! It’s 18+ and $10 cover. Here’s the FB event for more info.
http://www.facebook.com/events/108298212625907/
To get there by subway you can take:
The 2,3,4, or 5 at Nevins
A,C, or G at Hoyt-Schermerhorn;
F to Bergen
B, N, D, M, Q, R, and LIRR to Atlantic-Pacific Station!
Hope to see you there. =)
-Omnia
1/4 of Our Target Raised! 2 weeks to Raise the Remaining $1500!
Pledge to Raise Money for My First Music Video!!
Making a music video isn’t always the easiest thing to finance when you’re an independent artist. But videos are where it’s at nowadays and we have the coolest concept for the one that we would like to do. As of now, there’s only one thing missing.
Moolah. Filoos. Dinero. $$$
We (awesome film director Joud Kashgari, assistant director Danny Villalba, and I) will be filming a music video for my single “Grace”, which seeks to question the treatment of women all around the world, and with a modest budget. We would like to give a portion of the money raised away to a wonderful organization in Brooklyn called Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls, a day and summer camp that aims to empower young women through the teaching of music. A little money goes a long way and we don’t need an astronomical budget to make an amazing piece of art that will make you think.
To pledge click this link or the one on the right side of my website. Some of the perks for donating include a signed copy of my recent CD “The Jailbird EP” plus four unreleased tracks that I’ve been working on. The project got halted last year due to lack of funding, but this time around I’m going to make it happen! All I need is a little help from you. ;)
Peace, salam, pace, and the beat goes on,
-Omnia
Music Video Coming Soon!
Yes, it’s finally happening this time!
I’ve been waiting to do this for quite some time now and there have been many obstacles. It got halted last year due to lack of funding, but this year we’ll be raising the money online to make it happen-no more waiting on grants. So when the fundraising campaign comes out online-please donate and be pumped. The concept of the video is awesome and it’s going to knock your socks off (so will the choreography). But it can’t happen without your help.
Psst. It’s track one of the EP. If you haven’t done so yet, cop that.
http://omniamusic.bandcamp.com/album/the-jailbird-ep
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-jailbird-ep/id468253923
More details to come this week! ;)
-Omnia
First Show of 2012 a Week From Today!
Decided it was only right to do my first show of the new year in Staten Island. Will be doing this one @ The Alor Cafe (2110 Richmond Road) on Thursday, January 5th at 8 PM! Also accompanied by the super talented Joe Endozo (http://www.joeendozo.com).
All ages, no cover, great food, and great music! And SI shows have been harder and harder to do lately, so don’t miss this one!
There WILL be new music that you’ve never heard before. And their food is ridiculous and not too expensive, which is nice too. =)
Here’s the Facebook event, if that makes it more legit. Grant City stop on the SI Railway if you’re taking the train.
http://www.facebook.com/events/150096715099955/
See you next year!
-O
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
Aziza
Omnia -
I don’t post works in progress very often, but here’s one of the four new songs I’ve recorded this semester. Featuring my amazing band (Tyler Joseph on drums, Nathaniel Schroeder on bass, and Coyote Anderson on electric guitar/mandolin). Also featuring my good friend Jamie Flores on piano. This song is called “Aziza” and a few people have been asking to hear a recording of it, so here ya go. =)
Happy Holidays everyone!
Performing with the band this Tuesday night at The Living Room on the Lower East Side! The set starts at 7:00 and it’s 21+ to get in. Hope to see you there!
http://www.facebook.com/events/165563743540693/
-O
*Update from Egypt* - Nerve Gas Used On Protesters
A banned chemical agent has reportedly been used by the Egyptian military as the brutal crackdown against tens of thousands of protesters has overshadowed prospects of a democratic transfer in the country.
Rashes, epileptic-type convulsions, temporary blindness and coughing up blood are among the symptoms being reported by Egyptian protesters who have fallen victim to a potentially lethal form of neuro-toxic nerve gas reportedly being deployed by security forces.
After almost a week of protests against the ruling military junta left some 41 people dead, several sources claim scores have died from gas asphyxiation, while thousands more have received medical treatment after possibly being exposed to an agent known as CR gas.
CR gas, which is up to 10 times more powerful than tear gas which is commonly used today, is no longer used by the United States due to its carcinogenic properties. The US military has categorized it as a combat-class chemical agent.
(Source)
This should be taken very seriously. Nerve Gas is classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the UN. Nerve Gas can lead to death by asphyxiation as control is lost over respiratory muscles. The deadly gas is banned in most countries INCLUDING EGYPT.
(via philosophy-of-praxis)
In the wake of all of the uprisings in the Middle East, here is a video I worked on with young Saudi filmmaker Joud Kashgari. I wrote this song last year during the protests in Egypt, and I suppose it comes full circle now that the madness in my father’s homeland has returned, and there will be elections this week.
This is a reminder not to stop fighting for our rights. Remember how good it felt to actually think we could change the world? We must NOT give up that feeling and we must NEVER settle for less.
Like it and pass it on to everyone you know-Arab or non-Arab. We need to spread optimism and hope for the future.
-Omnia
http://www.bandoora.com/#/band/2101 »
First blog coverage of my music in Arabic! If you can read it, check it out! And even if you can’t-it’s still kind of cool right?
Will do a Mideast Tour one day! Starting with Cairo and moving outwards.But for now, taking smaller steps. Like recording an EP in Arabic first. Oh yes. =)
If I Lose My Voice Right Now
I will cry.
Two recording sessions this week and two performances coming up.
kndl;fmkl;dmgklf’gf;’gl’df;k;f’dhkld;f’khld;f’kl’fdg;’fdkgf;plkhgf;’dhk;lfgkhl;gf’khl;f’hkl;’dfdkg;’
I’m not saying this video is the cure to all of the tension between the Middle East and the West. I’m just saying it’s a great start.
Featuring 24 big names from the Middle East and North Africa. Produced by Quincy Jones and RedOne (did you know he’s Moroccan?). Akon makes an appearance somewhere in there and Shakira (who is half Lebanese) does an intro for it, explaining the significance of the charity the video promotes.
Proceeds go towards arts and music education in the Middle East, something that is highly undervalued. Just ask any Arab musician what their parents would like them to do for a living and most of them will tell you any one of these four things (except mine-they were way cooler).
1. Doctor
2. Accountant
3. Engineer
4. College Professor
Whenever you have a talk with American music industry professionals, their idea of international outreach includes Europe and Asia. The Middle East is always completely left out of the equation (at it will be until I’m through with it).
The video definitely feels like the Arab version of “We Are the World”, but I’m kind of okay with that.
I have some videos of my own on the way soon. Stay tuned. ;)
-O
This is my submission video for the Guitar Center Singer/Songwriter Contest, which started last month and ends in December. The song is called Aziza and I just wrote it this summer.
So suscribe to my Youtube Channel/share it with your friends to get me one step closer to recording a 3 song EP with Grammy winning producer John Shanks, winning $10,000, and getting studio time at the Converse Rubber Tracks Recording Studio! This can literally get my music off the ground and get my career to the next level.
All is takes is a simple like, follow, or suscription to any one of my social networks: Facebook. Twitter, Soundcloud, Myspace, and of course Youtube.
http://www.facebook.com/OmniaFB
http://twitter.com/#!/omniatweets
http://soundcloud.com/omniamusic
http://www.myspace.com/omniasmusic
Help a girl out and spread the love, ;)
-Omnia
