The Yellow Dogs
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2006 in Tehran, Iran |
| Defunct | 2013 |
| Headquarters | Brooklyn, New York , United States |
| Products | Music (rock, post-punk revival, dance-punk) |
The Yellow Dogs were a rock ensemble of Iranian-American origin, established in 2006 in Tehran and later relocating to Brooklyn, New York.[1] The group was initially formed by siblings Soroush (guitarist) and Arash (drummer) Farazmand, who, along with their associate Ali Eskandarian, were fatally shot in Brooklyn in November 2013.[2] Vocalist Siavash "Obash" Karampour and bassist Kourosh "Koory" Mirzaei survived the tragedy as they were not present at the time.[2]
Biography
Hailing from Tehran, The Yellow Dogs performed primarily in English using Western musical instruments, drawing inspiration from bands such as Joy Division and Talking Heads.[3] Their work faced censorship from Iran's Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, which prohibited their performances within the country.[4] The band appeared in Bahman Ghobadi's film No One Knows About Persian Cats, which received recognition at Cannes, and participated in a CNN interview prior to their departure from Iran.[5]
Their inaugural authorized performance outside Iran took place at Istanbul’s Peyote club in January 2010, shortly before they relocated to New York City.[6] Following this move, they played at venues such as Brooklyn’s Cameo Gallery, Santos Party House, the Delancey in New York City, and Austin’s Wave during the SXSW festival.[7][8][9] They also appeared at the afterparty hosted by Manhattan’s 92nd St. Y Tribeca for the U.S. premiere of No One Knows About Persian Cats, sharing the stage with fellow Tehran-based group Hypernova.[3]
On April 13, 2010, Milan Records issued the soundtrack for No One Knows About Persian Cats, which included The Yellow Dogs' song "New Century". Bassist Koory was prominently featured on both the album cover and promotional movie poster.[10] The film itself premiered through on-demand services and theatrical release by IFC Films in April 2010.[11]
Shooting incident in November 2013
On November 11, 2013, a violent event occurred in Brooklyn involving members of the Yellow Dogs band. The victims included guitarist Soroush Farazmand (27), drummer Arash Farazmand (28), and their friend Ali Eskandarian (35), who was not part of the group. The perpetrator, Ali Akbar Mohammed Rafie (29), an aggrieved musician, used a Century Arms C308 Sporter rifle to carry out the attack. Another person present, Sasan Sadeghpourosko (25), sustained injuries to his arm but survived. Following the shootings, Rafie took his own life.
Early news coverage mistakenly reported that Akbar had been a band member who was expelled three days before the incident. Subsequent clarifications revealed he was never officially part of Yellow Dogs but had connections to the band after being removed from another Iranian expatriate rock group, Free Keys, in 2012.
Discography
- EPs
- In the Kennel EP (2011)
- Upper Class Complexity (2012)
- Singles
- "Gastronomic Meal" (2011)
- Soundtrack contributions
- "New Century" (featured on the soundtrack of No One Knows About Persian Cats, 2009)
External links
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedoyster - ↑ "Brooklyn murder-suicide kills 4". CBC.ca. November 11, 2013.
- ↑ "Iran's Underground Rock Scene". CNN.
- ↑ "Yellowdogs". Myspace.com.
- ↑ "Iranian-American Band The Yellow Dogs Leave Tehran for Brooklyn, and Greater Freedom". Pri.org.
- ↑ "The Yellow Dogs: An Illegal Rock Band Breaks Out". Huffington Post. June 2, 2010.
- ↑ "The Yellow Dogs Interview SXSW 2010". Spinner.com.
- ↑ "NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS: ABOUT THE ALBUM". Milanrecords.com.
- ↑ "NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS". Ifcfilms.com.
- 2006 establishments in Iran
- 2013 murders in the United States
- Dance-punk musical groups
- Deaths by firearm in Brooklyn
- Iranian emigrants to the United States
- Iranian indie rock groups
- Mass shootings in New York City
- Murder–suicides in the United States
- Murder in New York City
- American murder victims
- Musical groups established in 2006
- Musical groups from Brooklyn
- Musical groups from Tehran
- Post-punk revival music groups
- Crimes in New York City
- Musical groups disestablished in 2013