Ash Koosha

Born on August 13th 1985 in Tehran/Iran, Ash Koosha ( Ashkan
KooshaNejad ) is a 23 years old singer/songwriter. He was raised in an artistic
family (His mother a vocalist and a fashion designer and his father an
award winning photographer), when he got familiar with the voice of great
music legends like Dylan, Sting and many more, at a very young age.

He was nearly 13 when he first touched a guitar which his parents had
bought for his elder brother and was amazed by its sound.” One day I
woke up, Fed up with school, Cars, News, War and stuff!!! Why? I don’t
really know and it’s not that important anymore. All I remember is that I
took my brother’s guitar and held it close to me until a strange thing
happened. Yes, Guess what? I heard it talking “ He remembers. Since he
did not have a professional tutor at that time, he started to
role-model great guitarists such as Kurt Cobain,” I would watch them play for
hours and try to observe their fingers’ position on strings and try the
similar on my guitar.” He says.

He started to create sounds without technical knowledge. He would
attend his brother’s guitar lessons and watch his tutor play.” He would come
to me and want me to listen to his sound; He would play difficult
chords without even realizing it. It was his talent and inner instinct that
created those sounds. His senses were so strong about music.” Says his brother pooya
also vocalist for FONT Indie rock band.

He started composing his own music at the age of 15 inspired by the
poems of Ahmad Shamloo (a Persian Folklore poet) which he translated in
English.

Later in High school he became interested in playing basketball and
decided to become a professional basketball player. He started to attend
team practices,” I would wake up at 4am everyday to attend team
practices at 5. I would run several miles everyday. I was really serious about
basketball.” He says, but he never quit his music. “I would play on my
guitar whenever I could. Music was an inseparable part of my life.”
Despite becoming a professional basketball player and a member of Iran
Youth Basketball team, he quit basketball to pursue his dream of becoming
a musician.

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He then attended Tehran COnservatory of Music where he got seriously
involved with music. “I would go to the conservatory everyday at 8 am. I
would play the piano for hours, attend classes and practice more either
on the piano or the cello or bass. I was unaware of time and place. I
was eager to play more and practice more.” He says. It was then, when he
discovered a unique side of his music and became involved in composing
film music. “Film music is passionate; it is full of image frames, full
of senses. What I like the most about film music is re-telling the
story by composing sounds which brings joy, tears, love and hatred”.

Becoming more involved with his music career, he formed FONT a 4 piece
indie rock band as the lead guitarist and composer along with his elder
brother in early 2006. Font started to find the shortest way to
express the feelings of a forgotten generation as a rock band while there
were not enough sources in the country to accomplish the reason. The band
started to practice in underground places with less equipment, trying
to perform in colleges, universities and underground places to serve the
few number of rock fans to come.

After recording demo songs the band was invited to perform in a self
produced Rock Festival at Tehran central University of Arts along with
some other underground bands which turned to a successful event .After
the unbelievable start Font was strongly into being a small independent
band with big dreams of rock n’ roll, but the atmosphere of their
hometown still wont let this dream come true (which forbids performance of
any music of this kind due to ideological beliefs)
“Being an unusual scene in the society is the most horrible feeling an
artist may have. This fact made us start working on our first albums
with the great belief of what we are doing is the most perfect movement
in our life .The first EP Demo album which was a long process is a
simple expression of our feelings, when we wake up and start the in the
place we live. Each time we open our eyes to this world knowing that the
first and the worst thing at the same time is A Lovely day to kill a
moment.”

In summer 2007, FONT, influenced by artists such as, Arctic Monkeys,
The Strokes, Bloc party and other modern sounds was invited
to perform in an underground concert in Karaj( Tehran suburb), But was
arrested and taken to prison. The band pursued its work after spending
21 days in prison and recorded their next album: A free world isn�t
it? Which centered on the story of their last live show and freedom of
music.

While working hard with FONT which became an interesting story of
bravery and strength for presses and interviewing with some of them like
Distorted Magazine and goddeau magazine over musiek en andere , Ash
pursued his own music project as a single singer/songwriter. He started to
compose his own music influenced by John Lennon,Damien Rice, Glen
Hansard, Paolo Nutini and other soul and rock pieces. The subject of his songs
is simple life. “I don�t like complicated literary. My music is simple
and pure. As life should be” He says. After recording 4 songs, He is
now working on his new album: Hello World!
He is also working with his newly formed band, “Take it Easy Hospital” . A
three piece indie pop band.
“There is no limit to my music. Every project is a new sound, a new
side of me and an exploration. I play from my heart with the hope of
Peace, Love and Understanding. I struggle for the stage on which I would
stand and sing from the bottom of my soul and to send my message to the
world. Awake or asleep, Rich or poor, Moody or jealous, anywhere I go and
lay my head down, Music is Music to me! It’s a joy of Life building
another happy Moment.”