For this jet-setting duo, it’s not every day that Ballarat residents get the chance to see ZÖJ perform in their home city.
At the upcoming music festival Be Hear Now, Gelareh Pour and Brian O’Dwyer are set to lit up the stage at the Ballarat Municipal Observatory on Saturday August 24 for a performance of epic proportions. “We don’t get to play in Ballarat as much as we’d like, so we’re looking forward to this one,” Brian says. “We’re really happy to be involved in Be Hear Now this year and have the opportunity to play at home.”
ZÖJ is the kind of experimental music duo that begs to be witnessed live. Consisting of Gelareh on voice and Persian Kamancheh and Brian on drums, this duo creates music that is rooted in expressions of interculturalism and works to reflect the real world.
ZÖJ at Be Hear Now
- Saturday, August 24
- Ballarat Municipal Observatory
- Free to attend
Keep up with the latest music news, festivals, interviews and reviews here.
“We’ve found there’s a real honesty in inter-cultural music, it’s raw and exposed,” Brian says. “ZÖJ is about taking two different worlds and developing a new dialogue between them that in the end is greater than the sum of its parts. The lines between cultures are blurred and the result is something new and unforced.”
ZÖJ’s experimentation through improvisation means that no two shows are the same. “Our approach is essentially an ongoing musical conversation,” Brian says. They invite their audience into this dialogue, creating a shared experience and emotional connection with their masterful playing and evocative Persian poetry, sung by Gelareh in Farsi.
“An ongoing musical conversation”
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“We share stories of our lives; of the emotions we feel and the narratives that affect us,” Brian says. “Because of the conversational approach and the use of improvisation, these stories have room to grow and change, threads can be added or discarded in any moment depending on how we feel or where we’re at in our conversation.”
Despite the majority of audiences being unable to understand Farsi, the music transcends linguistic limits and transforms into a universal display of human connection and community. “No matter where we play, people connect with the music on an emotional level,” Brian says. “You don’t need to share language to understand feeling and emotion.”
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This sense of community resonates with ZÖJ fans the world over. Fresh off a European tour, Brian notes that their exploration of interculturalism in music is a point of connection to all audiences, no matter where they’re playing.
“We thrive in new environments and often play better when we’re in unfamiliar waters,” Brian says about playing shows overseas. “Because our approach encourages us to invite the environment into our performance, there’s something really rewarding in being able to shape that and create our sound within it.”
“The connections are very real”
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Their music shifts and changes with each performance, enveloping the space and everyone in it. Brian emphasises the importance of engaging with the music, no matter your background or language or familiarity with experimental improvisation. Everyone is welcomed into ZÖJ’s shared conversation.
It’s no surprise the duo has just been announced as a finalist for APRA/AMCOS Art Music Awards’ Excellence in Experimental Practice. Their masterful playing creates an environment at their shows of deep curiosity, lingering long after the show ends. “The connections are very real,” Brian says. “It’s a shared experience that only happens in that moment. We’re very honoured to be able to share that with people.”
“Regional audiences are the best”
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Making soundwaves in the music scene both domestically and abroad, this powerhouse duo is thrilled to bring their music back home to Ballarat for Be Hear Now. “Our experience has been the same all over the world, regional audiences are the best,” Brian says. “[They’re] always supportive, gracious and thankful. We’re very lucky to live in such a beautiful city.”
Having played everywhere from Italy to Slovenia to Belgium, this rare hometown show in Ballarat is one not to be missed. The diversity of performers and calibre of talent on display at Be Hear Now this year make ZÖJ’s show the perfect send out of the festival on August 24. Take this chance to see this prolific duo perform in Victoria while you can.
You can check out the full program of Be Hear Now here.
This article was made in partnership with Be Hear Now.
