Artist description Welcome to My Wonderful Show, was released on July 24th, 2001, making it the third release by the Afrosheens. It is a solo album by Afshin Beheshti, which contains lots of woodwinds, strings, manodlins, and a very unique style of song writing. The Persian Expressway, the second release by Tallahassee, Florida's Afrosheens, is essentially a solo album by multi-instrumentalist Afshin Beheshti, an atmospheric musical journey into what he calls his one-man empire of sound. Afshin, a member of both the bone-crushing Ancient Brain and the ethereal Divided Body, performs the majority of the instruments on the album, creating atypical arrangements on keyboards, guitars, bass, woodwinds, percussion and mandolin. These arrangements compliment the record's deft songwriting, introducing experimental elements without losing accessibility. Co-produced with Mike Coleman (The New You, Bacon Ray, Newsboy Legion), Expressway is unencumbered by any specific style, yet is cohesive in perspective. The song's lyrics compliment this musical approach, as Afshin's sincere, heartfelt words and singing manage to be humorous, serious, silly, hopeful and melancholy at the same time. The Persian Expressway is his invitation to the audience to visit an introspective impressionistic landscape, a personal sonic panorama. "Beheshti's influences are jumbled together in colorful profusion on "Expressway," kind of like the fractured bits of glass in a kaleidoscope. This CD is lo-fi in the best way -- unadorned by the desire to conform to any known formula." -Tallahassee Democrat

Music Style Independent Music (you tell me)

Musical Influences Velvet Underground, Pink Floyd, Husker Du, The Replacements, The Jayhawks, Arcwelder, Tom Waits, The Beatles, Pavement, Sonic Youth, Flaming Lips, and many more

Similar Artists Magnetic Fields, Flaming Lips, Olivia Tremor Control, Love, Syd Barret.... I don't know... this is just what I've been told.....

Artist History Afshin's musical journey began in fourth grade, when he began to learn saxophone and piano in Minneapolis. The Afrosheens project commenced 5 years ago also in Minneapolis, when Beheshti purchased a 4-track tape recorder and began making tapes for friends. In 1998, after moving to Tallahassee, he released a limited edition CD, "No Photos", and put together a four-piece group to perform his compositions onstage. Up until that time, Beheshti had only played live with jazz groups. During 1999, Afshin played solo shows using pre-recorded keyboard tracks as his backup band. In the year 2000 he gathered a new ensemble together, featuring numerous talents from local Tallahassee bands, to perform material from "The Persian Express" live. In the year 2001 he put out his third album "Welcome To My Wonderful Show" which charted on the CMJ (college music journal) top 200 chart (it debuted at 135). The year 2001 was the time for the Afrosheens to play as a three piece. In October of 2001 The Afrosheens went to play the CMJ music marathon in New York with additional musicians playing trumpet and accordion. In 2003 the Afrosheens have relocated to Cambridge, MA. A new album is done and ready to be come out. It will be called "Yes! They're Real!" Keep your eyes and ears open for these new changes and east coast gigs.

Group Members The Afrosheens is Afshin Beheshti

Instruments Saxophone, Electric and Acoustic Guitar, Mandolin, Bass, keyboards, piano, percussion, accordion, banjo, vocals, a mini-steel drum, flute, clarinet, strings, trumpet, harmonica, glockenspiel

Albums No Photos, The Persian Expressway, Welcome To My Wonderful Show

Press Reviews "The Afrosheens, 'The Persian Expressway.' The Afrosheens is what multi-instrumentalist Afshin Beheshti calls his one-man empire of sound, now crowned by this weirdly winning debut CD. Behesti's influences -- from the alternative music scene in his hometown of Minneapolis to the musicians he's jammed with here in Tallahassee -- are jumbled together in colorful profusion on 'Expressway,' kind of like the fractured bits of glass in a kaleidoscope. The CD's songs are whimsical, sweet, sad and sometimes extremely strange..... Guest appearances by such local musicians as banjo player Ethan Schaffner, accordionist Elisabeth King and guitarist John McNeece give the songs depth and texture. McNeece's apocalyptic guitar lines on 'To Murder the Survivor' are all cold menace and sweet agony, and Schaffner and King complement the angular lyricism of songs such as 'Good Night Sweet Girl' and 'It's Too Late For More.' This CD is lo-fi in the best way -- unadorned by the desire to conform to any known formula." -Tallahassee Democrat "....On the Persian Expressway, Beheshti has joined forces with Mike Coleman (from the band's The New You, Bacon Ray, and Newsboy Legion) to augment his musical daydreams. Expressway can either be taken for off centered narcissism, or high-minded conceptualism, until you realize Beheshti has quite a talent for arrangement. On repeated listening, what seems to be feckless meandering takes on a definite pattern. I'm reminded of bands like Guided by Voices and Thinking Fellars Union #424. Rhythm machine, mandolin, super-distorted guitars, real drums, bass and acoustic guitars morph and swirl with different styles. The outcome is both amusing and confounding. Syd Barret fans should find this fun." -Pulse of the Twin Cities

Additional Info To buy the CDs you can call and order with your credit at: 1-800-BUY-MY-CD

Location Cambridge, MA - USA

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