Kiosk () is a rock band formed in

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

in 2003, known for its blend of musical styles and its wry lyrics confronting Iranian cultural angst.

History

Kiosk is a pioneering Iranian rock band (The Berlin Daily Newspaper) founded by Arash Sobhani in

in 2003. After censorship and restriction by Iranian authorities, its musicians immigrated to the U.S. and Canada. The band has since toured throughout the world and released seven albums. Kiosk is known for its satirical lyrics, which provide a socio-political commentary of life in Iran, as well as its blend of several music styles, from Iranian folk to gypsy jazz to rock. Kiosk's music has been described by

BBC World BBC News is an international English-language pay television channel owned by BBC Global News Ltd. – a subsidiary of BBC Studios – and operated by the BBC News division of the BBC. The network carries news bulletins, documentaries, an ...

as "songs that speak to a generation...Kiosk's stinging political satire is hidden within its blues and folksy sound."

Haaretz ''Haaretz'' (; originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , , ) is an List of newspapers in Israel, Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel. The paper is published in Hebrew lan ...

has referred to Kiosk as the most popular Iranian rock band in the Iranian diaspora, while

Ahram Online ''Al-Ahram'' (; ), founded on 5 August 1876, is the most widely circulating Egyptian daily newspaper, and the second-oldest after '' Al-Waqa'i' al-Misriyya'' (''The Egyptian Events'', founded 1828). It is majority owned by the Egyptian governm ...

describes how the band gives a voice to their generation. Kiosk's live album "Triple Distilled," recorded at Yoshi's Jazz Club, was chosen by presenter Mark Coles from BBC World's "World of Music" as one of the ten best world music albums of the year, alongside such artists as

Paolo Conte Paolo Conte (; born 6 January 1937) is an Italian singer, pianist, songwriter and lawyer, known for his distinctly grainy, resonant voice. His compositions fuse Italian and Mediterranean sounds with jazz, boogie and elements of the French and ...

and

Ali Farka Touré Ali Ibrahim "Ali Farka" Touré (31 October 1939 – 6 March 2006) was a Malian singer and multi-instrumentalist, and one of the African continent's most internationally renowned musicians. His music blends traditional Malian music and its deriv ...

TIME Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps as ''TIME'') is an American news magazine based in New York City. It was published weekly for nearly a century. Starting in March 2020, it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York Cit ...

has called Kiosk "a band that can criticize the Iranian government without retribution," while Frontline PBS has praised their "eclectic sound that incorporates a multitude of instruments and styles."

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

and

Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...

have reported on Kiosk's popularity amongst young Iranians. Frontman Arash Sobhani's lyrics have been referenced by

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

and referred to by the Frankfurt General Newspaper as "a guiding light for many,” while Frontline PBS refers to Sobhani's “poignantly powerful lyrics...and smooth, melodic tone that belies the fire and rage of one of Iran's most prolific contemporary social critics." As Aslan Media, founded by

Reza Aslan Reza Aslan (, ; born May 3, 1972) is an Iranian-American scholar of sociology, writer, and television host. A convert to Evangelicalism, evangelical Christianity from Shia Islam as a youth, Aslan eventually reverted to Islam but continued to wr ...

, writes: "Kiosk offers an honest opportunity for self-reflection in a society that has nearly seventy-percent of its population under the age of thirty. For younger generations of the diaspora who have yet to visit their parents’ homeland, Kiosk delivers unpretentious music that speaks of a society caught between East and West, trapped between past and present, leaving no direction to look but within." Current Kiosk members include Ali Kamali (bass, recording engineer), Arash Sobhani (lyricist and songwriter, Guitar) and Shahrouz Molaei (Drums). The name of the band,

Kiosk Historically, a kiosk () was a small garden pavilion open on some or all sides common in Iran, Persia, the Indian subcontinent, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward. Today, several examples of this type of kiosk still exist ...

, stems from the original formation of the group in

, when its members gathered together in any possible makeshift space or “Kiosk” to play their music without fear of arrest.

Television, film, and other media

Kiosk tracks have been used in the following films, television programs, and other media: *Documentary: "Kiosk, A Generation Destroyed By Madness" by director Ala Mohseni, produced by

Maziar Bahari Maziar Bahari (; born May 25, 1967) is an Iranian-Canadian journalist, filmmaker and human rights activist. He was a reporter for ''Newsweek'' from 1998 to 2011. Bahari was incarcerated by the Iranian government from June 21, 2009 to October 17 ...

Anthony Bourdain Anthony Michael Bourdain ( ; June 25, 1956 – June 8, 2018) was an American celebrity chef, author and Travel documentary, travel documentarian. He starred in programs focusing on the exploration of international culture, cuisine, and the huma ...

's Parts Unknown on his trip to Iran (Season Three, Episode Seven). *

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night ''A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night'' ( ) is a 2014 Farsi-language American Western horror film written and directed by Ana Lily Amirpour. Promoted as "The first Iranian vampire Western", it stars Sheila Vand, Arash Marandi, Mozhan Marnò, Marsha ...

(described by

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

as having a "killer soundtrack", by

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

as having "impeccable music selections", and by Chris O'Falt from

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

as having "scenes driven by amazing music I had never heard before.") *

Maz Jobrani Maziyar Jobrani (; born February 26, 1972), better known as Maz Jobrani, is an American comedian and actor who was part of the " Axis of Evil" comedy group. The group appeared on a comedy special on Comedy Central. Jobrani has also appeared in n ...

's debut original feature film "Jimmy Vestvood" *Acclaimed BBC documentary by

Rageh Omaar Rageh Omaar (; ; ; born 19 July 1967) is a Somali-born British journalist and writer. He was a BBC world affairs correspondent, where he made his name reporting from Iraq. In September 2006, he moved to a new post at Al Jazeera English, where he ...

, Rageh Inside Iran *Kiosk's story was included in the collection "The Persian Square" by Davar Ardalan *Kiosk was referenced in the book "Rock the Casbah" by

Robin Wright Robin Gayle Wright (born April 8, 1966) is an American actress, producer and director. She has received accolades including a Golden Globe Award, and nominations for eight Primetime Emmy Awards. Wright first gained attention for her role ...

*Kiosk has been featured in Freedom Beat, NPR, BBC World, and Voice of America broadcasts.

Notable Performances

*Kiosk has toured extensively throughout countries including the US, Canada, the UK, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Lebanon, and Australia. *In their current base of San Francisco, Kiosk has performed at the

Palace of Fine Arts The Palace of Fine Arts is a monumental structure located in the Marina District of San Francisco, California, originally built for the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition to exhibit works of art. Completely rebuilt from 1964 to 197 ...

and Yoshi's Jazz Club (the latter broadcast as a critically acclaimed live recording). *Kiosk performed through the

National Swedish Touring Theatre The National Swedish Touring Theatre () is the largest touring theatre company in Sweden. It serves as Sweden's national stage on tour. The company is owned and funded by 240 local economic associations spread throughout the country. Their mai ...

at the annual Eldfesten Festival in Stockholm for an audience of around twenty thousand. *Kiosk performed at

New Morning ''New Morning'' is the eleventh studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on October 21, 1970 by Columbia Records. Coming only four months after the controversial ''Self Portrait'', the more concise ''New Morning'' rec ...

in Paris, France, filmed by

Mezzo TV Mezzo is a French television channel, broadcasting classical music (including opera and ballet), jazz and world music. It was formed in 1992 and was called France Supervision until 1998. In 2010 it added a sister channel, Mezzo Live HD. In Ja ...

*Kiosk performed in the opening of the acclaimed exhibition Iran Modern along with

Mohsen Namjoo Mohsen Namjoo () is an Iranian singer-songwriter, composer, and musician. His style of music is influenced by blues and rock as well as Iranian folk music. Early life and education Namjoo was born on 4 March 1976 in Torbat-e Jam, a small town ...

*Kiosk has performed or guest-lectured in several American universities, including Harvard, Stanford, Brown, Columbia, and the University of California."Iran’s Underground Music"; a talk by Arash Sobhani
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Discography

Albums

*2005: ''Adam e Mamooli'' (''Ordinary Man'') *2007: ''Eshgh e Sorat'' (''Amor De La Velocidad'') *2008: ''Bagh e Vahsh e Jahaani'' (''Global Zoo'') *2010: ''Seh Taghtireh'' (''Triple Distilled: Live at Yoshi's'') *2011: ''Natijeh e Mozakerat'' (''Outcome of Negotiations'') *2013: ''Tashkilat e Movazi'' (''Parallel Establishments'') *2014: ''Zang Bezan Azhans'' (''Call a Cab'') *2015: ''Vaziat e Narengi'' ('' Condition Orange'') *2016: ''Stereo Tull Taghdim Mikonad'' ('' Stereo Tull Presents'') *2018: ''Stereo Tull Taghdim Mikonad - Bazsazi Shod e'' ('' Stereo Tull Presents - Remastered'') *2021: ''Payan e Shirin'' (''Sweet Ending'') *2023: ''Kaboos Abad'' (''Desolateville'')

Singles

*2008: " Yarom Bia" featuring

*2009: "Morgh e Sahar" ("Bird of Dawn") featuring Mohsen Namjoo *2009: "Dasht e Sabz" ("Green Field") *2009: "Nameh Be Sardar" ("Letter to the Sardar") *2009: " Jurassic Park Coalition" *2014: "Strange Days" -

JJ Cale John Weldon "J. J." Cale (December 5, 1938 – July 26, 2013) was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Though he avoided the limelight, his influence as a musical artist has been acknowledged by figures such as Neil Young, Mark Knopf ...

cover *2018: "To Ro Mikham" ("I Want You")

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kiosk Iranian rock music groups Musical groups from Tehran Iranian alternative rock groups