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Generation
By: Sara Hojjatie Pardis: TNG Editor While most young people stick music as more of a back-seat hobby, few actually tackle turning that hobby into a career. Iranian-American musician Amir London decided at an extremely young age to dedicate his life to doing what he loved: writing and producing music. London, as most of his friends call him, began his education pursuing the Social and Behavioral Sciences and English. However, he wished to learn more about the music-production process and thus became a certified audio engineer, all before his 30th birthday. With both parents from Tehran and musicians themselves, London was introduced to music from the day he was born and decided to pursue a career over the world! Until then...would you like fries with that? So, in short, music was it. This is all I ever wish to do and will do and I love every second of it. TNG: What or who provides the inspiration for your music? AL: Im inspired by everything, quite honestly. Ill hear a song and think to myself I can make that better or a certain melody will inspire me to experiment with a completely new genre. Lyrically, my inspiration comes from real life events and what I wish to experience one day. There is no better way to encapsulate where I am in life than by putting it to music. TNG: What genre would you consider your music to be? AL: With Persian music, I dont have a particular genre. I like playing music that people will dance to and enjoy. With my

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Amir London: Multitalented Singer/Songwriter

individuals like myself who easily identify with both the Iranian culture and the American. TNG: Your Farsi seems to be just as fluent as your English, although you grew up in the states. What motivation or reason would you give to young Iranians living in the U.S. to learn to speak Farsi? AL: Farsi is a beautiful language, so why not want to learn it? Its so rich and theres a million ways to say one thing. I still cant wrap my head around Iranian-based poetry, and Im an English major who had to read Shakespeare cover to cover. Theres no reason not to learn it, especially if your family can speak Farsi. TNG: How has being Iranian influenced your music? AL: Ive always been around Iranian music; even when I was writing Hard Rock music, the melodies I would use had hints of

in both the English and Farsi-speaking world. Though he has never stepped food on Iranian soil, Londons Farsi is near perfect allowing him to record songs that appeal to all generations of Iranians and Iranian-Americans. His hit singles include Rojeh Lab and Bia in Farsi and songs such as Honey and I Know You Know in English, all catchy and produced and written by London himself. This extremely talented Miami native, though raised in California most of his life, answered a few questions about his experience as a music artist and Iranian-American upbringing. TNG: Why did you choose music, versus being a doctor, lawyer, or engineer (as the Persian saying goes)? AL: Funny enough, I was never pressured into being a doctor or a lawyer from my family. Both of my parents are excellent musicians so the upbringing definitely supported the life decision to play music. Music is something that I cannot turn off as its very much an integral part of my identity. I play music every day, be it piano, guitar, or a variety of different instruments. I endlessly compose original works and consistently look for new ways to improve my craft. TNG: What did you see yourself doing while you were in high school? AL: You know how everyone has a senior quote for the yearbook? Mine went something like this... In 10 years, I will be headline arenas, be played on the radio daily and have my videos dominate MTV. I will be the most successful and happiest musician who ever lived and I will take

American music, its very Rock oriented but includes house and hip hop influences as well. TNG: Where does the last name London come from? AL: London is a name I came up with when I moved to Los Angeles. Amir isnt the most rock star name so I wanted to enter the music industry with a name that was more unique. It wasnt meant to be anything permanent, but it stuck. So when it was time to release my Iranian-based album, I combined my real name with London, and Amir London was born. TNG: What would you consider to be the largest obstacle as a musician in todays society? AL: Theres nothing more disheartening then working on a song and having it stolen from you through piracy. It may take a couple seconds to download a song (thanks High-Speed Internet!), but it takes about 30 to 40 hours of hard work to create that song. So it goes without saying: if you make an amazing product, no matter what, you will get compensated one way or the other. TNG: How do you wish to impact young Iranian-Americans through your music and accomplishments? AL: I feel like Iranian-Americans are slowly, but surely, making their presence known through high-tech companies and start up, fashion lines and more. However, the music industry, particularly the Iranian music industry is void of people like myself who were born and raised in this country, but can very much identify with the Iranian culture and know what it means to be a true Iranian - to speak the language, to know the customs. My wish is to one day be a proud representation of

Iranian or Middle-Eastern based music in there. TNG: If you could collaborate with any Iranian singer/ songwriter/musician, who would it be? What about nonIranian singer/songwriter/musician? AL: I would love to collaborate with Bijan Mortazavi and Omid. Non-Iranian is a little more diverse. My favorite band is the Deftones and I love Alicia Keys voice and range. Kanye West, Drake, Maroon 5, Matthew Good, Dave Matthews, the list goes on. TNG: What advice do you have for young aspiring music artists in the Iranian-American community? AL: Dont make music that you think others want to hear. Make music that you want to hear. The market is always going to change. And never stop learning. Learn how to read notes. Learn how to design your own cover art. Learn how to edit music videos. Learn anything and everything about your craft, because no one will care about it more than you. Amir London's passion for his music is admirable as he is able to both write and produce his own songs. Likewise, his portrayal of his Iranian heritage through his bilingual songs proves him to be a great role model for young aspiring Iranian-American musicians everywhere. Aside from his music, London is also a television host on the Bay Area television show, Best of the Bay. To learn more about his albums, tour dates, and to check out his music videos, visit www.iamamirlondon.com. You can find his music on iTunes, Amazon music, and Bestbuy.com. (photos courtesy of A. London)

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www.Facebook.com/ PardisTheNewGeneration

Pardis:The New
Back by popular demand: Farsi Letters of the Month!
By: Sara Hojjatie Pardis: tng Editor Pardis: TNG give you the oppotunity every month to learn new Farsi letters and words. Niloufar Sadroddini Staff Writer Roxana Hojjatie Staff Writer

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Pardis: The New Generation Staff

Sara Hojjatie Editor Kamran Partovi Staff Writer

Shin: Makes the "sh" sound and looks like "seen"

but it has three dots on top of it. It can attach to the letter in front or behind it, and when it comes at the end of a sentence it has a very large third loop. spells aash which means soup

Kaf: Makes the "k" sound and can attach to any letter in front or behind it.

HEY YOU! Are you interested in being a contributing writer for

Pardis: TNG? Email pardismag@gmail.com and you could be in next months issue!

spells ketaab which means book

Cyrus Cylinder on U.S. Debut Tour Amid Controversy

By: Kamran Partovi Staff Writer Last March, the famed Cyrus Cylinder started its debut tour in the United States. Starting at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery of Art at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., it will be displayed until April 28th before continuing its tour. In 1879, during excavations in the ruins of Babylon in Iraq, this ancient artifact was unearthed. Discovered by the Assyro-British archaeologist, Hormuzd Rassam, this relic of Ancient Persia has been exhibited in the British Museum until now. The clay cylinder has an inscription in the oldest form of writing, Babylonian Cuneiform. It was commissioned on order of the King of the Persian Empire, Cyrus the Great, who established the Achaemenid Empire in the 6th Century BCE. The cylinder gives an account of Cyrus invasion of Babylon, discusses his genealogy, and narrates his peaceful capture and restoration of the city. Moreover, the text declares that Cyrus enabled the people of Babylon to live in peace and allowed displaced peoples to return to their home. The text asserts the legitimacy of Cyrus as the new ruler of Babylon through an association between Cyrus and the Babylonian god Marduk. Allowing the Babylonians to freely worship their own gods demonstrated Cyrus tolerance of other religions, and led to the cylinder being lauded as a symbol of benevolence and human rights. The inscription may also allude to the freeing of the Jewish people and the facilitation of the return to their homeland. However, these claims have often been subject to controversy, with scholars debating whether or not the claims of it serving as a declaration of human rights are anachronistic. Further controversy arises from allegations of the former Shah of Irans usage of the cylinder to promote nationalistic propaganda, as well as widelycirculated false translations of the text that have been quoted by figures such as Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi and former United States President George Bush. Even though the British Museum in London has historically been the home of the Cyrus Cylinder, it has been loaned twice to Iran. The first time was in 1971 on the occasion of the 2,500-year commemoration of the Persian monarchy and the second was in 2010, where about 500,000 people attended the exhibition at the National Museum of Iran. This is the first time the Cylinder, along with many other valuable Persian artifacts, has been on display in the United States. Check out the tour dates listed below and dont miss the chance to see this famous relic before it returns to its home in London! Smithsonians Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, DC March 9th through April 28th 2013 Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX May 3rd through June 14th 2013 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY June 20th through August 4th 2013 Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA August 9th through September 22nd 2013 J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Villa, Los Angeles, CA October 2nd through December 2nd 2013 (photo courtesy of bible-history.com)

Is John Kerry Iranian?

By: Niloufar Sadroddini Staff Writer No, John Kerry is not Iranian, but that sure did get your attention, did it not? John Kerry might not be Iranian, but his son-in-law sure is. John Kerrys son-in-law, Behrooz (Brian) Vala Nahed is an Iranian-American, and to top it off, a neurosurgeon. Dr. Nahed graduated magna cum laude from UCLA, and received his medical degree cum laude from Yale. He is currently working as a Neurosurgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital and conducts research in brain cancer and is a spine and tumor surgeon. Dr. Nahed is the son of Nooshin P. Nahed and Dr. Reza M. Nahed of Los Angeles. His father is also a physician, a pulmonologist, and is the chief of staff at Holy Cross Hospital in Mission Hills, California. Dr. Reza M. Nahed also runs a private practice which is managed by his wife. Dr. Behrooz Nahed met John Kerrys younger daughter, Dr. Vanessa Kerry in September 2005 while they were both residents at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. They became engaged in May 2008, and were married on October 10, 2009. Just like her husband, Dr. Vanessa Kerry is very successful as she graduated summa cum laude from Yale with a major in biology and while studying in London she was a Fulbright Scholar where she received a masters of science in health policy, planning and financing from the London School of Economics and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Afterwards, Dr. Vanessa Kerry attended Harvard Universitys Medical School, where she received her medical degree cum laude. Whats important to point out is that Secretary of State John Kerry did not shy away from mentioning his IranianAmerican family to the media because in his message to the Iranian people for this years Nowruz, he mentioned the following, I am proud of the IranianAmericans in my own family, and grateful for how they have enriched my life. Secretary of State John Kerry might not be Iranian, but his grandchildren will be half Iranian! I am sure that we will hear more about this power couple and all their many successes in the near future. (photo courtesy of features.kodoom.com)