Crash of the Titans: Methanol
JO profiles the second of four hastily-assembled 'supergroups' competing live onstage in Jordan's first rock-themed talent contest.
Words by John Lillywhite.
“METHANOL IS LIKE ALCOHOL, something that hurts and heals,” explains Methanol's vocalist Moh’d Madi. (OK, we're not quite sure how methanol heals: it's extraordinarily toxic and mostly used as a fuel. But never mind...)
“I like chemistry, and thought the name sounded right,” he adds.
The interview with the band is somewhat rushed: “We were meant to be playing somewhere five minutes ago,” says George Durzi, the bassist, tapping his feet and looking more than a little stressed. (George works as a quality analyst.) “Getting time to practice can be extremely difficult,” he adds.
For all the groups competing in Crash of the Titans, one of the chief challenges is for musicians with very different backgrounds and levels of experience to work together.
“Right now we’re all getting on well, though we have all different lives and musical interests,” Durzi says.
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He has been performing live for five years, and playing bass for the past four. The group's other three members are all students. Madi started out as a guitar player, but got into singing because his friends thought he had a good voice. Guitarist Rami Khouri has been playing for four years, and drummer Seif Abu Hamden for a year and eight months.
“We take all our individual elements, or strengths, and hope to put them together to really impress the judges,” says Durzi -- pointing out as a plus side the group's ability to adapt to different techniques.
“Our strength is the emotion that goes into our music,” adds Madi.
The musicians describe their sound as simple hard rock/metal, rather than anything alternative, but Methanol’s choice of songs reflects its diversity. After much debate, they chose to open their first performance with “Closure,” by Opeth, followed by Metallica's “Sad but True” -- a choice that may have hurt them with the judges.
Like rival act Purgatory, the group remains skeptical about the prospects for rock music in Jordan. Mohammed says that though they're “proud” of Arabic rock, it’s not really at the level it should be -- although there are exceptions. Khouri describes the genre as “humiliated,” and Durzi argues that “things aren’t going to change anytime soon.”
Throughout the discussions, there's always the suggestion that the best thing a local band can do to deliver its message is look outside Jordan.
“Everyone in this band has their own projects going on,” Durzi adds. “I’m trying to find a style of rock more acceptable to Jordanian ears.”
That said, the guys in Methanol remain very positive about the competition they're in. The organization, Durzi says, has been excellent. The members of the group are confident in their skills, but far from arrogant about their chances of winning -- they're aware that the standards in this contest are quite high.
“To win would be a great victory for us all,” says Durzi. “At the moment, each one of us is living a very busy life,” he sighs, “but if the crowd likes us, then whatever happens, I’m sure we’ll be working together at some time in the future.”
“Going on stage never gets boring,” he concludes.
In September, dozens of musicians auditioned for spaces in Jordan's first rock- and metal-themed talent contest, Crash of the Titans. Nineteen were chosen and scrambled into four impromptu bands. Throughout November, those bands will compete against each other, live on stage, for the title of Jordan's, most, er... titanic sound.
As the battle rages, JO will be following the shows and profiling the four competitors. You can follow the stories here, and go to Crash of the Titans to vote for your favorite band.
u rock!!!to bad u losted