the band

is

 

Raed El-Khazen

Guitars

Gonzalo Silva

Andrew Frawley

 

 

gonzalo silva  |  despiértate

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

 

“The eyes are shut. The body, in complete harmony with itself. Every motion is effortless. Every note comes from a place deep inside your soul; so deep you never knew it existed: you smile and dance with joy. You are in the spirit.

 

Musicians flock here from all over the world looking for ideas, searching for sounds, feeding off of each other to create something new. Or maybe just create. Everybody’s looking for the “zone.” No one knows with who, how, or where magic and alchemy will happen. But we know that it does, and we hope to capture it on tape or deliver it in a performance.

 

My name is Raed El-Khazen. I’m 29 years old. I was born in Beirut, Lebanon. I moved to the USA in 1996 to study music at Berklee College of Music. Two years ago I made the decision to come to New York. I had no specific “plans” in mind. Just wanted a taste of the apple. I currently live in Brooklyn and am lucky enough to be playing with some of the most talented and creative musicians I’ve ever met. Two of them are Gonzalo and Andrew.

 

A year ago I bumped into Gonzalo on the subway. His “steady gig.” It made me smile, hearing his sounds on the platform amidst all the noise. I introduced myself as a guitar player and a fan of his since the Boston days. He smiled, thanked me and we exchanged the usual line: “lets play sometime”.

 

Nine months later, we did and it felt great. Following that session we decided to record the album together and start gigging as a band.

 

Three weeks later I found myself in a huge studio in the middle of an enchanted forest in Upstate New York.

 

Trees, birds, fresh air, good company, good times, good music: Despiértate.”