This Monday morning, Bushwick Daily and every other NY-based news source jumped to report quickly and accurately on the triple homicide / suicide that has left many around the world, and Bushwick’s own musical family, devastated.
Much confusion, anger, and sorrow haunts the incident, which left two members of the popular Iranian-in-Brooklyn rock/punk band The Yellow Dogs dead; founding members and brothers, Arash and Soroush Farazmand, who fled Iran for musical freedom in the USA and made East Williamsburg home a few years ago. Also killed in the incident was a fellow Iranian artist, musical collaborator, and great friend of the band, Ali Eskandarian. The murder was committed by a former associate of the band, Iranian musician Mohammadi Rafie, who at one time played with Iranian band The Free Keys, but had been without contact for 14 months prior to Sunday evening. There are many more details to the case, all of which you can read over at The New York Times’ comprehensive article “Bloody End for Iranian Rockets Seeking Musical Freedom in The US.”
In this post we wanted to honor the statement released by the surviving members of The Yellow Dogs along with their friends and manager. On their website, they explain everything the way that they see it, offering this ending statement of grief:
As we face the greatest sorrow we’ve ever experienced, we’re left with something that no one could ever take away from us – beautiful memories of our fallen brothers, friends who we love and so desperately miss. We will not forget the dreams we shared and this life that we built together – it’s stronger, more permanent, more real and more full of life than any senseless, evil act could ever begin to take away from us. We will not let this disgusting brutality define us or become our story, but instead respond by creating music more passionately and with more intensity than ever before, embracing the freedom that we all dreamed would one day be ours back in Iran and play to honor those who should be playing next to us. That is who we are, and that is what we stand for, and we will strive to honor the lives of Ali, Arash and Soroush for the rest of ours.
Read the entire statement here and stay tuned on details of the benefit show they will be organizing. You may also donate via their site, with proceeds going towards “helping the families memorialize and honor their beloved deceased victims. And you will also aid the surviving friends/roommates pick up the pieces and recompose their lives.” RIP Arash, Soroush, and Ali.