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...From Shooting Fish In a Barrel, an album of resolutely non-partisan politically and economically themed songs.


Who am I?

I’m Khalid Hanifi, an American recording artist, songwriter, singer and producer of Afghan/Anglo descent.   My career spans over two decades; from a stint as Atlantic Records artists Map of the World,  a band formed with my sister Sophia Hanifi in the 1980s, to fronting the bands Kiss Me Screaming and Maypops in the 1990s, I released my first album as a solo artist, “Pamplemousse Presse,” in 2008.

What’s the new project?

The project is an album of resolutely non-partisan politically and economically themed songs, the sensibilities of which are undoubtedly colored by the fact that  a)  I’m an Afghan-American, and  b)  I think I’m much smarter than I actually am.    

The album will be titled "A Brief Respite From Shooting Fish In a Barrel,” and will be released in the current election year - hopefully well before November, as it will no doubt prove influential in the final balloting!   

A total of nine songs will make up A Brief Respite, all produced by me and Jonathan Visger of Absofacto and Mason Proper.  All the songs have been recorded - four songs are completely finished, the other five are ready for a final mix.  

Of the nine songs, the first one I plan on releasing initially with an accompanying video is called Free The World To Death, a little cowboy number about Afghanistan.  You can hear a rough mix of the song toward the end of the video above.   I will also be recording a version of this song in Pashtu, one of the two official languages of Afghanistan.  This may be the first time that song will be released simultaneously in English and Pashtu.   

Other titles include: 

  • 'The Splendor of Empire' 
  • 'Black Sight' 
  • ‘Hog Futures’ 
  • 'Talk To The Invisible Hand'

What will your contribution be used for? 

  • Production of video for “Free The World To Death”
  • Final mixing and mastering of tracks
  • CD art work and Manufacturing of the CDs
  • General publicity and promotion

What do you get for contributing?

There are many different rewards offered, see the list of rewards to your right...

What if donations exceed the $5000 target?

Any money raised above the $5000 that I’m hoping to raise will be put to use funding publicity and promotion for “A Brief Respite From Shooting Fish In A Barrel.”

What are my goals for this project?

  • Licensing individual songs in various media
  • Licensing the entire collection to an indie label

What is the arguable benefit if I achieve my goals for this project?

My hope is that these songs can in some small way foster dialogue that challenges conventional assumptions - about progress, about power, about what constitutes wealth.  In turn, I believe that such discussion is beneficial to all 100% of us, not just the 99% or the 1%.  

Thank you!...

...for reading this far down the page, and for your consideration of contributing to this project!

FAQ

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49
Backers
$5,126
pledged of $5,000 goal
0
seconds to go

Funding period
Mar 25, 2012 - Apr 24, 2012 (30 days)

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  • Pledge $1 or more

    1 backer

    Upon release, a DIGITAL DOWNLOAD of the song "Free The World To Death," in ENGLISH.

    Estimated delivery: Aug 2012
  • Pledge $1 or more

    0 backers

    Upon release, a DIGITAL DOWNLOAD of the song "Free The World To Death," in PASHTU.

    Estimated delivery: Aug 2012
  • Pledge $5 or more

    3 backers

    Two weeks prior to official release, a DIGITAL DOWNLOAD of the song "Free The World To Death," in ENGLISH.

    Estimated delivery: Jul 2012
  • Pledge $5 or more

    0 backers

    Two weeks prior to official release, a DIGITAL DOWNLOAD of the song "Free The World To Death," in PASHTU.

    Estimated delivery: Jul 2012
  • Pledge $10 or more

    2 backers

    Upon release, a DIGITAL DOWNLOAD of "A Brief Respite From Shooting Fish In A Barrel."

    Estimated delivery: Aug 2012
  • Pledge $15 or more

    6 backers

    Upon release, a CD COPY of "A Brief Respite From Shooting Fish In A Barrel."

    Estimated delivery: Aug 2012
  • Pledge $25 or more

    20 backers

    Upon release, a CD COPY of "A Brief Respite From Shooting Fish In A Barrel," AUTOGRAPHED by the 97th hardest working Afghan-American in show business, yours truly.

    Estimated delivery: Aug 2012
  • Pledge $50 or more

    7 backers

    AN AUTOGRAPHED copy of "A Brief Respite From Shooting Fish In A Barrel," AND an AUTOGRAPHED copy of my 2008 release "Pamplemousse Presse."

    Estimated delivery: Aug 2012
  • Pledge $75 or more

    0 backers

    An AUTOGRAPHED copy of "A Brief Respite From Shooting Fish In A Barrel," AND an AUTOGRAPHED copy of my 2008 release "Pamplemousse Presse" AND an AUTOGRAPHED guitar pick.

    Estimated delivery: Aug 2012
  • Pledge $100 or more

    3 backers

    An AUTOGRAPHED copy of "A Brief Respite..." AND a baseball, AUTOGRAPHED by the finest Afghan-American pitcher to ever pitch in Southeast Michigan high school summer league. That would be me.

    Estimated delivery: May 2012
  • Pledge $200 or more

    0 backers

    An AUTOGRAPHED copy of "A Brief Respite..." AND a soccer ball, AUTOGRAPHED by the only Afghan-American male to never even attempt to play the game of soccer. I am that man.

    Estimated delivery: May 2012
  • Pledge $300 or more

    0 backers

    An AUTOGRAPHED copy of "A Brief Respite..." AND a basketball, AUTOGRAPHED by the most outstanding Afghan-American to grace Michigan's Southeastern Conference Regional Basketball Tournament. I almost scored a couple of times.

    Estimated delivery: May 2012
  • Pledge $1,000 or more

    0 backers

    An AUTOGRAPHED copy of "A Brief Respite..." AND a one-of-a-kind cartoon, rendered with care and some attention, by the artist persistently known as Khalid.

    Estimated delivery: Jun 2012
  • Pledge $5,000 or more

    0 backers

    For the backer who thought they had everything, an AUTOGRAPHED copy of "A Brief Respite..." AND a FIRE-PROOF SAFE containing copies of the Koran, the Bible, the Vedas, the Buddhavacana, the Torah, the Four Books, and the Bill of Rights. The safe will of course be AUTOGRAPHED by Khalid, however the enclosed texts shall not be. That would not be merely presumptuous, but clearly delusional. Not that delusional is beyond me.

    Estimated delivery: Jul 2012