Nostalgia

Though both of Iranian-American descent, Shahin & Sepehr seem to have no preconceptions of cultural boundaries when it comes to their guitar music. In fact, the duo's deliberate attempt to marry Eastern and Western music has been part of their mission since they started out. Though both eventually came to America and were educated on rock music, NOSTALGIA is an exploration of their Persian and American heritages and many other global influences. For example, the Latin guitars on "Midnight in Madrid" and "Norooz" have distinctly Santana-ish grooves. "The Journey Back," featuring the oud and sarod, somehow sounds like a mellow and even jazzy concoction, and the breezy "Pictures of Lily" is influenced by music from Cameroon and is sung by Armand Ntep. At times, there are so many cultural elements at work, it seems like the artists are trying to make them indistinguishable from each other.