October 2020
Jo DeMars recognized by the Wisconsin Writers Association
Jo DeMars’ short story Going for a Ride received an honorable in the Wisconsin Writer’s Association 2020 Jade Ring contest fiction category. Nearly 240 submissions were made in the contest this year with 76 entries in the Fiction category, 63 in Nonfiction, and 100 in poetry. The story was published in the WWA 2020 Creative Wisconsin Anthology.
May 2020
Read Jo DeMars’ latest article on how one artist is surviving in times of a global pandemic:
When the Road Ahead Looks Like a Dead End.
The last time I saw him he wore a baseball cap that read “El Amir” in bright red stitching. It was a good look — the look of an artist. His wavy brown hair floated past his shoulders and his green eyes twinkled with a zest for life. We were taking him and his partner, Elisabeth, along with a collection of cumbersome luggage to the airport.
Amir John Haddad — El Amir, always seemed to be on the road. Today it was San Francisco, tonight Santa Monica, next week would be Spain. Amir and Elisabeth had found a house in Andalucia (as it is spelled in Spain) where they hoped to move.
Before the year ended, Amir had performed at Wembley Arena London, and multiple European cities and more recently, in January 2020, he was part of an exclusive music production on a private island in Tahiti. Life on the road meant he and his guitars entertained audiences of tens of thousands. Amir traveled with “The World of Hans Zimmer”. He recorded background music for movies like “The Rhythm Section” with Jude Law and Blake Lively. You’ll hear his guitar in the new James Bond movie “No Time to Die” by Cary Fukunaga with Daniel Craig, which has been posponed and scheduled for release in 2021.
Photo by Juanma Sierra
“I play Flamenco guitar, Arabic oud, Greek bouzouki, Turkish saz, banjo, bass, ukulele, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and all sorts of string instruments that you can pick or plug.” He told Angel Romero in an article for World Music Central adds, “I have to admit though that besides the flamenco guitar and the electric oud, I am in love with the electric guitar which I have been playing since I am fourteen…I just like the idea to plug myself into an amp and being able to rock it out.”
Amir maintains a constant patter on social media that documents his performances as well as his philosophy of life. In January he posted on Facebook:
“With joy I share this concert with you now. I performed it in 2019 on my signature model El Amir (cypress/cedar) built by Jose Salinas.” (Vivaldi’s Concerto in D Major for Guitar and Strings on Flamenco Guitar by EL AMIR).
Amir seems to have a laser-like focus on his path in life. As a kid, he grew up in Germany but his family spent their holidays in Andalusia, a lovely province in southern Spain. There the beauty and passion of the Flamenco guitar caught his imagination and he began to seriously study when he was only seven. One night his dedication to practicing prompted his dad to say, “Amir, that’s enough for tonight.” He put his guitar away and went into his bedroom. He buried his face in the pillow and whispered, “One day I will be a great Flamenco guitarist!”
Sometimes performers talk about the energy dynamics of performing. They describe it as a gift they give to the audience and, if it is well received, the audience responds with an appreciative energy. That energy enthuses the performer who then generates more energy. This symbiotic give and take is one of the gifts of the performance — for the artist as well as for those who experience it.
Amir says it was like this during his first public performance at a festival. He was only twelve, and wanted to perform strongly. But he says he had a terrible case of the nerves. When he started playing he felt he was channeling the emotion, and felt a real connection with the audience. He describes it as humbling. When he finished playing the audience enthusiastically applauded him. Instead of taking a bow, he applauded them for the gift of appreciation they’d provided.
Throughout his career Amir has often shown his gratitude, for the audiences and for other performers. On April 14, less than a month after pandemic restrictions were announced, this was his Facebook post:
“Friends, Musicians, Composers, Producers, Fans let’s support each other during these times of change by following each other’s YouTube Channels and make everybody grow!! Happy to see you there!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRNbdR3tmtaYuLxfdExygcA
Amir was scheduled to go on tour promoting “Andalucia,” his new album, when the Spanish government announced stay at home orders. He was forced to cancel the entire tour. He told me he expects it will be years before concert halls can be filled again at full capacity.
Angel Romero asked him how the pandemic affected him. “In my case as a touring musician mainly, of course every concert and tour has been cancelled or postponed to the next coming years. Yet, this is also unsure for now. My working routine has been utterly disrupted and in the first two weeks I was a little bit paralyzed and was doing my best to be adjusting to the new situation and realizing that this would hold on for a longer period of time.
“On one hand it was like a shock, on the other hand it is a very good moment to connect again deep within and reevaluate what I want to do. Only through the introspection and aligning yourself with new ways of focusing and working on new things you eventually will come out safely and successfully from this global event. I suggest everybody to take this time as a ‘reset’ to continue afterwards with a newer updated software.”
In his newer version, Amir has started to rely more extensively on internet activities which he describes as “one of the big escape channels” for art. He’s created a Skype Online Program that provides guitar mentoring to boost students level. It includes specific exercises and musical material that demonstrates he calls “shortcuts that can achieve amazing results within a few weeks of practice.”
He is looking at offering streaming concerts where people can log in and listen in on a concert for a fee. He says, “The important thing is to keep active and not to let yourself get dragged down the alley by the negative news and the difficult times we are facing right now. As long as we are healthy we still have the responsibility and power to keep working on our future path.”
In mid-April Amir was notified he was a Silver Medalist in the Global Music Awards 2020 with his song “Andalucia” from the new album of the same name.
“Andalusia has been a big influence in my life since I was eight years old. That was the first time I traveled with my family to south of Spain and since then I was caught up even more in the emotion and feeling of the flamenco music. I have had the opportunity to experience flamenco music and lifestyle very closely and vividly since a childhood. On the album there are two more songs, a rumba called “Andalucia” as well which is a happy rumba style with lyrics and also the single of the album. Further, there is “Andalusian Lullaby” which is the last song on the album. This last song goes a little beyond flamenco music and has elements coming from classical to South American music. It is a dialogue between three guitars and a perfect song to end the album; a lovely lullaby.”
You can also hear “Andalucia Lullaby” on the official playlist on Apple Music called “Chilled Flamenco”.
Amir says the essential elements of his music are emotion, passion and technique, which lets his heart talk. He generously shares these qualities with his students. Soon, we can hope, he will pack up his cumbersome luggage and hit the road again. His fans are waiting, and there is only one El Amir.
Originally published May 18, 2020 on Medium.com
Amir’s full interview with Angel Romero for World Music Central can be seen here: