Coming up on "Studio 3 Live"...

It's a lot more than singing your song.

You know, it's telling your story.

♪ Sail away ♪ Gore: This is a real deep, strong message that a lot of people ain't even aware.

He's helping bringing awareness for his people in Syria, and I think that's really dope.

Mm-hmm.

♪ Sail away in my sleep ♪ Announcer: Funding for this program was provided by Friends, the Iowa PBS Foundation, as well as generations of families and friends who feel passionate about the programs they watch on Iowa PBS.

Good evening and welcome to "Studio 3 Live."

I'm your host, Mickey Davis.

Tonight, we're joined by Bassel & The Supernaturals, a Midwest group fronted by lead singer Bassel Almadani.

The group sings of love, loss, and other reflections based on Bassel's experience as a first-generation Syrian-American.

Tonight, they join us while touring the country spreading a message of hope, optimism, and awareness through their music.

Please give it up for Bassel & The Supernaturals.

[ Sign zapping ] [ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ What's happenin', everybody?

♪♪ Hey, hey, hey!

This is called "Calculated Love."

♪ Oh, is love overrated?

♪ ♪ Well, it's been debated ♪ ♪ And time and time, it's won again ♪ ♪ Oh, life up in the city ♪ ♪ The stars ain't half as pretty ♪ ♪ As my baby when she wakes up in the morning ♪ ♪ Come on, come on, say like you mean it ♪ ♪ Tell me like you mean it ♪ ♪ Now kiss me like we're out of time ♪ ♪ Oh, I crave every moment just to be by your side ♪ ♪ The center of your earth is mine ♪ ♪ Oh, I know ♪ ♪ We know ♪ ♪ No, this ain't ♪ ♪ None of that scientific, photographic love ♪ ♪ We both ♪ ♪ Can agree ♪ ♪ This ain't normal, I am captivated love ♪ ♪ Oh, there's something in the water ♪ ♪ And I feel like I'm in tune ♪ ♪ With you ♪ ♪ Hey, hey, hey, hey ♪ ♪ Take it to the top, take it to the top, take it to the top, take it to the top, now ♪ ♪ Take it to the top, take it to the top, take it to the top, take it to the top, now ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Back up, let me tell you about the first time ♪ ♪ I saw my love, but I didn't realize ♪ ♪ That nature's got its way to unfold ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Since then, I didn't have to show you ♪ ♪ The hoops that other ladies made me jump through ♪ ♪ I was spinning, calculating, "What is this all for?"

♪ ♪ I didn't know ♪ ♪ You'd steal my soul ♪ ♪ You left the gate and door wide open ♪ ♪ Write your name on the wall ♪ ♪ I was crunching numbers, overthinking ♪ ♪ What does it take to win over your heart?

♪ ♪ We know ♪ ♪ No, this ain't ♪ ♪ None of that formulaic, calculated love ♪ ♪ We both ♪ ♪ Can agree ♪ ♪ Oh, this ain't normal, I am captivated love ♪ ♪ Oh, there's something in the water ♪ ♪ And I feel like I'm in tune ♪ ♪ With you ♪ [ Guitar solo ] ♪ Oh, oh ♪ ♪ We know ♪ ♪ No, this ain't ♪ ♪ None of that scientific, photographic love ♪ ♪ We both ♪ ♪ Can agree ♪ ♪ Oh, this ain't normal, I am captivated love ♪ ♪ Oh, there's something in the water ♪ ♪ And I feel like I'm in tune ♪ ♪ With you-u-u-u-u-u ♪ Yeah, yeah.

♪ Yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Take it to the top, take it to the top, take it to the top, take it to the top, now ♪ ♪ Take it to the top, take it to the top ♪ This is Jeremey Poparad on the guitar.

[ Cheers and applause ] Well, tell me a little bit about how the group came together, kind of what was the origin of the band, and then how you all came together for this iteration of the band.

Well, The Supernaturals first formed in 2010, the fall of 2010, when I first moved to Chicago.

And at first, really, it was Bassel music, like, my solo music with a band.

And it was a different vibe.

It was, like, indie-folk style.

And after that and after, like, a series of gigs kind of following my singer-songwriter release -- it was my second album -- I really took some time to reflect and really think about timelessness and what I consider timelessness in music.

And I just kept gravitating towards mostly Otis Redding, but a lot of Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye and Etta James and Al Green, you name it.

I mean, there was something through all these artists, their soulful energy, that really connected them to their performance and their music.

And I just decided that whatever I was going to do creatively needed to have that level of authenticity to it.

It's truly such a pleasure to be here.

My name is Bassel.

We're Bassel & The Supernaturals.

And I'm first-generation Syrian-American.

I'm a product of immigrants from a place called Aleppo, Syria, and I'll be talking more about that.

But this song is about duality, rather.

I was born and raised in the U.S.

I'm from Northeast Ohio.

I lived in Chicago for many years.

And, actually, I'm now in Northeast Ohio again.

The band is a hybrid from different cities across the Midwest.

But I've always been a Midwest guy.

And, you know, it's not easy being, like, a Cleveland fan in general.

It's a difficult thing.

But I stuck with it, you know, and it's always been important to me.

And I always felt like I was part of it, you know?

And then, suddenly, I noticed as I was growing up, something really changed, particularly after 9/11.

I suddenly became much more aware of my otherness.

And it wasn't through anything of my own.

It was just like the rest of the world made me aware that I was a little different than them.

So this song is about that.

It's really kind of struggling with the two, when your feet are in two different worlds.

It's called "Sandman."

Alright.

♪♪ ♪ It don't feel like it used to ♪ ♪ Maybe I'm overthinking ♪ ♪ Chained to the rear view ♪ ♪ Ancient and old, my coffee skin ♪ ♪ I'm holding on to something in the mirror ♪ ♪ Afraid of losing out on the years ♪ ♪ And I said, I don't wanna get older ♪ ♪ Just take me back to those good old-fashioned days ♪ ♪ I don't wanna get older, no ♪ ♪ I just wanna be somebody's baby ♪ ♪ Well, I don't wanna get older, no ♪ ♪ Just take me back to those good old-fashioned days ♪ ♪ I don't wanna get older, no ♪ ♪ I just wanna be somebody's baby ♪ ♪ Wait up ♪ ♪ Mm, now cut me loose, oh ♪ ♪ Ooh, you got me feeling, like, a little lower ♪ ♪ Bottom of the pecking order ♪ ♪ Someone send the police over ♪ ♪ Check it out and send me away ♪ ♪ Hey ♪ ♪ Appearing like a sandman in the snow ♪ ♪ My soul has lasted time, but I am the ghost ♪ ♪ And I said, I don't wanna get older ♪ ♪ Just take me back to those good old-fashioned days ♪ ♪ I don't wanna get older, no ♪ ♪ I just wanna be somebody's baby, yeah ♪ ♪ Well, I don't wanna get older, no ♪ ♪ Just take me back to those good old-fashioned days ♪ ♪ I don't wanna get older, no ♪ ♪ I just wanna be somebody's baby, yeah ♪ [ Trumpet solo ] ♪ I just wanna be somebody's baby ♪ ♪ Hey, hey, hey, hey ♪ That's Caleb Mitchell over on the trumpet.

[ Cheers and applause ] Can you talk a little bit about your work with the Karam Foundation and kind of why that's important to you as a band?

Yeah, the Karam Foundation is a US-based nonprofit organization.

They're based outside of Chicago, Illinois, and their entire mission is centered around building a better future for Syria by empowering Syrians to build a better future for themselves.

So, they'll help with transportation to get kids back in schools, or for a mother of four to get to the grocery store, for example.

In 2019, I also had the pleasure to go to Istanbul and do a series of workshops, while my wife also did an adjacent series of workshops, at the Karam House in Istanbul.

And it was like an innovation center.

And you just saw the energy of these kids.

I mean, you had kids and you also had young adults that were trying to figure out, like, what's next for them.

And I did a whole workshop around living through art and using art as a vehicle, whether it's processing your trauma or to establish yourself and sustain yourself professionally.

So, I've worked closely with them for many years, and we sell handmade Syrian soap.

It's prepared by women from Damascus, as well.

And these, like, cool pouches.

So, we also buy that from the organization and we donate 20% of everything we sell directly back to them.

I know Andru's been digging on that soap.

It's legit.

You know, when you got a van full of stinky dudes -- It smell real good.

Davis: Soap is a great merch item to have, for sure.

So, I mentioned I'm first-generation Syrian-American.

I'm a product of immigrants from Aleppo, Syria.

I had a big family that was in Syria before the war began -- about 12 aunties, uncles, maybe about 50, 60 cousins.

It was a big family.

It was just my immediate family in the States.

It was only us.

And my father spent so much of his life striving to create a better life for his family and made it to the U.S., you know?

That was really something we cherished as a family.

I took it for granted, because I just had no idea what was going to happen.

Nobody knew what was going to happen.

You know, I'd go every year or two.

My family would go for months at a time.

It was so important to my family to stay connected to our heritage.

So we would go.

We would go.

I had all these cousins.

It felt like family.

It was just so -- It was so beautiful.

It felt like home.

And, suddenly, that was ripped away from us after the uprising, of course.

So, this song has a lot to do with that, but it's actually even more specific.

This has to do with a cousin of mine that I lost in Syria early on.

She was only 24 years old.

She was on her way to get a PhD in microbiology.

Super-intelligent, really smart.

And one weekend, she was just going to go visit her sister in Turkey.

She was on a bus, and somebody shot at that bus.

It was target practice, and she was the victim.

And I've been wondering ever since then, "Why?"

You know, there's, like, a sudden -- there's this feeling of guilt or shame, too, that comes with it.

It's like I didn't do anything directly to earn my place here, but for some reason, I have a microphone, and if I don't do my part to tell her story, then who's going to hear it?

Who's going to hear the voices, so many voices, that have gone unheard in this crisis that's stolen over half a million lives and displaced over 12 million people?

And people still ask, "Is the war happening?

Is it going on?

I haven't seen it in the news."

Doesn't have to be an active fighting zone to necessarily be war-torn.

When you look at the economic conditions, the social conditions, and everything that's happening, this country has become unrepairable.

We'll do everything that we possibly can, of course, to shine a light in the darkness that surrounds my cousin's memory and to help rebuild a better future for Syria, we are committed to that, but there's a lot of work to do.

That being said, this song -- It's about my cousin.

It's called "Lost."

-♪ She's lost ♪ ♪ She's part of the world today ♪ ♪ Break off ♪ ♪ A piece of my soul ♪ ♪ And bury it underneath the ground ♪ ♪ This cycle's ordinary ♪ ♪ We're stumbling, staring down our fate with the wrong impression ♪ ♪ They stole another story ♪ ♪ The cold and rainy morning ♪ ♪ I scream and shake, but I feel numb ♪ ♪ Oh, watch as I float away ♪ ♪ In my own grave ♪ ♪ Searching the haze for shore ♪ ♪ Never will I land ♪ ♪ I'm making the same mistakes ♪ ♪ I'm running from myself again ♪ ♪ Quite a living apparition ♪ ♪ I'm surely disheveled ♪ ♪ Ooh, while I wait and sing ♪ ♪ They'll take care of everything ♪ ♪ Black clouds are threatening to ♪ ♪ Swallow us whole ♪ ♪ Ohhhhh ♪ ♪ Ohhhhh ♪ ♪ On my own ♪ ♪ Ohhhhh ♪ ♪ Lost ♪ ♪ To someone new, I presume ♪ ♪ Wake up ♪ ♪ Another day I spend lamenting for her ♪ ♪ I'm picking up the pieces left behind from her memory ♪ ♪ No more searching for an answer ♪ ♪ Just take some time to breathe ♪ ♪ Caught in the door ♪ ♪ And I'm shaking from top down ♪ ♪ How do I pull myself in?

♪ ♪ Bury the hatchet before I lose my soul ♪ ♪ I'm running from myself again ♪ ♪ Quite a living apparition ♪ ♪ I'm surely disheveled ♪ ♪ Ooh, while I wait and sing ♪ ♪ They'll take care of everything ♪ ♪ Black clouds are threatening to ♪ ♪ Swallow us whole ♪ ♪ Ohhhhh ♪ ♪ Ohhhhh ♪ ♪ On my own ♪ ♪ Ohhhhh ♪ Yeah!

Yeah!

[ Drum solo ] ♪ On my own ♪ ♪ Ohhhhh ♪ ♪ On my own ♪ ♪ Ohhhhh ♪ [ Guitar solo ] [ Cheers and applause ] ♪ I'm running from myself again ♪ ♪ Quite a living apparition ♪ ♪ I'm surely disheveled ♪ ♪ Ooh, while I wait and sing ♪ ♪ They'll take care of everything ♪ ♪ Black clouds are threatening to ♪ ♪ Swallow us whole ♪ This is Mike Gore holding it down back here.

[ Cheers and applause ] Has this group, specific group, played together before?

This group has never played together.

That's cool.

Okay.

Not all of us in the same room, but all of us have played in this group before.

Davis: Yeah, yeah.

Just not at the same time together.

Not together collectively.

Davis: Yeah.

There's usually something hovering around in my life where I'm trying to figure out how to capture that sentiment and that story.

I think especially with Jeremey and Andru lately, being able to work with classically trained musicians and jazz-trained musicians, especially, to help tell tell that story -- And the way that certain minds like these two, I'd say, especially, can translate that and be like, "Oh, well, we're going for this mood.

I'm hearing and seeing certain colors.

And we can experiment and we try to invert a chord and we -- Ooh, we want to bring in an element of surprise or, like, really add a dynamic here."

And then we'll exercise that, try it a couple different ways.

♪♪ This song is a personal one for me.

It reminds me so much of my time traveling and seeing my family over in Syria.

This song in particular takes place in a park behind my grandmother's house in Aleppo.

There was this river that ran in that park, and I remember it distinctly because there was no water in that river.

It was filled up with a bunch of trash.

It smelled terrible.

You didn't want to get near it.

But I didn't understand it at the time.

Now, as time went on, I learned that the water supply was actually cut off to that river for many, many years.

There's a lot of people that have been through the Middle East, through the Fertile Crescent, really ripping up the natural resources, so water has become much more scarce.

So, Turkey actually cut off the water supply to this river for a long time.

But before the war began, right before the war began, they reopened that water supply, and the river started flowing again.

And they planted grass and they put in these park benches, and it looks really pretty, from the pictures, but I never got to see it, because, of course, the war has broken out, and I haven't been able to visit ever since and I don't expect to return in my lifetime.

However, I did get to visit in my dreams, and the water was so full.

The only way to even navigate was just to get in a boat and sail away.

So I got up in the middle of the night and I just started writing.

It was just one of those moments.

This is what came of that.

This one's called "Black Water."

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ I know with the water comes the fire ♪ ♪ Black stones remain where they taught her ♪ ♪ Silent rhythms ♪ ♪ Take our children ♪ ♪ Sail away ♪ ♪ Sail away ♪ ♪ Sail away in my sleep ♪ ♪ Sail away ♪ ♪ I sail away ♪ ♪ Sail away in my sleep ♪ ♪ Sail away ♪ ♪ I sail away ♪ ♪ Sail away in my sleep ♪ ♪ The hills are green, the river's full ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh ♪ ♪♪ ♪ Filled up with garbage from the city ♪ ♪ Thick smoke engulfs the earth around me ♪ ♪ Well, I heard, well, they opened the river again ♪ ♪ Fire on black water ♪ ♪ Silent rhythms ♪ ♪ Take our children ♪ ♪ Violent prison ♪ ♪ Stained with crimson ♪ ♪ Sail away ♪ ♪ I sail away ♪ ♪ I sail away in my sleep ♪ ♪ Sail away ♪ ♪ I sail away ♪ ♪ Sail away in my sleep ♪ ♪ Sail away ♪ ♪ I sail away ♪ ♪ Sail away in my sleep ♪ ♪ Sail away ♪ ♪ I sail away ♪ ♪ Sail away ♪ ♪♪ ♪ Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey ♪ ♪ Sail away ♪ ♪ I sail away ♪ ♪ Sail away in my sleep ♪ ♪ Sail away ♪ ♪ I sail away ♪ ♪ Sail away in my sleep ♪ ♪ Sail away ♪ ♪ I sail away ♪ ♪ Sail away in my sleep ♪ ♪ The hills are green, the river's full ♪ [ Cheers and applause ] You mention on your website and I've kind of heard this tag for the band, this "Syrian heart, Midwest soul."

Can you talk about what that means to you as a band?

Syrian heart, Midwest soul.

Right.

That's right.

Davis: Easy enough.

That's right.

No, no, because it's really not, like, a this and that.

Like, I've always had my feet in two worlds.

I think maybe -- I don't want to call it a mistake.

It's like a reflection.

You know, like, when the crisis in Syria first really happened and I started talking about it, it was first, like, we would play a show, and then I would talk about what was going on.

You know, obviously, it takes a long time from the time you write a song until it becomes a studio production and it's released to the world.

So it felt disjointed for a while, because we were playing music that had a different feeling to it, and it was like, you know, my younger-20s self, like, "I don't want to work in a cubicle."

Like, it was about something so different, and then I'm talking about something super-profound after the show or during a Q&A.

And so, starting with that point, like, when I went back to the books and started writing, I decided it was very important to connect the dots, to tell this story through the music in a way that also feels very real and authentic to me.

But I also did that without thinking enough about the people that I was working with in the band.

It wasn't until we did some more interviews, honestly, like this, where I realized that the band hadn't been challenging themselves to think about maybe Syria or the causes in the same fashion.

And then I became much more intentional about it and just including the band when we have these types of conversations and frank conversations and charity initiatives or getting to an organization and working with families, like, to try to be as inclusive as possible, to bring everybody closer to that experience, because it's not Syrian heart and Midwest soul.

Like, that is embedded in the project and needs to be with everyone, whether you're Syrian or not.

Alright, so, this next one is a throwback to 2017 and the travel ban that went in place that forbid my people and a lot of other people from entering the States.

I was mad.

I was angry.

I was angry.

There were protests happening left and right.

They stopped people at the airport.

They landed, and they wouldn't even let them out of the airport.

So I went to O'Hare, Chicago.

I was there at the time.

And I really wanted a sign that said something that, like, could really capture my sentiment.

So I wrote on a sign, "My Syrian immigrant father delivered over 3,000 American babies," because that was the story I wanted to tell.

I wanted to get rid of this alienization of our people and give people good sense that, like, a lot of people were actually delivered into this Earth with the help of my father, who was an ob-gyn.

Came to this country with $20 in his pocket.

And I called him and I said, "What do you think, Dad?"

And he goes, "Well, actually, Bassel, it was 4,000 babies."

Which I appreciate the correction.

Thank you, Dad.

It can always be a little better, you know?

But this song is a resistance against that kind of rhetoric and the hatred and the normalization of xenophobia that was just surrounding us, this platform that made it suddenly patriotic to feel this way.

I wanted to change that message and help break down walls and build empathy instead.

So, this song is called "Stepping Back in Time," and it's about taking too many steps backwards at an unbelievably critical point, to come together with one another, find a bit of understanding.

♪ Hey ♪ Yeah!

♪♪ ♪ I make the call and I let it ring ♪ ♪ Oh, this operator's gonna take my name ♪ ♪ 'Cause I wanna say, yeah ♪ ♪ No, it's not okay, no ♪ ♪ The gate is up, but they closed the lane ♪ ♪ So we send them back to their cage again ♪ ♪ We'll break your wall, yeah ♪ ♪ 'Cause it pulls us apart ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ Yeah!

Yeah!

♪ Stand up, you gotta make a sound now ♪ ♪ Get down, gonna make you read your rights ♪ ♪ Man up, it's time to take a chance now ♪ ♪ Stand down, hope that we get out alive ♪ ♪ That we make it out alive ♪ ♪ Stepping back in time ♪ ♪ We're clueless, we're over-polluting ♪ ♪ And we watch the world as it crumbles ♪ ♪ Stepping back in time ♪ ♪ At the rate we're going, we'll burn it to the ground ♪ ♪ I'm seeking out xenophobia ♪ ♪ Well, I tend to think, oh, we'll break these borders down ♪ ♪ Not getting younger, no ♪ ♪ Stressed out by the weight of the fear that consumes their souls ♪ ♪ Stand up, you gotta make a sound now ♪ ♪ Get down, gonna make you read your rights ♪ ♪ Man up, it's time to take a chance now ♪ ♪ Stand down, hope that we get out alive ♪ ♪ That we make it out alive ♪ ♪ Stepping back in time ♪ ♪ We're clueless, we're over-polluting ♪ ♪ And we watch the world as it crumbles ♪ ♪ Stepping back in time ♪ ♪ At the rate we're going, we'll never see ♪ ♪ The days are broke and gives our peace ♪ ♪ We're stepping backwards until we're gone ♪ ♪♪ ♪ The haters, they are closing in ♪ ♪ This violence ♪ ♪ We've seen it before ♪ ♪ Your silence in the wake of hate ♪ ♪ Undoes whatever made us great ♪ ♪ We're heading toward ♪ ♪ The haters, they are closing in ♪ ♪ This violence ♪ ♪ We've seen it before ♪ ♪ Your silence in the wake of hate ♪ ♪ Undoes whatever made us great ♪ ♪ We're heading toward ♪ [ Cheers and applause ] Thank you.

So, that last song we just heard, "Stepping Back in Time," you talk about how you feel, maybe in the kind of rights and in the experience in our country, we are stepping back in time, maybe going back in time, regression a little bit.

I'm also struck by maybe the double entendre there of of stepping back in time musically and kind of pulling from classic styles of music, hearkening to, you know, the Otis Reddings and the people that you mentioned, as well.

What about that style of music kind of drew you to that?

And how is that style of music effective in spreading the message that you're trying to spread with your music?

Of course, soul and funk and jazz go back to revolutionary times, and it was such an important channel.

It was such an important vehicle for artists to express themselves.

And I really think a lot about Otis Redding in the late '60s.

Right before he passed, there was actually this live performance he did in Norway, in 1967, of "Try a Little Tenderness," and it was caught in this video.

We love to perform this in our set.

And that was a life-changing, like, thing to watch for me.

I watched this documentary on Otis Redding and I just expected it to be full of heartbreak and just -- You know, I'm sure the documentary just highlighted on certain parts, but there was so much love and empathy for Otis Redding at a time that was so difficult in our society.

And not just our society, but internationally.

And then here he is in Norway, up on the stage, and, you know, at the end of "Try a Little Tenderness," you know, like... [ Vocalizes ] And the whole band, like, walks off, and the announcer comes on.

He's like, "Otis Redding..." And then Otis Redding stormed back onstage and take the mic.

You know, like -- And every time, like, he would double that energy and then double it again.

He did it like six times, and people were bum-rushing the stage.

Like, it didn't matter your gender, your color, nothing.

Like, they just wanted to be close and part of that experience.

And that's where it dawned on me that music and artistry and lyricism, it's a lot more than singing your song.

You know, it's telling your story and bringing that, like, raw grit that allows you to establish a connection with your audience that is just so profound.

And that's what I really wanted to channel with this music.

And in "Stepping Back in Time" especially, it was super-interesting, because, you know, we played that song.

We'd been touring on it for about two years before we recorded it.

And then, in the studio, after we recorded it, like, "Okay, that was a good take.

Let's do the chorus in a completely different style."

And we turned it into, like, a disco feeling, which suddenly put the entire song together.

So it also just really, like, made it fresh and exciting for us.

This song's called "Somebody's Royal."

♪♪ -♪ Why do you get to say whenever it's over?

♪ ♪ Why do you get to say that you don't care?

♪ ♪ Weather's always the same, oh, it never gets better ♪ ♪ Baby blue, simple gray, each passing day ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Where did you go ♪ ♪ Where do you stay ♪ ♪ When there's somebody new ♪ ♪ In your space?

♪ ♪ How do you breathe ♪ ♪ How do you stand, oh, oh ♪ ♪ When you're somebody's royal ♪ ♪ Their first face?

♪ ♪ Hey ♪ ♪ Here we go again ♪ ♪ You look at me and look at you, and we feel safe ♪ ♪ Well, here's to sleeping in ♪ ♪ A tent near you ♪ ♪ But I still might be wrong ♪ ♪ I still might be wrong ♪ ♪ Well ♪ ♪ Where do you go ♪ ♪ Where do you stay ♪ ♪ When there's somebody new ♪ ♪ In your space?

♪ ♪ How do you breathe ♪ ♪ How do you stand, oh, oh ♪ ♪ When you're somebody's royal ♪ ♪ Their first face?

♪ ♪ Holding on while it changes by the day ♪ ♪ Praying we won't fall ♪ ♪ Holding my breath ♪ ♪ Where do you go ♪ ♪ Where do you stay ♪ ♪ When there's somebody new ♪ ♪ In your space?

♪ ♪ How do you breathe ♪ ♪ How do you stand, oh, oh ♪ ♪ When you're somebody's royal ♪ ♪ Their first face?

♪ ♪ Ooh, when you're somebody's royal ♪ ♪ Their first face ♪ ♪ When you're somebody's royal ♪ ♪ Their first face ♪ [ Cheers and applause ] Thank you.

Give a shout-out to Andru Dennis helping me see that one through.

♪♪ The way that we made sure that the baby was ours -- was by making sure that she loves Mexican food, and this girl eats as many tacos as I do already.

It's amazing.

It's amazing.

We love it.

It's a staple.

It's the household food.

[ Laughs ] Alright, I'm gonna take y'all back to Aleppo, but this is a very different vibe.

This is Aleppo during the daytime.

This is the Aleppo that I remember visiting growing up.

This is the oldest continuously civilized city on the Earth.

People have been living in Aleppo for over 5,000 years.

We've been around so long, gravity has actually weighed us down and kept us shorter than the average bear.

I'm really tall for a Syrian person.

Hey!

[ Laughs ] We don't hear enough about that narrative, about the history.

We don't hear enough about the culture and the amazing food.

You got to try my mom's food, y'all.

After party -- we'll drive 10 hours.

Let's do it.

We don't hear enough about the hospitality.

The last time that I went and visited, I flew into Damascus, and it was like a seven-hour bus ride from there, so I stayed overnight.

My father's uncle picked me up, and he insisted that I take the bed.

Did I get some good rest?

That's the Syria that I remember.

Those are the values that I remember and that we work to rebuild through this work, through this project, every single day.

So, this song is called "Aleppo."

Let's do it.

Hey, hey, hey!

♪ Well, if there's one thing I know ♪ ♪ It's how to make you feel right at home ♪ ♪ Just take the bed and eat up ♪ ♪ Oh, can't you tell it's overwhelming?

♪ ♪ The love inside my nana's eyes ♪ ♪ She stayed up when I was sick all night ♪ ♪ Oh, it's taking time to realize she's gone ♪ ♪ But the peace has followed her beyond ♪ ♪ And have no fear ♪ ♪ Time goes slow ♪ ♪ Oh, these summer nights ♪ ♪ And the smell of rose ♪ ♪ Create a new beginning when the world, it keeps on spinning ♪ ♪ We're in danger now, where we've always been ♪ ♪ They're lighting up the city when they should be taking pity ♪ ♪ On the people seeking peace and a place to call home ♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah, you know ♪ ♪ To the oldest city, Aleppo ♪ ♪ Yeah, didn't you know?

♪ ♪ It's the oldest city, Aleppo ♪ ♪ Now, it's faded, Aleppo ♪ ♪ Outdated, Aleppo ♪ ♪ It's the oldest city, Aleppo ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Running out of time ♪ ♪ Save my plate, I'm coming back for more ♪ ♪ You're gonna have to roll me back out through that door ♪ ♪ So just shuffle the cards and deal 'em ♪ ♪ Now pass that argila till we float into the clouds ♪ ♪ The citadel's a party now ♪ Alright.

♪ Saladin was hanging out ♪ ♪ Oh, the sun's out over our heads ♪ ♪ And we sleep it off, then we do it again ♪ ♪ And prayers fill the sky ♪ ♪ With the sunlight ♪ ♪ Baked bread is gone ♪ ♪ By the time I get home ♪ ♪ I want to see it with my own two eyes ♪ ♪ Like the memories, like the good times ♪ ♪ They're lighting up the city when they should be taking pity ♪ ♪ On the people seeking peace and a place to call home ♪ ♪ Yeah, you know ♪ ♪ To the oldest city, Aleppo ♪ ♪ Yeah, didn't you know?

♪ ♪ It's the oldest city, Aleppo ♪ ♪ It's faded, Aleppo ♪ ♪ Outdated, Aleppo ♪ ♪ It's the oldest city, Aleppo ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Running out of time ♪ [ Trumpet solo ] [ Singing in Arabic ] [ Singing in Arabic ] [ Cheers and applause ] Shout-out Caleb on the trumpet.

And how about my man Marcel Bonfim on the bass?

[ Cheers and applause ] This guy.

What about this project is kind of special and unique to all the other groups with which you're involved?

Well, before Bassel, I hadn't really toured before.

I'd had a few gigs that took me working throughout the country, but this is the first, like, you know, living out of a suitcase and, you know, spending seven hours in a van with a bunch of guys and some soap.

And some soap.

So, it's been really fun to experience it.

But on top of it, it's not just a band, it's just a gig.

All this stuff with the humanitarian support and the message to bring out there makes it a little more meaningful, and you get a bit more invested in it.

And it just adds another dimension to the music that is really fascinating to be a part of.

And I really enjoy just the experiences of meeting all these different people at this -- not just the music, but all the humanitarian stuff it brings us in contact with.

I want to piggyback on what Jeremey just was saying.

Like, what stands out for me about this band, I love the music.

For a musician, it's so fun to play.

It was so hard to learn.

And it was just, like, crazy.

You know what I mean?

So for me, I'm just, like, having so much fun.

Every time I sit behind the kit to play something for Bassel, it's, like, really challenging.

It's really, like, something I can stick my chest out and be proud to do.

Also, the message is so strong.

I really love the message.

Like, when I first joined, I didn't really know, like, what the message was until I got to playing and we started going around and I hear him talking, doing the prefaces before the songs, like we did here today.

And yeah, that touched me even more, too, because I was like, "Oh, wow.

This is a real deep, strong message that a lot of people ain't even aware.

He's helping bringing awareness for his people in Syria, and I think that's really dope.

Mm-hmm.

Because of the humanitarian aspect, I feel like it gets this band a lot of different types of gigs, I think, than any of the other bands I'm affiliated with right now, at least.

And it's been really cool to see that.

And it's been also really cool to see how well it's been received, no matter where we've been at, right?

I think pretty much, you know, every crowd that we've, you know, put that plight out to has been really eager to receive it and, grateful, you know?

So that's been cool.

Yeah, for me, I originally went to school for classical trumpet, and playing with Bassel was one of the first times I got the opportunity to play original music and play soul music and just do something completely different, play in a horn section.

Well, as a viewer and a fan, both the the meaning behind the band and the fun that you guys have really cuts through onstage.

So it's cool to see and cool to kind of feel that infectious energy while y'all are performing.

Thanks again for being here.

I appreciate it.

Yeah.

Thank you.

This song is called "Smoke."

♪♪ ♪ Smoke ♪ ♪ I want to feel your fire ♪ ♪ I ain't broke ♪ ♪ Ooh, no, I'm made of iron ♪ Yeah!

Yeah!

♪ The sky's looking gloomy from the rain, I'm assuming ♪ ♪ Whoa, oh ♪ A break from the city is a welcome opportunity ♪ ♪ Will somebody save me before I go crazy?

♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Well, I'm a nomad, and, no, I'm not mad ♪ ♪ I just I know it ain't over ♪ ♪ Till the lady rolls over ♪ ♪ Smoke ♪ ♪ Till I feel your fire ♪ I won't choke ♪ ♪ Ooh, no ♪ ♪ I'm too inspired ♪ ♪ Why do I go ♪ ♪ In circles around you?

♪ ♪ I want to come through feeling wide-eyed ♪ ♪ Sober the older I get ♪ ♪ Smoke ♪ ♪ I want to feel your fire ♪ ♪ I ain't broke ♪ ♪ Ooh, no, I'm made of iron ♪ ♪ Take time when I know I'm in over my head ♪ ♪ Oh, I'm sweating bullets from the same thing ♪ ♪ Oh, paint the town, getting loud ♪ ♪ Shut it down like a movie star ♪ ♪ I'm built for the stage, yeah ♪ ♪ No smoke and mirrors, but the real thing ♪ ♪ So, baby, baby, now don't you snooze ♪ ♪ Don't you snooze ♪ ♪ Wide-eyed ♪ ♪ Shine the lights ♪ ♪ Check the mic ♪ ♪ All, all, all ♪ ♪ For you, I sing ♪ ♪♪ Use your help.

♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh, ahh ♪ ♪ Smoke and mirrors ♪ ♪ Smoke and mirrors ♪ You got it.

♪ Smoke and mirrors ♪ ♪ Smoke and mirrors ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Smoke and mirrors ♪ ♪ Smoke and mirrors ♪ ♪ Whoa, yeah ♪ ♪ Smoke and mirrors ♪ Yeah!

♪ Smoke and mirrors ♪ ♪ Smoke and mirrors ♪ ♪ Smoke and mirrors, oh ♪ ♪ Smoke and mirrors ♪ ♪ Smoke and mirrors ♪ ♪ Smoke and mirrors ♪ ♪ Smoke and mirrors ♪ ♪ Smoke and mirrors ♪ ♪ Smoke and mirrors ♪ ♪ Smoke and mirrors, yeah ♪ ♪ Smoke and mirrors, yeah ♪ ♪ Smoke and mirrors, yeah ♪ ♪ Smoke and mirrors ♪ ♪ Smoke and mirrors, whoa ♪ ♪ Smoke and mirrors, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Smoke and mirrors, whoa ♪ ♪ Smoke and mirrors ♪ ♪ Smoke and mirrors ♪ ♪ Smoke and mirrors ♪ ♪ Smoke and mirrors ♪ ♪ Smoke and mirrors ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh, ahh, ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh, ahh, ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh, ahh, ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh, ahh ♪ [ Music stops ] [ Cheers and applause ] Thank you so much again, everybody.

We're Bassel & The Supernaturals.

Iowa, we love you.

Y'all are great.

Take care of yourselves, alright?

My name is Bassel.

Y'all this is Andru Dennis over on the keys, Marcel Bonfim on the bass, Mike Gore on the drums, Jeremey Poparad on the guitar, Caleb Mitchell on the trumpet, and I am Bassel Almadani.

Bassel & The Supernaturals.

Thanks again, everybody.

You take care, alright?

[ Cheers and applause ] [ Sign zapping ] Announcer: Funding for this program was provided by Friends, the Iowa PBS Foundation, as well as generations of families and friends who feel passionate about the programs they watch on Iowa PBS.