We recently interviewed Hassan Ali Malik from Sunny Ali & The Kid to catch a glimpse into his touring and vacation plans, sources of inspiration, and hopes for the band. It looks like we're definitely going to book our tickets to Austria for some serious tagging along.
L: What are the big plans for your trip to Austria at the end of the month? Should we book our tickets now to see you?
H: There's a beautiful state park that gets submerged in water once a year where you can scuba dive. I'd like to sit on a park bench under water and think for a while... There's also this "Bone house" that holds 1200 skulls of evangelical Christians that were massacred. Maybe we'll try to shoot a goth video there... We'll be there for a week and we only have one show so I'm hoping we'll get to explore. The whole festival is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the recognition of Islam as an official European religion. Austria was one of the first European country's to recognize Islam. It's basically going to be a big experiment with artists, politicians, belly dancers, scholars and diplomats. It's basically going to be another weird one.
L: Abdullah recently interviewed Vince Gilligan, creator of Breaking Bad, for Vice. What other side projects are you currently pursuing beyond music?
H: Nothing. Just music. I'm a pretty dull and boring person otherwise. Oh, but I do like to play ping pong.
L: Your music is clearly inspired by a wide range of sources. How have fellow musicians specifically in the Philadelphia circuit influenced your work?
H: Well, I did meet the Kid here in Philly through the musician circuit. So, thats proof that there's great musicians running around. I've been playing Philly for a very long time now and there's always a handful of good bands around. I'd like to think that we now influence people here. We rep Philly pretty hard no matter where we go. I hope Philly reps us too.
L: I laughed out loud at work to your YouTube screen shot flyers from last month. What are some other creative ways you’ve worked to expand your fan base?
H: I've been trying to think outside the computer box. Self promoting can be a strange thing. Like, I don't want to be so aware of myself or what I'm doing with my life sometimes. I have some fun ideas but I can't really share. You'll see. The best self promotion though is consistent good music. That and maybe some hottt pics.
L: What are your hopes for the effects of your music reaching new people? Is there some message you wish to convey through your music alone or as a individual spokesperson?
H: Yes. A VERY VERY important one... Come to a show and find out!