User:Jeanette Gagne/sandbox

Arash Radan, Guitarist
Arash Radan is known as a rock guitarist in the Iranian music scene and more recently in the United States. He started playing guitar early in his childhood (70's) and eventually began his training in rock music with his master, Masoud Mirshab, an influential Iranian rock guitarist.

In 1994, invited by singer/songwriter, Shahkar Bineshpajouh, Arash performed in his first pop/rock concert in the North of Iran, which marked the beginning of his music career.

After successful live performances with Shahkar, Arash went on to play cover songs of UK/US bands, which led to the birth of the band, Pejvak, known as one of the most influential post-revolutionary rock bands in the history of rock music in Iran. For the first time in Iran, in 1999, Pejvak was granted permission to sing in the English language at Kish Island, which was an opportunity for Arash Radan to perform Pink Floyd as the lead guitarist and vocalist.

Also in 1999, Arash performed with the band "Padide" in the City of Ghazvin. That impressive performance impacted musicians and other music enthusiasts of the area, which resulted in some progress in the field of music in their town.

In recent years, Arash Radan has been busy composing, playing, collaborating with other musicians, recording CD’s, and working on artistic music videos. Works were broadcasted on TV series, films, and shows while others were performed live on stage.

In 2004, as the situation got tough for the talented rock musicians of Iran, which forced them underground once more, Arash Radan gained popularity performing underground and at music schools.

In 2009, Arash joined the band, Mavara, which is Iran's first premier progressive rock band. The name Mavara translates to "beyond everything you think," which speaks to the essence of their music. The band was formed in 2001, and over the years has had a fluid line-up of professional musicians. Because of their unique sound and talent, Mavara quickly gained notoriety in Iran, receiving acclaim from the Tehran Industry and Science University as "Best Rock Band at a Live Performance". Additional honors include an invitation to perform for the Internet Music Festival, "Teheran Avenue" in both 2003 and 2005. Mavara began recording their first Persian language album, "Ultimate Sound" in 2003, released in 2005, and gained recognition in an article published on Zirzamin.se. Later in 2005, Mavara teamed up with the band Aavaar for a benefit show in Iran to promote the new album. It wasn't long thereafter that the band began recording their first English language album, "Forgotten Inside", which was released at a private concert in 2009. Among their first tour stops, was the Crescendo Music Festival in France during the summer of 2010. Then in 2013, Mavara released their third album "Season of Salvation" and, in 2013, is touring in the United States.

While on tour with Mavara in the US, Arash Radan settled in the United States, and with the band has been featured on the front cover of Spotlight Magazine as well as appearing on New Hampshire Chronicle television. In 2013, Arash Radan has performed throughout the east coast, including Rhode Island, New York City, New Hampshire, Maine, New Jersey, the Hard Rock Café, in Boston, Massachusetts, and ProgDay in North Carolina.