Iranian Musicians Support Protests

Almost one week after opposition rallies began in Iran protesting the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over his opponent, Mir Hossein Mousavi, U.S.-based Iranian artists are voicing support for the demonstrations.

"In Iran, people have been oppressed for so long. This is a search for freedom," Los Angeles-based Mams Taylor tells Spinner. Taylor's family fled Tehran during the Islamic revolution in the late-1970s. "We are heading towards a second revolution, but this time for the good."

"I don't think people are hardline Moussavi supporters necessarily," Taylor, whose debut album -- 'Persona Non Grata' -- is due in August, continues. "The students have so much education; they have the Internet and they think, 'This just doesn't feel right.' The youth are craving freedom."

Raam, singer for New York-based goth rock band Hypernova -- who will release their debut, appropriately, but coincidentally, titled 'Through the Chaos,' this summer -- also notes the Internet's influence in Iran.

"It's the first movement of its kind to be so open and exposed, thanks to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube," Raam says about the protests. "People on the streets have become the journalists, spreading the news."

Unlike Taylor, Raam, who doesn't use his surname for fear of reprisals from the Iranian government, has family in Tehran. With the Web and phone lines blocked, he hasn't heard from his parents in two days. Although he's very worried, he says the movement exhilarates him, too.

"This is not about the people of Iran," Raam concludes. "This is about the whole people of the world standing up for freedom and justice. The police are so ruthless and resorting to all sorts of violence. There's so much propaganda. We have to voice our support. At the end of the day, as Jim Morrison said, 'They got the guns, but we got the numbers.'"