I had the wonderful opportunity to photograph the band Opium Moon for their latest record release, A Band of Immigrants.

Sensuous and hypnotic, elegant yet deeply emotional, the music of Opium Moon evokes the mysteries of ancient worlds while remaining thoroughly contemporary. The Los Angeles-based ensemble’s cinematic soundscapes draw upon the virtuosic skills and diverse ethnic  backgrounds of its members: Iranian santoor master Hamid Saeidi, innovative Israeli bassist Itai Disraeli, sought-after American percussionist M.B. Gordy, and the exceptionally expressive Canadian-American violinist Lili Haydn, whose passion and fluid mastery of her instrument enchants in every song.

​

In five original, long-form compositions, the four master players craft a striking sonic chiaroscuro; the dramatic counterpoints of viscerally resonant percussion and driving yet subtle fretless bass underpin and carry the music forward with mesmerizing rhythms, while the shimmering delicacy of the santoor – a 100-stringed Persian hammered dulcimer – and the soaring voice of Haydn’s violin (and lilting vocals on two songs) deliver supple melodic contrast.

With compositions that meld sacred/classical traditions of both East and West with trance-inducing, ancient grooves, the result is at times both stately and rapturous, a sultry and passionate instrumental music that seems to emanate from a profound, even carnal wellspring.

Lili Haydn says, “In this era of ‘fake news,’ I began to feel that words no longer seemed to matter. I lost my faith in my protest songs and threw myself into creating an album without words, one which was simply an embodiment of the peace and inclusiveness I wanted to see in the world. In these polarized and frightening times, simply making beauty – and loving across boundaries – is a revolutionary act.”