Kalistani Major History

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Bandstand Releases first new album in 7 years
Alternative Rockers aim to retake top spot from pop musicians
Kaliburg, Ananto
January 30, 4792


Bandstand looks toward the Future, as new Album features darker, edgier sound

In the 25 year career of the Kaliburg rockers Bandstand, who were largely forgotten by the music press as pop rose to a dominant force in Kalistani music, little of their music has been nearly as introspective and dark as the music on their most recent album, the newly released "Stagedive", released on ARC earlier this month.  But there can be no doubt, Bandstand might have been quiet, but they haven't lost any of their edge.  In fact, the leaders of a burgeoning scene of alternative rockers known as the frog clique, who are now nearing their 50s, might have gotten a bit more edgy.

They sat down with KRTVN Radio 2 DJ Henry Anderson for an interview to promote their new album.

H(enry) A(nderson):  And we're back.  Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a real treat for you.  Live in the studio right now is BandStand.  I'm here with singer and guitarist Gail Black and percussionist Eddie Lincoln.  Gail and Eddie, welcome, welcome!

G(ail) B(lack) and E(ddie) L(incoln) together:  Thank you, Mr. Anderson.

HA:  Wow, its a pleasure to have you guys back in the studio.

GB: We're glad to be back here.  We missed you guys...

HA:  Well, let's get right into it.  You guys have new music out.

EL:  Yes, the new record, "StageDive".  It's great.  Some of our best work, no doubt.

HA:  It's been a while...

GB:  Seven years since the last one came out.  Yeah...

HA:  So you all were on hiatus for all that time?

GB:  Well, there was some other stuff going on during that time, and we decided that we needed a break.  Eddie was playing with [Kaliburg's] Goat's Beard, and I was doing art, yoga, just chilling...  We were on the road for so long, and I just needed a break.

EL:  We decided that we weren't breaking up, just taking time off from BandStand...

HA:  So what brought you all back together? 

GB:  We weren't really ever apart, of course.  Eddie would call me every week, I'd go to see his band, and everything.  It was cool.  I just didn't really want to be the one on the stage for a while, you know?

EL:  Yeah, I mean, we've been writing and working together all this time.  Several songs on Goat's Beard's album were written by Gailly.

GB:  ... been kinda behind the scenes for a while, yeah.

HA:  But you guys eventually decided to go back into the studio...

GB:  Well, clearly.  (all laugh)

HA:  Alright.  Well, let's play some music from your new Album, ARC's "StageDive", and then we'll catch back up after the song.  [Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kExdn3LkEg]This is Stranger, from BandStand.[/url]

Break

HA: That was Stranger, from BandStand, and you're listening to KRTVN Channel 2. If you're just tuning in. We're here with BandStand live in the Studio.  So, this record is different than your earlier stuff, which was more kind of upbeat, more for the masses.

GB:  Yeah, this record, we really kind of wanted to stretch out a bit, and try to really make music which kind of stood out...

EL:  Yeah, from what's on the radio now, you know?

HA:  What do you mean?

EL:  Well, I mean, Channel 2 is pretty good, but a lot of it is older. More for older listeners.  Channel 11 is really blowing up now, and... well...

HA:  The pop station, right...

GB:  Yeah, its kinda shite, you know?  A lot of it is pretty canned.

HA:  How do you mean?

GB:  Canned, phoned in.  Its just some cute girl or some boy band singing to some producer created beat, isn't it?  It's asinine.

HA:  Wow, well, you know the kids like it.

GB:  Eh, what do kids know?  Look:  I think Madysin is a good looking woman, and she is certainly the Original in this country, but you all gave her artist of the year and she doesn't even play the guitar?

HA:  I can't justify her success.

EL:  She's got great marketing...

HA:  Well, let's talk about your record.  Tell us a little about it.

EL:  Alright.  Well, Gailly and I have been writing it for about four years.  We came up with material for three albums, and decided to pick eight of the best ones.  Then, in April, I think of last year?

GB:  Yeah, April. it was early April, back when all that fog was in town for like three weeks...

EL:  Yeah, so we called up ARC and then because we wanted to get out of Kaliburg, and were headed to Sulari anyway, and was like "We want to record this record."

GB:  Yeah, they were totally cool with us, and were like "You guys want to do it in the capital or where?"  And we were like "We're headed to Sulari anyway."  So they hooked us up with Jess Michaels as engineer, and Deano Fuentes, who did music direction.  Deano wanted to get us Val Jackson to produce it, but after talking with her, we were like "Val, we loved your work on that Gulf Stream record last year, but I think we need to just do this our self," and she was totally cool with that.

HA:  So you all just went to it?

EL:  Yeah, we recorded the synths in like two days, guitars and drums in another two days, and vocals and overdubs were done in a single day.  We had Jess work with us in post production, and we had a master in under two weeks.  Fastest we ever recorded a record!

HA:  That's amazing.  And ARC was cool with it the whole time?

EL:  Yeah, they were cooler than working with our old label at KMI.

GB:  I wish these guys were around for our first record.  I think we barely covered our advance in the first year.  it was nuts.

HA:  So you basically just speed recorded this record.  I mean, it sounds great.

EL:  Thanks, mate. But I mean, there was a lot of other stuff too.

HA:  What do you mean?

GB:  Since we didn't take an advance, we had rented this studio for a whole month.  So while we were mastering the album, we also were rearranging the songs, to make an analog version, which we put out online at the same time.  And we had some producers come in and remix a few of the tracks.

HA:  What?  I didn't hear anything about all that.

EL:  (laughs)  You gotta do your homework, man.  Look.  Can I spin one of the remixes?

HA:  Sure, What the hell...  What do you got here?

EL:  Check this out, it's the remix of the title song, StageDive.  Done by DJ Radon, from Yoshimi.  It's pretty dope.

HA:  Alright, well, let's hear it. 
Here's StageDive, from BandStand's new Album, here on KRTVN Radio 2[/url].

Break

HA: You're listening to KRTVN Radio 2 and we're here with Kaliburg Alt Rockers BandStand, who have just released their 4th Studio Album, and their first in seven years.  So, tell us about the music on this record.

GB:  Well, it definitely talks about a lot of the kind of things you see when you get inside your own head for a long time, you know?

EL:  The themes we explored were somewhat different than the stuff our fans are used to.  Certainly more mature, compared to the earlier albums.

HA:  I notice that, definitely darker...

GB:  We gotta be the dark to the pop princesses' light, you know, bring balance to the scene.

HA:  The music is pretty heavily electronic, more than your older music.

EL:  We played with some sequencers, but note for note, you will find that we probably have as much digital instrumentation, as we do the analog stuff.

GB:  I hear a lot of influences of our older stuff in today's pop, so we needed to go a different way with the music, though.  Lots of minor keys and stuff, this time matching the kind of darker more introspective lyrics with a darker grittier sound.

HA:  But I wouldn't call this record depressing or anything.  I mean, there are times when you gradually transition from the synthesized minimalism to full on alternative, within the same song and just let it rock.

GB:  I've found that we can play with relative quiet in the music too.  Our other stuff was so heavily layered, and it was pretty baroque.  This record was much more stripped down.

EL:  There were a lot of disco and what you might call popular, audience oriented influences on our earlier records.  But in this one, we wanted to play with dynamics within the songs themselves.

HA:  This is one criticism which has been leveled against the record.  It's not as coherent as your earlier records, sonic aesthetic wise.

GB:  Well, that's fair. It's not exactly a concept album.

EL:  We had a lot of fun making it, to be honest, whatever our critics say about how it sounds...

GB:  ... kinda cathartic...  Yeah, we had fun.  And at this point, in our careers, that's really what it is about.

EL: ... plus, it sounds different from the new music that is is on the radio now.

HA:  Will you all be going to FOMAT?

GB:  No.

HA:  Any Reason?  it is the biggest music event coming up this year...

EL:  (pauses)  well, to be honest, most of that music is not...

GB:  It's not our taste.  We'll leave it at that.

HA:  We'll leave it at that.  Let's play one more track off BandStand's new album, "StageDive", which you can get in any record store in the Republic, as well as on any of the streaming services, and so forth.  Thank you guys for coming in, and it is great to hear your music again.

GB:  Thanks, Comrade.  We had a lot of fun!

HA:  Here's BandStand with a track from their New Album. The song is called "A&R."

EL:  This is the analog recording from the Sulari Version!

HA:  Ahh, well, here is [Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVMPqMsUbR0]
A&R, by BandStand, the Analog Version, on KRTVN Radio 2[/url].

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OOC Source: Russian Defense

Kaliburg: For 8 and a half months the Imperial Strike Group, Deltaria's most powerfull naval formation, has been on deployment around the globe. First the ISG travelled to Malivia where it was greeted with a extensive ceremony and trained with ships stationed there. After a few days and a ressuply the fleet set sail for Vascania, where it was greeted by the Vascanian navy. No exercises were held but it was clear the two nations were on friendly terms as Vascania's navy was relaxed. The fleet returned to Artania to visit the Deltarian ally of Narikaton and Darnussia. Here, per agreement, the fleet refuelled and ressuplied once more, setting sail north and moving around the tip of Artania. This understandably angered, and to a certain degree startled, the Dorvish, who have been the sole naval power in the region for centuries. Deltaria send its fleet north deliberately, likely as a way to show Dorvik that it can, moving through international waters the ships had difficulty in the cold weather but, after several days of maneuvering, they departed for the south once more.

Now the fleet arrived near Kalistan several days ago, once again passing through the Ananto strait. Similar to the ASDE exercise around 1.5 decade ago the Deltarian carrier fleet and the Kalistani navy conducted exercises in the strait. Beforehand, when the Imperial Strike Group was still near Endralon, Deltarian high command and its Kalistani counterpart had organized the plans for the exercises, which would once again center itself around the Ananto Strait and Kalistani capabilities to defend it. In contrast to the ASDE exercises the Kalistani's now used submarines, a change of strategy compared to previous defensive exercises. These submarines proved effective, fictionally sinking a Deltarian frigate at first in the middle of the strait. While the Kalistani's had improved so had the Deltarians as their newly modernized carrier and the new composition of the strike group proved efficient. Air attacks from several long ranged airplanes were stopped by AA systems onboard the Deltarian frigates and Destroyers. Missiles launched from shore were stopped in a similar fashion, with only one scoring a direct hit on a Deltarian destroyer which damaged it, but not to a severe degree according to the simulation. But Kalistani submarines proved deadly once more when they sunk a Slava-cruiser while it was shielding the carrier. During the simulated battle the Deltarian scored some victories too, with R-33C and MiG-29 jets from the DNS Mrazek sinking two Kalistani vessels and a Slava-class cruiser launching a anti ship missile which severely damaged a Kalistani frigate. At the end of the battle the Kalistani subs were also succesfully kept at a distance thanks to anti-sub warfare systems onboard several Deltarian ships.

While Kalistan, in comparison, lost more sailors and ships in the simulation as a whole their high command still sees this as a succesfull exercise, proving that the focus on submarine warfare is paying off. Deltaria lost one frigate and one cruiser as well as suffering one damaged destroyer in the simulation. It is the largest simulated loss of the Deltarian navy since its creation. Despite this Admiral Roland Horák is, like his Kalistani counterpart, satisfied stating that, "While the damages and loss in the simulation are significant we still managed to protect our valuable ship, the Mrazek, which was the end goal of the operation. Besides that i can be proud of our sailors as during the exercise they adapted, seeing the effectiveness of the enemy subs they changed tactics and succesfully held the enemy submarines at bay for the duration of the exercise. Other than that we can also learn a lot from this exercise, giving us valuable insides into further increasing the protection of our fleets and adapt defensive, as well as offensive, battle plans on these experiences."

Kalistan and Deltaria have both once more learned lessons from this exercise. The Imperial Strike Group, after participating for a week, has refueled and ressuplied in Ananto and has set course for the Aldegar Canal as it slowly moves home. For 9 months the fleet has been sailing around Terra with 3 more months to go before returning home in Stefanisti, where the Czarina and a large crowd is expected to welcome it back in port.

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Kalistan Accepts win in Deltarian Wargames
Still a lot of work to do
Ananto Straits, Kalistan
June 26, 4792


Indica-Class Submarine KRS-62 Jeffery Monmouth returns to Dulnerstaad following exercises

Kalistan joined Deltaria for a wargames rematch in the Straits earlier this month. Naval Spokeswoman Katie Donner said, of the games, "The Regular Navy was invited to work on defense tactics once more, and it is not too much to say, we have improved." Deltaria, which has been updated to Major power status, was on a cruise through the Northern Anantonese and enroute to Aldegar. This provided the opportunity for good natured sparring between long standing allies in the region.

"We jumped at the chance to try out the refined Naval Doctrine," said Donner. "Of course, once more the militia did not participate. It was strictly a blue water affair. But the subs were exceptional." Kalistan's naval doctrine lies on its submarine fleet, which regularly patrols the Strait and the adjacent Limits to the north and south. The submarine packs are supplemented by surface ships, who themselves focus on anti submarine interdiction, as well as defense against other surface and air vessels, aiming at providing subs extra time and room to maneuver and kill.

"In this exercise, we took our own hits, simulated of course, especially on one of our Frigates" said Donner, "but we also scored some pretty serious hits. The shore defenses can still easily be swatted aside, but we are working on technology which aims at frustrating ship to shore defenses. But meanwhile, one of our simulated shore batteries scored a hit on a destroyer, which temporarily reduced its capabilities. That provided us with the window we needed to bring the subs in and lock in firing solutions on a Frigate and a Cruiser, exposing their carrier to potential danger. Of course, after that, Kalistani naval forces were overwhelmed, and our SOP would require us, at this point to pull back."

The Kalistani naval spokeswoman said the navy was confident. "Of course we lost the wargames. I would hope so: We were up against a modern blue water navy, with the most updated weaponry. In a war, it wouldn't be a match in the deep sea, and the battle would shift more to Kalistan's favor as the forces moved into the Brown water, where their deep water ships could not operate as effectively, and we would bring other tools to bear.

"But," she continued, "Kalistan did prove two points here. We could make any attack, even from a modern blue water projection force costly, and relying on more irregular tactics, we can stay longer at sea in battle stations, which will forestall any determined attack on shore, and give our forces that much more time to prepare. Every minute we keep an invasion force at sea is a minute we are not facing them in our population centers and strategic points on land. And every minute we gain on land, the deeper our defense gets and the less surprise we face. A Regular Navy capable of keeping a foreign force at sea will guarantee than any invasion will become a meat grinder which will almost certainly be far too costly for any enemy to accept.

"Those odds," said Donner, "shift any battle into Kalistan's favor, regardless of how many aircraft carriers they have."

Following the exercise, the Deltarian fleet was welcomed to visit Dulnerstaad Naval Center for shore liberty and fraternization with Kalistani sailors.

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Kalistan Listeners name Gigi and the Poppers to FOMAT IV
Early registration yields surprise support for Punk Band
Kaliburg, Ananto
December 12, 4793


Sulari's Gigi and the Poppers is the winner of the KRTVN Poll for FOMAT IV

In a surprise verdict, radio listeners selected Sulari punk band Gigi and the Poppers to represent Kalistan in the Fourth FOMAT contest, to be held in Jakania. "This is a major departure from the music that is usually played at the FOMAT contest," said last year's judge, Dj Pedro Delgado. "Usually, countries send pop musicians to FOMAT, and the last three winners have definitely fallen into that category." Generally speaking, Kalistani music, however, doesn't adhere to pop standards. "Pop is a relatively new style in Kalistan, and one that isn't widely supported by the music listeners of the country," said Delgado.

For FOMAT IV, Kalistani listeners, following a campaign by Kalistani rock band BandStand, flooded the polling system which was designed to pick the next contestants from the Republic to travel to the international Music contest. Gail Black, of BandStand was proud of the influence of her band's audience: "We were not satisfied with the type of music that was being played at FOMAT. Kalistani acts need guitars for sure." Compared to the entries so far, Gigi and the Poppers are certainly louder and faster. The band, which hails from Sulari, has played in the underground punk scene for more than three years, and has released 7 mixtapes and eps. They received minor airplay last year on KRTVN last year in the nightly specialty alternative and punk show. Lead singer Gigi Snotnose, age 25, said, "Fuck FOMAT. Yeah, well play. We're gonna burn the building down. We're gonna show the whole world what Kalistan is really all about."

Gigi and the Poppers have selected their song "Dominate" to represent their music. Said bassist Greg Dethsquat, "I think this song really showcases our ability and our edge, you know... It's really versatile, and its a pretty good dance tune." KRTVN Radio will sponsor the band's trip to Jakania and pay all expenses for the band while in country. "We were a little disturbed," said Snotnose, "When we heard that we couldn't drink there. Guess we'll see about that!"

[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSmLNKrqqSQ]
Here is a performance of the Gigi and the Popper's song, "Dominate" which will be performed in 4797.

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Ministry of War Announces That Yingdala Has Secured the First Island Chain


Construction of the joint defense base in Kanjor (OOC Source: Wall Street Journal)

In a miraculous feat that has never occurred in Yingdala's long history, the Ministry of War has announced that the Grand Union has secured alliances and joint defense bases in all of the countries making up the so-called "First Island Chain" that surrounds Yingdala. Already, Terra has known about Tian'an's alliances with Vorona, Gaduridos, and Rildanor. With the completion of an alliance with Kanjor, as both countries are ratifying the agreement, Yingdala will be able to effectively defend choke points that are critical to free and open trade, not to mention it will make it even more difficult for foreign invaders to get near the Yingdalan homeland.

Strategists and economists throughout Yingdala have claimed that this achievement will make Yingdala stronger at defending itself and its allies, as well as create a greater sense of stability and predictability in trade, thereby encouraging more companies to consider international trade. However, although Yingdala has effectively secured its trade to the littoral states of Majatra, West Dovani, Seleya, and Keris - or the Eastern Hemisphere - the Second (Dolgavia, Telemon, Keymon, Badara, and Cildania) and Third Island Chains (Selucia, Davostan, Darnussia and Narikaton, and Beluzia) could still be dominated by a foreign adversary to deny Yingdalan trade to the Western Hemisphere.

Experts it deem it unlikely that Yingdala would deepen its relationships with Second and Third Island Chain countries, outside of Dolgavia, out of respect. It is believed that Tian'an feels the Jelbic Khaganate should secure the Second and Third Island Chain countries in Majatra, while Dorvik secures the Second and Third Island Chain countries in Artania and Macon. Historically, both nations have held spheres of influence in those regions and everyone knows that Yingdala tends to defer to history.

Although the First Island Chain has been secured, this does not mean that a "Grand Oceanic Wall" exists between Yingdala and the rest of Terra. At each joint defense base is a small, but significant, contingent of Army, Navy, and Air Force personnel and equipment. These groups are Yingdala's first line of defense and would allow the Grand Union to better prepare itself for invasion.

Another step Yingdala is taking is to assist Kalistan with the development of its navy. Bound by a friendship treaty, Yingdala has sought to fill the void left by Lourenne to help Kalistan secure its sovereignty. Though never a "strong" traditional navy in conventional thinking, Kalistan has historically made excellent and clever use of fast attack ships. These boats have been known to cause serious damage to larger, but slower, fleets. Clearly, Tian'an sees a stronger Kaliburg leading to a stronger Yingdalan defense.

In any event, the Ministry's announcement is a major milestone. Yingdalans everywhere should be proud that their government has invested so much to defend them from harm.

[Doc]

D'Ante and the Revolutionaries named Kalistani Representatives to FOMAT V
R&B musicians voted to be right band for the Contest
Kaliburg, Ananto
February 12, 4801


D'Ante and the Revolutionaries won the January Listeners' Poll on KRTVN Radio 2 with 84% overall

Following Kalistan's defeat due to suspect judgement at FOMAT IV, Kalistani radio listeners have voted that the entry from Kalistan for FOMAT V shall be the R&B band D'Ante and the Revolutionaries, who will perform the song "You can't Leave Me" in Liore two summers from now.

More than 18,000 listeners took part in the radio poll which allowed them to vote for their favorite among more than 20 contestants.  The contest was originally intended to be a two round contest, with the top two vote getters competing against one another in a head to head match up.  But voters decided that D'Ante and the Revolutionaries were their favorite on the first ballot, giving their entry the vast majority of all votes.  D'Ante scored more than 84% of all votes, making the song the clear favorite among listeners.  "This is the right band for the contest in Liore," said one young listener from Kaliburg.

When D'Ante was informed of the news of his band's success, he was in Dulnerstaad.  "I was headed to the dispensary," said D'Ante, "and these people just came out of nowhere and told me that we had won.  I called Jean and (drummer) Adams up and let them know, and I think the band was way more excited about it that I was!"

D'Ante Edwards-Carrangus, 36, from Kaliburg, spoke about his song.  "We were really impressed by the, of course old sounds of Funk, but also we wanted to add some of that R&B that Monica K. MacPhearson was doing a few years ago. This is music that nobody else in the whole world is doing, and so we figured we could stand out and kinda make a name for ourselves with this album."  His band's debut record, "Subversive Messiah", released last year on ARC, featured a lot of funk, and a lot of R&B with some soul influences in the music. "It's an alternative album, first and foremost," said D'Ante.  "Our song construction is a lot more eclectic and unstructured, and we took a lot of chances with this record."  The first single from the Record, "You can't leave me" scored a minor hit last fall for the band, and has since built a fairly significant cult following.

"It's kind of odd that MacPhearson has been playing for 14 years, playing R&B," said D'Ante, "and doing all kind of stuff like mixing in hip-hop and soul and fun, and she's been pretty underground most of this time.  Hopefully, if we draw some attention to the genre, maybe we can draw attention to her music as well." 

[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZoxdPGu_4E]
Here is the song that D'Ante and the Revolutionaries will be performing at the FOMAT V Contest in Liore.

[Doc]

Hutorian Broadcasting Channel
International News

Kingdom of Hutori to Join ODEN


Marijuana Farm outside of Glentingham, Adelia

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Joshua Woodbury, has announced that the Kingdom of Hutori would be formally joining the Organization of Drug Exporting Nations, otherwise known as ODEN. Hutori has been dealing with ODEN over a century ago during the Occupation of Davostan, when the Commonwealth Occupation Authority has used ODEN as it's primary and sole supplier of pharmaceuticals in Davostan, and something that later moved into Hutori itself, where ODEN regulated drugs can wide praise and use. While talks with ODEN collapsed following the right of conservative leaning Republican governments in Bekenial, the rise of the Monarchist has revive those old talks, with the Monarchist Party of Hutori firmly in the seat with a supermajority in Parliament, Prime Minister Carmichael has wasted little time moving Bill M-8, the formal ratification of ODEN, forward for a vote.

Minister of Justice Allison Wainwright has stated, ahead of fears this would lead to a massive infusion of drugs into Hutori, that this would in fact make it easier to control the drug trade in Hutori, not harder.

ODEN members respect local laws on drugs, and more important by joining ODEN we can ensure only top quality and regulated substances enter the Hutorian market. Further this isn't just about cocaine or heroin. Hutorian whiskeys, hemp, marijuana are just as covered and are able to be better moved between member states, opening significant economic possibilities.

ODEN-H, the soon to be opened branch of ODEN in Hutori, will be utilized as a Government Crown Corporation, jointly watched by the Department of Justice, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of International Trade, with it's inaugural Executive Director, Christopher Gilmore, already travelling to Kalistan to observe ODEN facilities there.

[Doc]

Salgo Named to Return Kalistan to FOMAT IX
Kalistan seeks return of Crown it once Dominated
Kaliburg, Ananto
July 17, 4877


Suldanor based Salgo will go to FOMAT IX to represent Kalistan this coming year

More than 80 years after winning FOMAT V, making Kalistan the only nation to date to win FOMAT twice, Kalistan aims to return to the Contest.  And this year, they have picked Suldanor based band Salgo to represent the nation.  The four Piece hard rock Band was selected recently by a 12 judge panel who reviewed entries from more than 35 unsigned finalists from all across the Republic.

"We thought Salgo best represented Kalistan best," said panel spokesman Edward Quigley, who produces records for an independent Kaliburg label OK Discs.  "I think their energy hints at a revival of Kalistani Rock Culture, and the fact that they are a mixed gender band really set them apart from their competition."  Quigley went on to lavish praise on the Sulari music scene which has survived for decades despite lack of the national attention that they once enjoyed in Kalistan.  "Suldanor always produces the best rockers, and though Kaliburg provides the biggest venues, Sulari has consistently maintained a vibrant scene which nurtures and promotes excellent artists and musiciains.  They have for a very long time.  Salgo has spent years in this scene."

Band Leader Janice Tarkington, who plays lead guitar and provides vocals said "It's such an honor to be selected, of course.  I want to be humble, but hell with that.  We have worked our ASSES off for like 20 years.  It's about time someone decided to notice us!"

Fellow Guitarist Donna Howard, who cowrites and sings harmony with Tarkington was a bit more gracious:  "In Suldanor, especially in Sulari, it's like everyone is born with a guitar.  So the competition is so extreme and the talent level is so high for so many people, it could have been anyone, really.  We're thrilled it is us, and hopefully, this gets us some national and international attention, even if we don't win the whole show, I mean, how many people do we get to play before?  It's crazy!"

Drummer Eddie Howard, who is Donna Howard's older brother was asked what he thinks about winning the Kalistani competition to go to to FOMAT:  "Well, I mean, the biggest show is still ahead of us, right?  We haven't won anything yet."  Bassist Franco del Valle agreed: "Yeah, its a lot of work between now and then."

Salgo has said they will perform the Song "It's Holy", which Tarkington said she and Howard wrote to contribute to a National Vinyl Album celebration day. "It's Holy pretty much rocks," said Tarkington, "But is more melodic than the song I wanted to do, ["68"] which we blew out like an amp last time we played it.  But Donna was like 'Ohhh, Jan... why don't we do the one we did for the record thing?  Its so much more...'  Oh what was the word you used, Hon?"

On cue, Howard said with a big smile "... Accessible."

[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAb0Ts_LMyA]
Hopefully the judges are looking for the more moderate approach to Salgo's rock sound.

[Doc]

SPoK Reorganizes in Kaliburg
Elects Student Leader Marguerite Beloit as new Party Leader
Kaliburg, Ananto
July 20, 4877


Marguerite Beloit, President of Polytechnic United Socialists named new Speaker of the Socialist Party

The Socialist Party of Kalistan, defunct for more than 80 years, has once more been revived, this time as an outgrowth of the Student Movement centered primarily in Kaliburg. The leader of the new Socialist movement is Marguerite Beloit, a great granddaughter of Canrillaise Immigrants who settled around Dulnerstaad at the beginning of the century. Beloit, a junior at Kaliburg Polytechnic Institute in the Capital studying wind energy generation, has recently been elected as Speaker of the Socialist Party of Kalistan which was reorganized late this last spring.

"I am honored to take up the mantle of this ancient and foundational Party in Kalistan, the same party that welcomed my ancestors to this land and gave my family such opportunity for peace and prosperity," Beloit said as she accepted the office of Speaker of the Socialist Party. "I want to thank my comrades in the Polytechnic United for working with me to rebuild this needed political movement in Kalistan."

The new speaker, who is only 20 years old, has 6 years of organizing under her belt. Starting her first organizing work at the age of 14, Beloit worked with other youths her age to develop a canvassing club to get socialists nominated to and elected to non-partisan offices in the city of Kaliburg and in throughout the various districts. When her organization, "Young Socialists of Kaliburg" was just two years old, she opened her first satellite organizations in Sulari and Gendaris to begin campaigning on the Mainland. At the same time, she worked closely with the Growers' Unions in Kalistan to ensure that young workers got the same pay as their adult counterparts in the marijuana fields of the Dah, a move which raised her profile to District-wide fame. For four years, her organization was involved with campaign and independent political activity across the District, and eventually across the Republic, all the while training youth to follow in her footsteps and take over the organization when she left for University.

Over the last three years, as the head of the Polytechnic United Socialists, at Kaliburg Polytechnic, Beloit has split her time between academics and political activity on a more adult level. "We started to get the news about socialism out to the citizens on the wider scale, using social media and legacy media," said Beloit. " We had several fundraiser concerts in and around Kaliburg, and you know, while we were starting a new organization, we also had the infrastructure and more importantly, the experience to take the organization nationwide immediately. We got control of the college radio stations, filling hours and hours of air time with leftist music and announcements for the people, to tell them about the social services which are still in the Republic, and to talk about the history of socialism in the Republic. We got a lot of support from our older comrades who were slowly being reawakened, and we also welcomed our younger brothers and sisters as they came up and joined us in the universities."

Within a year, there were United Socialists' affiliates at all major universities in Ananto and across the mainland, with the exception of Vrassa, where the population tends to be more conservative and therefore has a weaker historical connection to Socialism. "Vrassa is a tough nut to crack," said Beloit, "But this is probably a Historical thing. We're gonna keep working on them."

Last April, the executive committees of the various United Socialist Organizations met in general convention with the guiding question: "What's next?" A nearly unanimous convention agreed to reform the Socialist Party of Kalistan, elect a Party Leadership and begin to contest National Elections across the Republic. "The Party Headquarters in downtown Kaliburg, the building which has stood in its current location since being rebuilt after Indrala invaded 1200 years ago, was still in service, as a local union headquarters. Most of the building has been closed up for almost 80 years. The Union, Food Workers Local 1885 in downtown Kaliburg returned the building's keys to us with a little ceremony," said Beloit, who commended their stewardship of the Party's Assets. "We have of course invited the Local to remain in place in their current offices as long as they desire to stay."

During the Convention, Beloit, who was now extremely well known among the Socialists of Kalistan was acclaimed Party Speaker at the interim convention, and charged by the convention to getting Kalistanis elected to the National Assembly. If the Socialists are elected to a majority, Beloit could very easily become Head of Government, in a very short period of time, making her one of the youngest Premiers in the world, and in Kalistani History. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves," said Beloit about her prospects to serve as Premier. "We are still a new Party, technically, and will have some advantages, but whether we will turn out a Majority is unknown. Let's see how we do."

Beloit has pledged to work with the ruling Kalistani Democrats to organize Kalistan after a prolonged period of ineffective Government. "The Democrats have begun introducing reforms already. Let's see how far they are willing to go."

For now, Beloit's Star is on the Rise. The Socialist Party welcomes Marguerite Beloit to Leadership of our revitalized Party, and look for many great things to come.

[Doc]

Salgo to release New Music ahead of FOMAT
Contest Exposure has drawn increased interest in the 4 Piece Sulari Band
Sulari Suldanor
December 12, 4877


Sulari Hard Rock Band album of New Music to drop ARC and all streaming services

Sulari based Artist Recording Collective (ARC) has inked a deal to release Kalistan's next big band, Salgo's new record, "Bomb Sides", a take on the standard B-Sides format of previously unreleased music that established artists often release several records into their career.

ARC spokesperson Lala Jones said "ARC is thrilled to be releasing Salgo's music. After they were named to represent Kalistan in FOMAT, the band was bumrushed by A&R execs who had not spent a lot of time with the band in the past. We had no idea what we are missing! But we are thrilled to say now that the band has done a new music album for ARC and we look forward to continuing to work with Salgo in the future, whatever happens at FOMAT!"

Salgo Frontwoman Janice Tarkington said, of the deal, "Haha, see, we've been putting out our own records on mix tapes at our shows for years. We record our shows on a two track, and we have a studio set up in Eddie [Howard, the band's drummer}'s basement where we produce stuff on a 4 track. So when we saw ARC's setup, we were like 'Minds BLOWN'... Know what I mean?"

Co-Singer Donna Howard said "And from a money standpoint, the company payed us outright for the product and we got a generous distribution and licensing deal on the back end. More money than we have ever had before, just for a record of songs we already had written and tested before countless audiences. Where is the downside?"

ARC has always had better relationships with the artists they have worked with than KMI, who were reportedly outbid by ARC, even though they offered Salgo less up front. "We wanted to stay with an Artist owned label," said Howard. All in all they gave us a better deal. Plus, they agreed to make their money on sales, but they are doing a subscription model with us, where fans pay what they think the record is worth, and get it for whatever they pay. It might mean less money for the company, but to us, it allows us to keep our integrity, and also enjoy some commercial success too."

ARC has provided IZQUIERDA with an early release of Bomb Sides to share with our readers.

Salgo travels to Argona Selucia this coming Summer to represent Kalistan in FOMAT IX.

[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p7Yt662Ze8]
Here's ARC's release of the Salgo Record, "Bomb Sides."