BBS had a sit down with Lazzy Lung front man Allan Chaaraoui for a Q&A about the RRPP that are staring to come to life in Beirut again.
How do you see the music scene in Beirut?
It goes without saying that Beirut is flooded with EDM / House music/ top 40 commercial and everything else under the sun – and that continues to be “ “ popular demand. I’d like to think people are ready for something a little different.
Tell us about a few of the challenges you faced as a musician?
Back in the day it was hard enough getting gigs especially for “original bands” let alone bands that play Rock music. At the time there were no Wicker Parks or Beirut Jam Sessions or Beirut Open Stages out there – so we had to be crafty. My band didn’t want to have to wait for the AUB Outdoors /Fete De La musique / to step on a stage.
What’s up with the Pizza party?
This was something that originated in my Hometown of Ottawa Canada – a staple club night in the city (at least it used to be) held every Thursday (Free entrance and Free pizza) as a perk they’d dish out a couple of pizzas at the end of the night. Unfortunately they stopped throwing them – but they were legendary. A lot of my favorite bands sprung up and performed at these events.
I wanted to carry that tradition on – only here in Beirut!
Who played your RRPP events back when you guys started them?
The RRPP was hosting and performing events with local rock bands and heavy hitters like (Lazzy Lung /Who Killed Bruce Lee / Scrambled Eggs/ Beirut Scum Society/ Passive Standouts and even managed to host The Black Lips).
Now what?
There’s a new Rock Pub / Biker bar (Fuel Garage Bar) in Mar Mkhayel that just fit perfectly with the RRPP Vibe. Across the street there is new pizza place opening (By The slice) and the pizza tastes awesome!
It just made perfect sense – to put everything together and start throwing parties again.
What’s the deal?
Free Entrance – Free Pizza – Every Thursday
How are you promoting this party?
#punch4punch is how we launched our campaign and is now a staple element of the RRPP – you can see hilarious clips of our friends and family getting decked in the face in slow-mo. Take a Punch in the face for A Free Punch Cocktail (aka Rock n Roll Pizza Party Punch)
Are you thinking about the community when you throw these parties?
YES! Our Pizza Sponsor is doing this brilliant initiative (Pay It forward Pizza) to help the needy
We hope that we can manage to get more people taking part and giving back to the community through the RRPP.
When do you shut down the party?
We hope to keep throwing parties so long as the drinks pour cold and the pizza comes out the oven…our parties go on till the cops show up. We just want give as much as we can to build and strengthen the rock music community in Lebanon -which has been somewhat neglected other than the efforts of the Jim Beam Rock festival.
What about the future?
Eventually if the parties keep doing well – we are looking to Shut down the street and host block parties with Live Bands and the whole 9 – still staying true to our concept of Free Entry a few free pizzas.
