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ammar Friday night at Artspace New Haven. Their debut album is called “farewell, xx.” Jordan Ashby Photos.
A slow, soft chord progression accompanied by an ethereal voice floated across the room of 50 softly swaying heads. The opening lyrics—wasting years, facing fears—reverberated across the silently focused room. As the tempo increased and the volume swelled, the trance was broken by a shout: “Let’s mosh!”
With a jump, the crowd was on its feet. Free expression took hold. Jumping bodies, banging heads, and pumping arms created an electric energy in the room. Smiles broke out as attendees listened to the culmination of four years of work by musician and artist ammar.
On Friday, over 50 people gathered at Artspace New Haven on Orange Street to celebrate the release of “farewell, xx,” the first album of West Haven born and raised musician ammar. The event featured guest performances by New Haven-based singer songwriter Nehway and Manhattan-based rapper LifeofThom, with DJ Harewood spinning throughout the evening and artist Issak Xanu selling hand-painted shirts.
Sweets & Sounds Entertainment and Disengage, a collective by ammar and fellow artist Issak Xanu, sponsored the event.
Issak Xanu, who is half of the collective Disengage.
From the first time ammar picked up a drum stick in the fourth grade, music has been central to their life. The musician wrote their first song in third grade, added the piano to the repertoire in sixth and by the time they were 15, knew that they were going to be “doing this for real.”
Friday, they cited the reggae music of their childhood as an early musical influence. As ammar got older, ska and punk bands such as the Bad Brains and Youth of Today became a major source of inspiration. The positivity of Youth to Today in particular is something that ammar seeks to emulate.
“A lot of people can look at my music and can feel a very sad frequency,” ammar said. “But my lyrics are always trying to resolve something.”
DJ Harewood.
ammar views their music as cathartic. “I have been working on this album since 2019 and it’s gotten me out of this place of stagnancy and depression,” they said while introducing the album. “I feel very balanced now as a human being.”
For ammar, there was no better way to celebrate the release of their album than through combining its release with the launch of their collective, Disengage. The collective is named after a 1990 track and eponymous album from Youth of Today.
“It’s about disbanding from society, being yourself, and escaping the simulation," they said. "I want Disengage to be a safe space for all walks of life and all types of people.”
After trying out Los Angeles and New York punk and art scenes that felt exclusive, ammar spoke to the warmth of the embrace they have had from the arts community in Connecticut since returning in 2021. It is this feeling of community, positivity, and authenticity that ammar hopes the collective Disengage will cultivate.
The first performance of the night was by fellow Connecticut artist Nehway Sahn accompanied by Jonathan Moore on cello. With just a guitar, cello, and voice, Nehway and Moore enchanted the audience with a soul-filled cover of one of the ammar’s latest releases, “sleep paralysis.”
Nehway lyrically draws inspiration from poetic singer-songwriters like Tracy Chapman and Lauryn Hill while channeling vocal powerhouses such as Christina Aguilara and Ariana Grande. Like ammar, her music is a spiritual encounter and integral to her healing.
To be performing at the release event for “farewell, xx” was an honor, she said.
“I think that ammar is one of the most talented people that I know and to have him as a friend inspires me to keep going as well,” she added.
She also shouted out the talent of the Connecticut music scene more broadly, saying that while underrated, she knows that it is only a matter of time before it gains national attention.
Following Nehway’s performance, Washington Heights based rapper and producer LIFEOFTHOM took the stage, raising the energy and cracking jokes.
Around the room, strangers and old friends alike were chatting, dancing, listening, and laughing. A self-proclaimed “superfan” of the New Haven music scene, Katie Jones lauded the performances of Nehway and LIFEOFTHOM. For Jones, as an artist herself, the supportive and collaborative artistry at events like these continues to draw her back.
Others, such as Fernando Alexander Payano, did not know anyone upon arrival but were glad to feel that it was a safe and friendly space. The open format of the event which encouraged conversation and dancing made him feel that it “was really about community,” Payano said.
New Havener Carlos Avila added that he appreciated the range of emotions that the album and the space brought out in people. For Sharon Dickey, the album was thought-provoking, raw, nuanced, and honest.
For ammar, having done all the mixing, producing, mastering and recording on the album themselves, finally releasing it into the world was heavy. At least at this event, however, it was also a release. At the end of the night, the event felt bigger than the album itself.
As Nehway summed it up: “Today is a celebration of the beginning of a journey.”