In Iran, Hypernova faced lashings for playing rock. In Brooklyn, it's practically a crime not to. I met Raam in 2007 when Hypernova first landed in the U.S. I profiled the band for NPR back then, ...

Imagine a world where your vote doesn’t count, rock concerts and dancing are forbidden, and cultural expression is repressed. Imagine if your president banned all Western music from state-run airwaves ...

Only 7% of LAist readers currently donate to fund our journalism. Help raise that number, so our nonprofit newsroom stays strong in the face of federal cuts. Donate now. I met Raam in 2007 when ...

I met Raam in 2007 when Hypernova first landed in the U.S. I profiled the band for NPR back then, because what's a better story than a rock band from the Islamic Republic of Iran, where it's illegal ...