Rhiis D. Lopez, frontman for Los Angeles-based ANA KEFR, has issued the following update:

"Ladies and gentlemen, you will want to attend our upcoming show at the Whisky on May 30th because...(drum-roll please)...it will be our last show to be played in support of Volume 1. After this performance, we are officially entering the time of our second album - time to be spent rehearsing, completing songwriting, doing pre-production and recording our second release. Obviously we are insane with excitement.

There are many details that we will share as time progresses - who will be producing the album? Where is it being recorded? How many songs are on it? What is the name of it? What does the art look like? While we will be sharing such information through Myspace and Facebook, our mailing list (to be launched officially in just three weeks) is where you can have a comprehensive look into the making of the album. We will be releasing behind-the-scenes videos, free studio tracks and more to everyone who signs up. To be a part of it, all you have to do is send an e-mail to anakefr@gmail.com

So, come to our last show in support of a year of Volume 1. Tickets are only $10, it's going to be a great show and your last chance for quite a while to see Ana Kefr live. We only have so many tickets, and the Whisky is our favorite place to play."

Following is an excerpt from the second part of BW&BK; scribe Carl Begai's interview with Lopez:

A sad reality of the current day-to-day is that people or organizations perceived to be of Middle Eastern origin are given a critical eye by a large cross section of people. The name Ana Kefr being tossed about in the States is the sort of thing US guilty-until-proven-innocent “security” departments could potentially have a field day with. Look no further than your average American airport for proof as the country’s own citizens get the screws put to them, all in the name of anti-terrorism.

“Referring to simple-minded Americans figuring that anything ethnic-sounding is evil actually reminds me of the song ‘Die Eier Von Satan’ (translated: ‘Satan’s Balls’) from Tool’s Aenima record. This song sounded very political rally-esque, a man shouting in German with the masses cheering him on. The words of the track are actually a recipe for hash cookies, but people threw a fit and alleged that Tool are Nazis. There’s a pretty big difference between a German and a Nazi, as well as an Arab and a Muslim, but people make a lot of ignorant and arrogant assumptions and think they know even more about my band than I do. There’s been very little trash-talk – at least to my face – about our name; if anything it seems that, love or hate our music, people at least like the idea behind it all. That, or we’re tools of Satan to mislead the youth of the world into godlessness and immorality, common from people who obviously don’t appreciate the band’s sentiment that maybe people should think for themselves instead of buying into all the bullshit in the McBible or McQur’an with a side of Freedom Fries. Atheism is the new black.”

Go to this location for the complete story. Click here for Part 1 of the interview.

As previously reported, Ana Kefr is launching an official mailing list. Fans that sign up will receive exclusive studio tracks, behind-the-scenes video and more free material. Send an e-mail to anakefr@gmail.com to register. For information on the band go to their official MySpace page.