Tamizdat in the News:
(For press specifically about the “Contrabanned” concert, please click here.)
“Music Industry navigates “extreme vetting” of foreign artists,” NPR’s Marketplace, July 11, 2019. PDF.
“Band in the USA: why’s it so hard for UK musicians to tour The States?”, The Face, July 15, 2019. PDF.
“Trump’s ‘Extreme Vetting’ Hurts the Arts, Discourages Cultural Exchange, Experts Say”, KQED.org, June 20, 2019. PDF.
“State Department ‘extreme vetting’ says no to traveling musicians“, San Francisco Chronicle, June 3, 2019. PDF.
“The US lawyer helping Middle East performers break Donald Trump’s travel ban”, The National, AUE, January 15, 2019. PDF.
“How Three Actors Trump’s travel ban to take to the New York stage”, The Independent, United Kingdom, December 8, 2018. PDF.
“How 3 Actors Overcame Trump’s Travel Ban to Take the New York Stage”, The New York Times, December 2, 2018. PDF.
“How Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Is Targeting Artists”, The Observer, September 13, 2018. PDF.
“Why Artists Should Pay Attention to US Visas, Policy, and Cultural Exchange”, Howlround, May 16, 2018. PDF.
“Helping Foreign Artists Cut Through the Red Tape, Pro Bono”, The New Yorker, April 23, 2018. PDF.
“‘This is my real life’: Where Trump’s travel ban hits home”, Fox News, April 20, 2018. PDF.
“‘This is my real life’: Where Trump’s travel ban hits home”, Associated Press, April 20, 2018. PDF.
“Trump’s Travel Ban Was Supposed to Allow Exceptions. That Hasn’t Really Happened.”, Mother Jones, April 12, 2018. PDF.
“This Young Muslim Woman Says She Was Blocked And Deported From America Before She Could Speak At An Event Called “No Country For Young Muslim Women”, BuzzFeed, April 11, 2018. PDF.
“Italian Artist on ESTA Deported From US”, IQ Magazine, February 6, 2018. PDF.
«Iraniens, Syriens, Tchadiens… Ces artistes interdits de séjour par Donald Trump», Telerama, January 29, 2018. PDF.
“Theatre and Resistance: Ten Things You Can Do”, Howlround, January 26, 2018. PDF.
“International Musicians Discuss US Visas at Winter Jazzfest Talks Series”, WBGO, January 15, 2018. PDF.
“THEATER AND RESISTANCE Symposium to Empower, Recharge and Inspire at Segal Center”, Broadway World, December 14, 2017. PDF.
“Minnesota concerts canceled for London-based Somali musician after visa delays”, Minneapolis StarTribune, October 4, 2017. PDF.
“Silk Roadblock”, The American Prospect, August 2, 2017. PDF.
“Trump’s Call For ‘Heightened Vetting’ May Be Affecting International Artists, Lawyers Say”, WBUR, July 3, 2017. PDF.
“As US takes aim at immigration, musicians feel the pinch”, Straights Times, March 23, 2017. PDF.
“SXSW 2017: Fest reps say international artist visa problems did not increase significantly this year”, Austin360, 3/19/2017. PDF.
“Why an Italian band heading for SXSW got deported”, PRI’s The World: March 13, 2017. PDF.
“Why Was That Band Deported?”, NPR’s The Record: March 13, 2017. PDF.
“Immigration Tensions Seep Into South by Southwest”, Billboard, March 12, 2017. PDF.
“Immigration lawyer and music fan champions international musicians”, Austin American Statement, 3/10/2017. PDF.
“SXSW Says It Will Drop Controversial Clause About Alerting Immigration Authorities in 2018”, Spin, 3/7/2017. PDF.
“How SXSW Got Pegged as the Anti-Immigration Music Festival”, Spin, March 3, 2017. PDF.
“Trump’s travel ban concerns Grass Valley Center for the Arts”, The Union, 2/11/2017. PDF.
“Trump’s Overturned Travel Ban Is Still Causing Chaos for Musicians”, Rolling Stone, 2/6/17. PDF.
“Here’s How the Travel Ban Is Crippling Dance Music”, Vice, “Thump,” 2/6/17. PDF.
“Even With Travel Ban Blocked, Artists Are Still Left Hanging”, National Public Radio, “All Thing Considered,” 2/6/17. PDF.
““Build Bridges Over These Walls”: How Trump’s Travel Ban Impacts Touring Musicians”, Consequence of Sound, 2/2/17. PDF.
“Muslim Musicians, Execs Fear the ‘Chilling Effect’ of Trump’s Travel Ban”, Billboard, February 2, 2017. PDF.
“Here’s What Musicians Hurt by the Muslim Ban Have to Say to Trump”, Pitchfork, 1/31/17. PDF.
“Music’s Cultural Diversity Threatened By Complex, Onerous Visa Laws As U.S. Shifts To “America First””, Hyperbot, 1/27/17. PDF.
“Artist Mobility to the US”, IQ Magazine, 1/10/17. PDF.
“These young musicians are hoping the US government likes their ‘exceptional abilities'”, PRI’s The World, July 22, 2016. PDF.
“Getting a work VISA to tour the USA”, Hands Up For Trad, 7/9/16. PDF.
“A Few Points About Entering the US by Attorney Matthew Covey”, MXD, 12/18/15. PDF.
“As US scrambles to address visa backlog, international musicians are out of luck”, Public Radio International, “The World,” 6/29/15. PDF.
World Cultures Connect, 6/10/15. PDF.
“U.S. Visa Rules Deprive Stages of Performers”, New York Times, April 10, 2012. PDF.
“The Visa Dance”, Wall Street Journal, 3/21/11. PDF.
“Meet Tamizdat’s Matthew Covey, the New York-Based Magician Who Wrangles Visas For Pretty Much Ever Foreign Band, Ever”, Village Voice, 3/16/10. PDF.
“Bridge Over the Visa Moat for Musicians Trying to Enter the U.S.”, New York Times, March 16, 2010. PDF.
“Rock ‘n’ Revolution”, New York Times, November 11, 2007. PDF.
“Latin Logistics: Some Bands’ Largest Fans Bases Are Behind U.S. Borders”, Billboard, November 25, 2006. PDF.
“Small Company Helping to Find International Audience for Music From Central And Eastern Europe”, Radio Praha, April 16, 2002. PDF.
“Plastic People Power / Czech band that helped spawn revolution comes to San Francisco“, SFGate, March 7, 1999. PDF.
“Uprostred”, The Village Voice, February 22, 1999. PDF.
“Plastic People of the Universe to Mount First U.S. Tour”, MTV, February 15, 1999. PDF.
“Plastic People of the Universe”, Variety, July 22, 1998. PDF.
“Live at Irving Plaza, New York City The Plastic People of the Universe”, Signal To Noise, July 18, 1998. PDF.