Passion for Music: Joe Kainz In the Urdu language 'Junoon' means obsession or passion. So it should come as no surprise that the rock band of the same name stirs similar feelings among its fans. Salman Ahmad, Ali Azmat and Brian O Connell are Junoon. They admit they are influenced by everything from Led Zepplin, Santana and Queen to traditional Punjabi folk melodies and Sufi poetry. The group is described as Pakistan's biggest band blending a style of Western rock and traditional Punjabi folk music. But they've also attracted controversy by converting traditional Sufi religious texts into songs. Junoon's music is hard to define. They sing mostly in the language of Urdu, in a style blending Western hard rock with Sindhi & Punjabi folk and Qawwali. At the time - Pakistan and India were testing nuclear weapons Junoon had been on a sold-out concert tour of India, and told fans there that the two sides should give peace a chance. The group was banned for making the remarks about India and Pakistan. D: Salman Ahmad says: "When we came back from our tour, we found out that we were banned. So it's not anything that went against our tradition, or we were trying to corrupt our youth - it was more about that we were delving into themes that no-one talks about. Right? Because the press here reaches only a minute percent - newspapers, magazines - reach a very small percentage in Pakistan. So songs are really dangerous in that way." But it that wasn't the first time Junoon angered the authorities. In the mid 1990's - they were banned from state airwaves after their music video portrayed a horse dining at a luxury hotel. The image was a thinly veiled criticism of alleged excesses under the Benazir Bhutto administration. Over the years, band members claim their socially conscious stance has led to police searches and phone taps - and even anonymous death threats. But despite the trouble at home - Junoon's popularity soared abroad. They were named 'best international group' at the channel "V" music awards in New Delhi in 1998 - performing alongside the likes of 'Sting' and 'Def Leppard.' A year later the United Nations recognised them for fostering peace in South Asia. And the group has kept up an extensive overseas tour - performing in Denmark, Japan, and the United States, as well as India, Bangladesh and the Middle East. But while Junoon has returned to the concert stage in Pakistan - their commercial success at home has been limited by music piracy. They earn so little from the millions of c-d's they sell - that they must perform at least 40 concerts a year just to make ends meet. Junoon;s manager D: Sheryar Ahmad says: "There's a 95 percent piracy rate in Pakistan. So bands like us - we are the most successful band in the country, and we'd be lucky if we get the cost of recording the album out of what we get paid for an album. And we sell, legitimately - up to a million copies of a record." But Junoon says it has already overcome plenty of obstacles in its decade together. And they credit their ability to make western rock blend with eastern mysticism... mostly in song lyrics borrowed from the words of Islamic Sufi poets dating back to the 12th century. Mailing Address: Junoon Fan Club, Sidco Avenue Center, # 10/2 Tower A, Strachen Road, Karachi - 7400, Pakistan Tel Number: +92-21 565-1520 Official Junoon website: http://www.junoon.com