Sam Shalabi

Guitarist Sam Shalabi is a longtime fixture on the Montreal free improv and experimental post-rock scenes, both as a solo artist and as the leader of the Shalabi Effect. Osama Shalabi (who was professionally known as Sam long before Osama bin Laden made his first name infamous) was born in Tripoli, Libya, in 1964 to Egyptian parents; his family emigrated to Canada's Prince Edward Island when he was five. Shalabi's Middle Eastern heritage is a major part of his work, from his regular use of the oud (the lute-like instrument that's as important to most Middle Eastern music as th...