Kalistani Major History

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Surf Wax tops the Chart with a More Melodic version of Grit
Album verges closer to Alternative, and blurs boundaries between two genres.
Port Swedes, Vrassa
May 18, 4915


Surf Wax Picks up Grit Supergroup Mantle from Sonic Shrine of the Hound

The sound of Grit is maturing, as the wave enters its fourth year. Scene legends, Surf Wax have stayed independent for two record releases already, but for their third record, they signed with the Vrassan music powerhouse VDR, who just released their third album "Jerome". The record, which debuted at Number 1 on the Kalistani Charts has plenty of hard rock on it and represents yet another departure for the folk-tinged Grunge which made the Grit scene popular across the Republic. "'Jerome' is probably the closest a Grit band will get to straight Alternative," said music critic Bobbi Fernandes, who writes for the Grit scene trade "Swedeport". "As much as these bands hate to be labeled by the mainstream music press as 'grit' bands, and are eager to show that they are more than just this formulaic sound, there will likely be one or two more turns back to the foundational elements of the Port Swedes sound before all this is over. There are a number of very good bands right now who are still playing in clubs, and are still fighting the exposure of their neighbors in Port Swedes, But as long as there is an attitude for the music, there will always be producers wanting to sell records."

Most of the Grit Bands who have struck it huge are now sitting in comfortable careers, and in all major cities at any time, there are grit shows and concerts. The largest one so far, by Sonic Planter was at the GMHoF in Luxon, last year and drew more than 25,000 fans to hear the Port Swedes band play. But just as many bands who have gotten famous in the Republic have gone on to some great careers, other bands have fallen apart. One of the pioneer bands of the scene, The Wolf Hound, is no more, due to its inability and unwillingness to record more records.

"The Wolf Hound, who was so influential in the formation of the Grit Scene, just couldn't seem to get back into the studio to make new records," said Fernandes, "and when VDR released them last year, they just hung it up. I think David Drescher is doing radio now, and Jeff Alvarez and Peter Greene from Wolf Hound have actually joined Ted Sorenson and Matt Gill in Surf Wax, replacing their original guitarist and bassist, who both left last year to go back to college. This makes Surf Wax essentially a Grit Supergroup, and they are now poised perhaps to be one of the biggest Grit Bands, and yet, they decide at just this moment to step backward to Alternative, with Grit Highlights."

There is still some good Gritty music on Surf Wax's "Jerome". "Daughter" is a gritty tune about a child with a learning disability and abusive parents. "Evolutionist" is almost folky in its aesthetic. And the lead track "Bellweather" on the record might be one of Grit's prettiest tunes ever. There are also some excellent straight Grunge songs on the record, like the surf grunge track "Whispering Hands" and "At least That's Something." But for the most part, Surf Wax's decision to record a more or less alternative record for VDR shows that even the bands in Port Swedes are getting tired of the attention. When they miss, some of the choices they and the producer made on this record will leave fans scratching their head, but when they hit, like in the Grunge song about sorrow and unrequited love called "Broken Glass", they remind people exactly what they loved about this music scene to begin with.

While the gold rush may be slowing in Port Swedes, you can still listen to "Jerome" here

[Video: https://youtu.be/31vjCNgsGy0?t=15]

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President of the Republic visits Lodamun
Mark Small has been seen at a Lodamese airport this morning
Providence, Lodamun
June 3, 4913


President of The Republic Mark Small after arriving at the airport in Providence

President Mark Small has talked about state visits and deals with foreign nations in his inauguration speech. "Lodamun is our neighbor, and I hope we can make a deal which makes both of our nations stronger than ever." said the president.

Mr. Small arrived at Providence to meet with in Lodamun after speaking to the local press about Kalistan-Lodamun relations and the future of the two nations. He met with Chairman of the Presidium Nataniel Pop, and talked about the Kalistani relations and trade with Lodamun.

After the meeting, The Republic held a short interview with Mark Small.

T(he) R(epublic): Greetings President Small. What exactly brings you to Lodamun

M(ark) S(mall): My goal in Lodamun was simple; to boost our relations with our neighbor, and improving our trade, and I think I have succeeded in making a favorable deal to further Kalistan-Lodamun relations.

TR: What exactly did the deal with Lodamun include?

MS: Well, we talked about many things, trading, our naval cooperation and a highway to connect civilian traffic between Kalistan and Lodamun.

TR: A highway you say? What's the reasoning behind that?

MS: I'll not reveal all details as our plans are not finalized yet, but as part of our government agenda, this would come to good use to boost access to the more rural areas, and we could open public transport between our nations.

TR: And how about this trade deal you talked about, what does that include?

MS: We have come to a conclusion that Kalistan will help Lodamun with oil, aircrafts and heavy machinery and they will supply us with agricultural activity and textiles to provide a more varied market to Kalistani citizens.

TR: One more question Mr. Small, do you intend to visit other countries on this term?

MS: That would be my plan, and I'll have to see how it goes, but if you excuse me, I have to go get my stuff from my suite.

This is surely a great first step to improved relations with Lodamun, and President Mark Small will be the perfect person to continue further improving Kalistan's relations with Lodamun and other countries with his great diplomacy.

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Malivian Luxury Yacht sunk by Kalistani Privateers, Prince Hasan dead
The target was a luxury yacht
Port Swede, Vrassa
April 16, 4915


The aftermath of the sinking, photo by Captain John Port

The Kalistani Privateers have claimed responsibility for sinking the Malivian luxury yacht. Captain John Port, who was the captain on the ship Black Diamond, which claimed responsibility for the attack, has gotten a handsome reward of 6000 KRB with an additional 6000 KRB bonus for eliminating a high value target.

According to the crew of the Black Diamond, the attack was quick, and after seeing the Malivian naval flag, the crew fired a single shot into the engine of the yacht, causing a malfunction of some sort and creating an explosion which killed 4 of the crew members along with Prince Hasan, cousin of the reigning Emperor Chandragupta II.

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October 4915

Malivian territorial claims to be dropped after dramatic RNP conference showdown

Following a turbulent conference of the Raktavani National Party (RNP), held in Modalin, Malivia's position in relation to its territorial claims is set to be reformulated for the first time in over a century.

The drama unfolded on day 3 of the 5 day conference. For the Prime Minister, the day began badly, with the leadership's motion to replace the claims to sovereignty with an "aspiration for reunification" heavily rejected by 438 to 62 votes. The leadership then attempted a second motion, calling for the work of the Claims Committee to be suspended. The Claims Committee had been established in February 4911 to examine whether Malivia's territorial claims should be extended to Pontesi, Beluzia, Luthori, Rutania, Ikradon, Kundrati, Endralon, Likaton and the Telamonese island of Suðureyja. This motion was rejected by 557 votes 443.

Party hardliners were emboldened by this victory, and sought to propose a motion to extend Malivia's territorial claims to all of the nations the Claims Committee had been asked to investigate. For a while it looked as though such a motion might be carried, but the tide of the debate began to turn when the Foreign Minister, Vishnu Satavelekar, made an impassioned speech, denouncing the proposal and threatening to resign if it was passed. Several other Cabinet Ministers joined Satavelekar in his position, and even the Prime Minister, Ravi Ranganekary, began to drop hints he would be unwilling to continue in office if the party did not support him on this issue.

At this point, Chanda Dongerkerry, a leading backbencher on the more dovish wing of the party, gathered together the senior figures on each side of the debate in his hotel room, and hashed out a compromise which has now become known as "the Dongerkerry Formula". Under this proposal, the Claims Committee would be disbanded, and the former formulation involving the claims to sovereignty, would be dropped, and replaced by this:

The Greater Malivian Empire, whilst recognising and accepting its current borders, aspires to restore its full historical territory, with the free consent of the peoples now living in those lands and through the free co-operation of their established governments.

The beauty of this fudge is that it allows the doves to claim - correctly - that the territorial claims are being dropped, whilst also allowing the hawks to claim the extent of the "full historical territory" is as wide as they wish it to be, since the formulation does not specifically spell out what the "full historical territory" actually comprises.

At the end of the day, after hours of debate, the Dongerkerry Formula was passed by 289 votes to 211 votes. The Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister, in particular, were visibly relieved.

Legislation reflecting the party's new position is now being debated in the Lok Sabha, and by all current indications, seems likely to be passed.

In the aftermath of the party conference, it has become clear different groups within the party have different ideas about what the new position means to them. One group never cared for the territorial claims in the first place and is hoping Malivia is now finally rid of the main obstacle to relations with its neighbours. Another group sees the "full historical territory" as comprising Malivia and Selucia, and no further. A third group is strongly wedded to the Greater Malivia Act and sees the "full historical territory" as including Selucia, Darnussia-Narikaton, Hobrazia and Keymon. A fourth group, strong in the grassroots party, but weaker in the Lok Sabha and weaker still at Cabinet level, sees the "full historical territory" as going beyond - and in some cases way, way beyond - that set out in the Greater Malivia Act.

Realism surely played a part in persuading the conference delegates to accept the Dongerkerry formula. International sanctions and boycotts have been seriously hurting the economy, and now with the conflict with Kalistan, it was becoming clear Malivia could no longer afford to alienate potential international allies. However, how well Malivia's international partners respond to the latest development remains to be seen. Doubts will remain as to Malivia's long-term intentions, and there can be no doubt that some of those who voted for Dongerkerry's motion did not do so enthusiastically. Nevertheless, it does seem like a new chapter may have opened in Malivia's history of international relations. Dreams of empire are by no means vanquished, but they are perhaps, at least for the moment, not to be allowed to get so much in the way of other important objectives.

Kalistani pirates face the noose



Seven Kalistani pirates have been captured by the Malivian navy and executed by hanging under fast-track procedures authorised by the Ministry for Justice.

Foreign Minister Vishnu Satavelekar has denounced Kalistan's actions at the World Congress General Assembly, and called for an international response against Kalistan.

Optimists are hoping that with the disbandment of the Claims Committee, the way might now be open for Kalistan and Malivia to resolve their differences diplomatically.

Ranganekary asks for Hobrazia to join Lusitan talks

Following an offer of talks from Hobrazia's President Abram Giorgadze, Prime Minister Ravi Ranganekary has proposed Hobrazia send a delegation to join Malivia and Narikaton-Darnussia at the Lusitan talks.

Now that it looks like there will be a shift in position in relation to Malivia's claim to sovereignty over its neighbours, observers are hoping a diplomatic breakthrough may now at last be possible.

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President Mark Small speaks of Malivian crimes against humanity
He demands compensation and sanctions
Port Swede, Vrassa
October 20, 4915


President Mark Small in his press conference

After the announcement of Malivia's crimes against humanity by hanging Kalistani citizens without trial, President of The Republic Mark Small has made a press release conserning action against Malivia. He described the actions of Malivia "inhumane, unconstitutional and against national and international law" and demanded sanctions and compensation.

Mark Small:

Greetings fellow citizens, I have some sad news to tell you. The Malivian government has decided to brutally hang seven Kalistani citizens. This act is very inhumane, unconstitutional and against national and international law. By Malivian national law, it is required to let family members attend people's executions. No one was ever informed by this, and a proper trial was never given to sentence them. I would like to begin with saying: our people will not be killed for nothing. Kalistani blood has been shed, and Malivia has now crossed the line by one step too much. I hope this message reaches out to Malivia, because the following message is intended for the government of Malivia, and I will not give a second warning. Kalistan will not stand by while our citizens are executed, and if you Malivian bastards wish to shed more blood we will make sure you get what you ask for. I don't wish for war, and I assume neither do you as you disbanded the claims committee. However, you will not be receiving any diplomatic communication, and I will not allow the Privateer Act to be put out of force, until you pay the price for what you have taken from us. The demands are simple.

First of all: Every family member of the executed will receive 1 million KRB in compensation for not being allowed visiting rights to the executions, which is against national law of Malivia.
Secondly: you must publicly apologize to the victims, their relatives and the government of Kalistan for disobeying international and national law for allowing these unlawful executions.
And finally: Everyone involved in the illegal execution of Kalistani privateers must be heavily sanctioned and prosecuted.

If these conditions are met, I, President Mark Small will agree with resigning the Privateer act, and if not, well, then I won't and Privateers will continue sacking your ships, and I'm sure the international community will sanction Malivia for breaking international and national law if I must take it that far.

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Matt Forest from Lion Pack: "We did not win FOMAT, but I will"
The Lion Pack has fallen apart, Matt Forest will be going solo
Kaliburg, Ananto
22 July, 4916


Matt Forest, the lead singer of Lion Pack

The Lion Pack placed 4th in the seventeenth edition of Festival of Musical Arts (FOMAT). The lead singer and guitarist of the band, Matt Forest stated "We did not win FOMAT, but I will. For long my skills have gone to waste in this band, I will continue my musical career on my own, without the pack."

According to him, the loss of them was only due to "low skill of other band members". Robin Hilton and Joe King, the other members of the band called Mr. Forest "egoistical and a bad influence on the band." They will continue making music without their lead singer, making only instrumental songs.

Matt Forest also wanted to leave a special message at the end of this article: "If by any chance Isabelle Devoit reads this, I know how to play a lot of things, if you would like to be one of them, please call or email me, my number and email address is on my website at mattforest.ks"

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October 4916

Malivia declares dharma-yuddha on pirates/drugs/Kalistan

Prime Minister Ravi Ranganekary has dismissed as "fanciful" Kalistan's demands for prosecutions, compensation and apologies following the execution of Kalistani pirates by Malivia. "The Greater Malivian Empire will continue to hang every pirate she catches," he said, adding "the only good pirate is a dead pirate".

Defence Minister Daksha Roychaudhuri later described Malivia's conflict with Kalistan as "a dharma-yuddha", or Gerajan (OOC: Hindu) righteous or holy war, and "a war on drugs, terrorism and piracy". He added that Malivia would "blow every Kalistani pirate ship out of the sea and hang every Kalistani pirate by the noose".

Two Kalistani pirates lose lives in controversial police incident

Two alleged Kalistani pirates caught at sea were shot by police after allegedly attempting to escape arrest whilst being detained at a port on the coast of southern Idhaghra. Social media has been inundated with posts from Raktavani National Party supporters, praising the police for their actions. Ajatasatru Marwah tweeted an image of the Idhaghra Police Force's emblem, along with the words "Proud of our men and women in uniform, keeping us safe".

The Malivian Civil Liberties Association is demanding a judicial investigation in to the circumstances in which the two Kalistani men were killed.

Pirate executions unlawful, rules Supreme Court


Malivian Supreme Court

By a verdict of 6 to 3, the Supreme Court has ruled that Justice Minister Waazir Devdhar "did not follow correct procedure" by instituting a rushed trial of seven Kalistani pirates which ended with them being executed by hanging, without their families members being granted an opportunity to be present at the execution. However, it declined to grant any compensation to the families of the executed individuals, on the grounds they are not Malivian citizens.

The Malivian Civil Liberties Association has slammed the Supreme Court for not heeding its earlier call to suspend the executions whilst the seven prisoners were still alive.

Embarrassment as "ancient Malivia explorers" call for help in Kalistani forest

Three explorers, all Kalistan citizens, have contacted the Kalistani authorities asking to be rescued after getting lost in a deep forest. According to reports, they had previously been working for the Claims Committee of Malivia's ruling Raktavani National Party, tasked with uncovering evidence that Kalistan may once have belonged to the ancient Greater Malivian Empire. The reports say they were searching for the remains of an ancient Malivan palace and an ancient Gerajan (OOC: Hindu) temple in the forest, and were so excited about their work they continued to engage in it long after the Claims Committee was disbanded and stopped funding them. Apparently they failed to find any evidence of the temple or the palace, although they violated forest rules by carrying out a series of small excavation digs without official permission.

Radio Malivia bans Kalistani music

Following pressure from the government, Radio Malivia, Malivia's national state-owned radio station, has announced it will no longer allow Kalistani music to be played on air. However, after much haggling with the Ministry of Education & Culture, Radio Malivia's bosses did negotiate a small concession allowing them to play 20 second highlights of Kalistan's FOMAT entries on FOMAT nights.

Traffic police complain about being replaced by cardboard cut-outs



The Malivian Traffic Police Union is complaining about a new scheme in Kajpur City to replace traffic cops with deceptive cardboard cut-out replicas "This is not a long-term solution," they said.

Police authorities across the country are struggling to trim their budgets, as the economic situation has been challenging and funding is being reduced.

Modalin tourists warned against scamsters



Police in Modalin have put out a warning to foreign wealthy tourists about a gang of Malivian criminals who try to give them free food and drink that is drugged, and then go on to rob them. However, the Tourism Ministry, wary of the effect this might have on potential visitors, has issued another statement, claiming "Modalin is the safest city in the world" and that "so long as you follow basic safety precautions and common sense in Modalin, there is no need to worry".

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Local Bands join together to Organize new GanJam
ODEN sponsorship reportedly "minor"
Kaliburg, Ananto
November 7, 4948


Kaliburg Punk Legends "Positive Front" headline GanJam 4948

For decades, the music scene in Kalistan has been dormant. The last large movement in Kalistani Music, Grit went underground as fast as it appeared on the Kalistani scene, with the last major Grit band, Surfwax, releasing their last album more than thirty years ago. The scene was then ravaged by a number of overdoses on hard drugs by a number of the scene's leaders. That had the effect of destroying the scene, even as Alt Folk musicians were beginning to retire. Hence: the Kalistani music scene entered a three decade period of decline.

There is a breath of life in the Kalistani music scene, as Ananto and Mainland musicians banded together last year to organize a two day version of the Classic Kalistani Music Festival, the GanJam. Traditionally, GanJam has been sponsored and organized by the Organization of Drug Exporting Nations (ODEN) which is headquartered in Kaliburg. But GanJam 4948 was primarily organized without much ODEN input. The show was comparatively smaller than historical festivals, and was condensed to two days, where traditionally it had been three or four days long. Additionally, the GanJam this year featured almost exclusively underground bands, from hard rock/punk and ska genres. The Festival was held at Kalistani National Stadium, in Kaliburg. Over the two days, 25,000 music fans attended.

The show opened on Friday, November 1 at 3:30 PM and featured Kaliburg Punk rock band Cigarillo Ash. Cigarillo Ash set the tone for the remainder of the acts of the day. 12 bands eventually played sets on Day 1 of the GanJam, including an Alt-Folk act from Vrassa named Psychedelic Force, as well as hard rockers from Gendaris The Growlers. The headliners of Night 1 were a hardcore punk act from Dulnerstaad called Julie, a co-ed group that played a record 21 songs in a 23 minute set.

"It was like a bad ass punk rock show," said concert goer Denis Alverez, from Sulari. "I mean, I've spent a lot of time in the Hardcore scene down in Sulari, and we had shows with like 55 people at them some time. But when I heard that the GanJam was going to feature a lot of punk bands, I was like I've gotta be there. And I was blown away..." Other concert goers noted the amount of energy in the crowd during the first night. Kelli Ulysses, from Vrassa said "Well, during the [Port Swedes hardcore band] Split Stick set, there was like 14 pits that just materialized, all over the crowd." When asked if she danced, Ulysses answered, "I mean, yeah, me and my girls, we threw some elbows..."


RF Funk Band BellBottom Explosion slow the show down with some Funk on Day 2

Day 2 began early, as local thrash metal band Goat F--ker played a thrash rendition of the Kalistani National Anthem at 7 am, and then immediately launched into their set. Day 2 bands rocked just as hard as Day 1 acts, and featured a lineup that included Sulari ska punks The Toastmasters, punk rock acts from across the Republic, and even the RF Funk band BellBottom Explosion. "I really liked the funk band," said a person who simply identified himself as Anarchy. "Gave me a good chance to hit up the ODEN tent and really get into the groove, get prepared for the evening, you know." After a short break for supper, bands resumed the night portion of the show, with RF singer Jill Martinez, who sang part of her set in Egelian, and Luxon rockers Vert. Day 2 closed with show Headliners Positive Front, a four piece Hardcore band from Kaliburg.

"Oh man, I saw Positive Front at this club in Lolla last year and their show basically led to a riot," said fan Howard Dante. "I loved it. This show was way bigger and crazy!" Positive Front played a 45 minute set, ending the Concert around 2 am, when concert goers began filtering out of the Stadium in Kaliburg. Most of those in attendance loved the show. "Yeah, it was pretty cool," said 19 year attendee Poppy Greene. "I was particularly happy that ODEN was kinda off to the side. I'm str8 edge, and having heard stories about the craziness of like shows in the past, I was glad to not have to deal with a bunch of druggies all around me, living their lives all wrong."


Concert Goers enjoy National Product, despite limited ODEN presence at GanJam

As to ODEN's limited participation in this year's GanJam, ODEN spokesman Thomas Setari was candid. "Well, I mean, a bunch of these guys approached us like a couple months and asked if we wanted to be part of a big punk show they were putting together. I was like well, you know we have usually done the GanJams. They were like Cool cool but they wanted to keep it DIY and Underground. So we basically agreed to put up some money and got them together with the National Stadium here, and got to have a tent, but it wasn't like the focus of the concert this year." The organizers booked all the bands, organized all the publicity, and managed the arena. "The main organizer was this punk girl name Frieda Norton," said Setari. "She's like 17 and was a real organized and driven kid. She's got a great future in concert organization."

The return of the GanJam hints at signs of life in the Kalistani Music Industry. "Yeah, we hope there are more GanJams to come," said Howard Dante. "I mean, its about time we reorgnize the National Scene. I'd personally like to see bands from other countries come and play in the Republic too. Maybe we can put together like a FOMAT, but without the contest, where we get bands from other countries who will expose us to different kinds of music." But Dante was quick to add "Kalistan can just as easily just keep doing it ourselves too, though."

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Mark Small announced dead, Coalition of Workers shattered


Picture from Mark Small's funeral.

Following a long period of instability with the Coalition of Workers, mostly due to the party's inactivity within politics. After hearing of the Party President's passing, many leading figures of the Coalition of Workers saw this as their chance to rise to power. The Coalition of Workers has shattered into numerous parties, but they have agreed that it is in their best interest that they still remain unified under the Coalition of Workers. The Parties that emerged from this internal conflict are as follows: (Name-Abbreviation) Workers' Party-WP, Kalistani Business Association-KBA, Regulation-Reg, Growers Party-420, Mainland Party-MP.

The party's shattering does not affect the voting in elections, as all of the parties work under the CoW, however the new parties under the Coalition of Workers have differentiating views, which would affect on who you vote for in the next elections. The Worker's Times will inform you on who you should vote for when the next elections come.

Worker's Party
The largest party that works under the Coalition of Workers. Worker's Party, lead by George Billson is the party that advocates for roughly the same ideals as the Coalition of Workers before. It however mainly focuses on Worker's Rights, and worker's conditions and unionization.

Kalistani Business Association
KBA is a newly formed party, functioning under the Coalition of Workers, lead by businessman and former President Mark Small's son, Philip Small. The Kalistani Business Association seeks promotion of local companies of Kalistan, and looks down on foreign companies that operate on Kalistan's soil, and wishes to regulate and remove many of those businesses.

Regulation
Regulation is a party, functioning under the Coalition of Workers, lead by Jessica Browner. Reg. seeks to regulate companies so they cannot in any way work against the consumers.

Growers Party
Growers Party, or 420, is a party lead by a Kalistani marijuana grower and enthusiast Jones Greenman, working under the Coalition of Workers. The Growers Party seeks promotion of Marijuana growers, and as well hopes to deregulate international sales of cannabis.

Mainland Party
The Mainland Party is a political party under the Coalition of Workers, that seeks to promote Mainland Kalistan over Ananto, especially rural areas that have poor access and services. The Party is lead by Peter Fort.

December 21st 4948

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The Coalition of Workers calls early elections

The Coalition of Workers has called early elections, following the disastrous breakup of the party. The party called this early election to "get proper representation for each of the CoW-affiliated parties"
The polls show that Worker's Party is most likely going to be the largest party in the Coalition [of Workers], but the polls might be inaccurate.
The polls do not include any parties outside the Coalition, so the percentages do not represent seat distribution. It only shows estimates of the seat share of CoW-affiliate parties.


Opinion polling conducted by the CoW

WP and MP show the most potential, and anything could change, even though the elections are not far off.

July 28th 4949