Syrian indie band Khebez Dawle tap refugee journey for art

In 2013, the members of Khebez Dawle fled Syria in the midst of a raging civil war — but not before their drummer, a vocal activist, was killed in the turmoil.

"Our weapons are our instruments. At some point there was no place for an instrument to fight," says Anas Maghrebi, the lead singer of the exiled band. 

Their self-­titled debut is a concept record; one that explores the uprising and the theme of survival through a young Syrian boy's eyewitness account.

It's a human, not political, story because for Maghrebi and the band "it's already too late for political alignments."

Now in Berlin and making new music, the band hopes that "this album [will] be our passport," says Maghrebi.

WEB EXTRA | It turns out Khebez Dawle are big fans of Canadian collective Broken Social Scene. Maghrebi's enthusiasm didn't make it to air, but we wanted you to hear it in his voice.