Having transcended the typical & traditional wave of the Arabic song Joe Ashkar is very much his own man. Someone who is still down to earth about how far he`s come in a short period of time. And an artist who still throws a party as if tonight is the last night to party. In fact, expectations for the rising artist are running very high with his second album coming out now. Joe`s first album Shu Biemnaa (2001) was a hit in many ways. While it exceeded its expected album sales both on CD & MC, the hit single on the album Shu Biemnaa immediately acquired nationwide acclaim and is still favored on dance floors. Ashkar`s new album entitled Maza Kalou (What they said) slated for August 2002 is already anxiously awaited by Joe`s fan club, which grows by the second. Joe`s uniques position as an entertaining artist from his club stage at Cassino gives him a unique perspective on the music and night life where he gets in direct contact with fans and clubbers almost every day of the week getting him closer to the people that love his music. The initial success of Joe Ashkar was driven, in part, by the irresistible groove of "Shu Biemnaa" his first album`s single, which featured such great contributors as lyricists: Elias Nasser & Nabil Abou Abdo among others as well as Song writers Ziad Boutros, George Mardirossian, Tarek Abou Jaoudeh and others, all of whom also contributed to the new album Maza Kalou. From early on in his career as a night entertainer Joe Ashkar knew what his public and fans wanted and this has given him a unique gift to supply them with the tune they need to dance to. Joe started his career early on singing at different pubs and clubs where he eventually moved on to his first large scale club to get immediate and nationwide success at Xanadu. His ambition to move on to a larger music platform made him decide to move on to own his first Club, Concerto. There Joe`s artistic freedom started to take shape and he moved his career from Night Entertainer to Nationally acknowledged artist when he launched Shu Biemnaa using Concerto as his lab for mastering his works. The latest move brought Joe down to the center of night-life, Monot, where he opened his newly launched club, Cassino. As he sells every seat in the house every night in his own little concert-land at Cassino, Joe is moving on fast into the next step to his success. One of his fans summed it up with two shakes of a hip and the following words: This man can throw the wildest party, as she pointed to the hysterically dancing crowds around the Cassino.