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World renowned Armenian-American rock band System Of A Down , has expressed interest in representing Armenia in next year's Eurovision song contest to be hosted in Russia.

Serj Tankian , , the group's lead singer, recently said that the group would consider performing in Eurovision only if they would be allowed to use Eurovision as a means to advance the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.


"Eurovision would be an excellent way to make this theme known. We must seriously think of this." Tankian said. ,

System Of A Down, which has been advocating for Armenian Genocide recognition since its early garage band days is noted for the liberal political views expressed in their songs. The band's music tackles a myriad subjects including War, corruption, religion, drug use, censorship, human rights violations, and Genocide.

Thanks for the info to Hayemyes.com.

I feel like this is a brand new band,” Daron Malakian says. “Sometimes we tell people, ''We're Scars on Broadway." And they're like, "Oh, never heard of it." That's cool," he adds laughing.

Sure, in System of a Down, Malakian and John Dolmayan earned five straight platinum albums, including three #1's, and headlined numerous festivals and sold out shows around the world. But he is sincere when he says, “I really didn't feel like, "Hey, just because I'm Daron from System of a Down, everyone's just going to bow down to this music." That he's not taking anything for granted about Scars' self-titled debut due out July 29 (Interscope) is evident in his enthusiasm as he talks about the immediate success of the powerful guitar driven rocking first single, “They Say.” “When I first heard that song on the radio, I was so excited, like I'd never had a song on the radio before. That's really how I felt.”

For both Malakian and Dolmayan, the opportunity to prove themselves all over again is one they're genuinely relishing, especially since both concede that after System's decade-long run atop the metal and hard rock world they had started to lose that feeling of newness. Recalling Scars' first two shows, including a critically acclaimed set at Coachella called “One of the festival's hottest highlights,” by the L.A. Times, Dolmayan says, “At those first two shows, there was an energy in those rooms that I haven't felt for a long time. And it's nice to have that fresh feeling because with System we kind of took for granted that people would be there. We were playing old songs so the fans were still going to get crazy for them. With Scars, we don't have that; we've got to earn everything and I like that. I like having to fight for things.”

“When we were doing System, it was like we walked out, we expected to hear the crowd yell the whole System chant and we were almost numb to it,” Malakian adds. “Then Scars played a show with Metallica in Arizona and the crowd was chanting our name. It's so fresh right now, those little things that I took for granted before in System, because it was like that for 10 years. Scars is bringing that life back.”

That Scars would feel so new is especially understandable for Malakian, who despite his considerable contributions to System of a Down, is now stepping solely into the front for the first time with Scars. How the guitarist got here goes back to System's chart-topping albums HYPNOTIZE and MEZMERIZE, when he was in the midst of a very prolific creative period. “When writing for MEZMERIZE and HYPNOTIZE, there were a lot of other things I was doing on the side with electronic stuff that I didn't think would fit in with System, more melodic, more rock-driven things,” he says. “That's kind of how Scars came about.”

While Scars' eponymous debut still rocks with an aggressive intensity, particularly on the opening “Serious” and “Exploding/Reloading,” both of which bring a punk energy, and the hard rock blues twang of “Whoring Streets,” the album is propelled by the melodic and rock tunes like “Funny,” a song that is a straight-forward pop-rocker in the best sense of the term, the hooky “World Long Gone,” and of course “They Say.”

For Dolmayan, a self-professed Beatles fan because of the melodies, the different direction of Scars was very appealing. “I'm attracted to melody,” he says. “And Daron's writing has matured over the last ten years and will more than likely continue to mature. And, as he's matured, he's become more and more melodic, so that's something I've always enjoyed."

It's also allowed him to branch out as a player. “It's a great conduit to that. It's nice to have the ability to play a different style of music while playing in the same band. You have an album that feels like three different albums, but there's still something that draws it all together and binds it, and that's also how I feel about my drumming. I can play different styles in a song and it still works because there's that sense of melody happening in the song, it brings it all together.”

According to Malakian, many of the influences that pushed him in this direction are some of the great masters of melody. “I've been listening to so much '60s pop and '70s songwriters. I'm a big fan of the Kinks, the Beatles, the Zombies, and also Neil Young,” he says. “I feel, even though it's not so obvious sometimes, a song like '3005' is very influenced by Neil Young.”

One listen though to songs like “Chemicals,' the brilliantly whacked-out, theatrical, Zappa-esque rocker, “Babylon,” the bastard child of punk and Russian Cossack folk music on 78 rpm, and the new wave mechanics of “CuteMachines,” a track Malakian says has been getting great response live, makes it abundantly clear that Dolmayan and Malakian have not completely abandoned the adventuresome spirit of System. And as excited as they are by the challenge of a new band, the System side is still there – the aggressive aspects are evident, that's simply part of who they are as musicians.

The evolution of Scars, a project Malakian has freely talked about since 2005, has been an ongoing one, much of the process centering on finding the right musicians to round out the project. That didn't really get going until Dolmayan came on board. “I love John's drumming, I know who he is as a person, so I called him and he was down and from then on things kind of started putting themselves together.”

“The big thing for us is we've got to have people in the band who are not only exceptionally talented, but are good people, people who can have kind of a family mentality, which we have and always have had,” Dolmayan adds.

Scars has been three years in the making, much of that because Malakian believes in letting the music dictate, as opposed to deadlines and commerce. “Some people like going into the studio and saying, 'Hey, this week we're going to make an album,'” he says. “I just can't do that because I'm a little moody and I like different parts of my moods to come out in songs. I like taking a little time to sit there and see where I am in life at that moment and absorb that and let that naturally come out in the songs that I write as opposed to forcing it out.”

Among the moods that came out naturally in the songs is something a lot of people can understand right now – frustration. “Whether it's a heavier song or a more moody song, one thing that brings them all together is a sense of attitude and a bit of frustration in the lyrics and the vocals,” explained Malakian. Where does that feeling come from? “The frustration is personal and global and it all comes together; the world is like a mind-fuck, full of contradictions. You turn on the evening news and here's this really pretty blond lady telling you the worst personal things that you can hear on television, [like] suicide rate is up in Iraq. So there are all these things that are going on that people's brains are taking in and your brain doesn't know what to feel anymore. And that's why you have so many people going through depression and stress and anxieties and things like that.”

Artistically though, both Dolmayan and Malakian are very emotionally satiated by Scars. In talking about his feelings when he listens to the finished album, Dolmayan says, “I take pride from it. It's like watching a child graduate from college. You're responsible for raising that child, making sure it's a good person, taking it to the next level and helping the child grow to be an individual. And it's kind of like that with these songs."

And Malakian's thoughts? “I feel that Scars is an evolution and a progression from where I came from, which is System, and it feels that way to John. When I listen to our songs this feels right, like this should be happening right now.”

He trusts that when people finally do hear Scars on Broadway, they'll have the same feeling. “I can't wait for people to hear the songs because I feel it's some of my best material ever,” he says. “I really am proud of the material and of what we've done.”

Posted by Petr on Sunday, June 21, 2009 - 12:54 PM

Heroes come in all shapes, sizes and ages. You can do something extraordinary at nine or thirty-nine as long as you believe.
Teagan Stedman believed that he could make a difference, and he did. When he found out that his friend Alex had cancer, he felt like he had to do something. So the nine-year-old started Shred Kids Cancer, and he organized a charity battle of the bands at the Roxy benefiting Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA and The Pediatric Cancer Research foundation.

He called the Roxy to set up the event, and eventually he garnered support from sponsors such as 'Rock Nation' and Guitar Center. As a surprise, some important rock stars popped up to judge Teagan's contest. One of them was Shavo Odadjian.

With a big smile, Shavo reminisces about the moment he first saw Teagan. "When I met him, I hugged him! I gave him some signed System picture discs, and he was like, 'This is the coolest!' I said, 'You're the coolest thing in the world right now!' It was so amazing."

Teagan just wanted to help his buddy out, and the benefit was a smash success. In addition to Shavo, the celebrity judge panel included Jesse Johnson (The Time) and Dhani Harrison (thenewno2). Even with how extraordinary the event was, Teagan remains humble and soft-spoken. Charity work is just something that he does.

He explains, "When I met Alex, I got inspired because I felt really bad for him. I wanted to help him and the other kids who have cancer, so I started Shred Kids Cancer. Alex plays bass and loves music so I thought a Battle of the Bands would be good."

The Battle of Bands was perfect, and the turnout was phenomenal. Alex even jammed "Sweet Child O' Mine" with Teagan's band Slatr. "I felt really happy when I saw everything come together," continues Teagan. "It happened exactly how it was supposed to. Rock Nation and Guitar Center were the best sponsors they could ever be. I really want to help people out everywhere."

After the benefit, Shavo is still wide-eyed at the whole experience.

"The fact that I'm helping people means so much to me," he says. "It blows me away that this event was thrown by a nine-year-old. If my presence can help people, I will be there. Who wouldn't believe in the cause of a kid having cancer and his friend putting this together? That's like the kids on South Park building a ladder to Heaven to see Kenny [Laughs]. Of course, I wanted to be a part of it."

He continues, "If you have a gram of good bone in your body, you'd have to do this. I was inspired by this little nine-year-old bringing everyone together; that's something I usually do! I've got a lot of soft spots. I like to help. Everyone calls that 'giving back.' To me, it's a way of life. If I can help, I will help. It's not a matter of, 'Oh, I've got it, so I'll give it back.' There's no obligation whatsoever. Whether or not System was System, I would still help people—guaranteed. I'm always going to give. It's not about what I get or what I have."

The excitement was beyond palpable at the Roxy. It's funny for Shavo because the club is still a home away from home for him. He laughs, "I felt a lot of emotions the second I walked in. That's the first club I ever played at—May 28th, 1995. 14 years later, I'm judging a cancer benefit there. I was even sitting at the table I had my parents sit at during my first show! I was so amped on this little kid. The only thing I didn't do was put him on my shoulders and run around [Laughs]."

This past February, the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) awarded Shavo with a community hero award for being a mentor. The kids nominated him, and he accepted it with his Achozen partner RZA (Wu-Tang Clan) in tow. "It was better than winning the Grammy, no joke. The Grammy is just industry; it's corporate. This is from the kids. This shows you that a difference happened. The best thing in the world is when you can get someone to notice a difference. I was really emotional when I went up there. It was an amazing feeling. I know where I came from. The kids nominated me, and it was the best."

Shavo's even ready for more though, and he'll never stop helping. Recently, he even spoke out against pet euthanasia on Raul Levy Jr.'s Flaunt My Pet, appearing with his pup, Chomp. "Everyone's capable of greatness. I've already succeeded in my head before I do something, period. Success has nothing to do with money or anything material. Success is inside. What I did with Shred Kids Cancer made me feel complete. That's success."

He's also got urSESSION.com, his online musicians' community and record label, which continues to flourish. "I want to teach, help and raise awareness," he says smiling. "urSESSION.com is a platform for that. I'm at a really strong point in my life. I'm in my mid-30s, and I think I'm a pretty cool role mode [Laughs]. I'm not nervous or scared about it. I really want to help kids. I'm working with this band called Chameleon Conductor. My little brother and my little cousin are in the band, and I'm putting them on urSESSION.com. The youngest member is 19, and the oldest is 24. I'm mentoring them about life in general. First you gain the knowledge then you gain the wisdom after that you gain the understanding."

As for the future of urSESSION.com, Shavo's right hand man Kevin Potts puts it best, "We're taking digital media to a place it's never been before."

If anyone can do it, it's Shavo and his team of heroes.

Rick Florino
06.07.09

Help fight kids cancer with Tegan at Shred Kids Cancer.org!

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Posted by ZAk on Monday, May 18, 2009 - 12:40 AM


Couple of months ago, Andrew Lindsay (LookOn) gathered questions from SOADFans members [read the topic on the forum] to make an interview with John Dolmayan drummer of Grammy award winner band, System of a Down.

Here's what John had to say in answering the interview questions:

Like System of a Down/Scars on Broadway drummer John Dolmayan, I don't have too much to say, so I'll dispense with the obligatory opening paragraph and let you get on with reading our long-awaited email interview with the man.


Stereokill : As a musician, who are your key influences?

JD: My dad has always been a huge influence on me; he introduced me to jazz at an early age and has always supported my choices in life. Other then that, there's about twenty bands who were my key influences including: The Who, Rush, Led Zeppellin, The Rolling Stones, Billy Idol, Maynard Furgeson, Fishbone, Pink Floyd, The Police, Daft Punk, Slayer, Iron Maiden, Muse, The Beatles and countless others.



Stereokill : It's been twelve years since you first joined System of a Down. What do you consider high-points in your career so far?

JD: There are many, but I'd say that my favorite moment was playing a nearly-cancelled show in Spain, at four in the morning. The stage fell apart due to wind, and it was the ten year anniversary of System of a Down.



Stereokill : With the release of Toxicity in 2001, System became a hugely successful band. How did it feel, for you personally, to experience such growing interest in the band from the public/press?

JD: It wasn't all that noticable for us; it was very much a whirlwind. Looking out from within, we just didn't feel the impact of what was happening until much later.



Stereokill : Is there a System album that you are particularly proud of?

JD: I'm proud of everything we've done, but Steal This Album! is my personal favourite.



Stereokill : You crafted a rather gnarly looking skull for your limited edition version of that album. Any reason why?

JD: Thought it looked cool, and I cant draw much else.



Stereokill : Out of the many songs you've recorded, which are your favourites?

JD: “Holy Mountains”, “Nüguns” and “Soldier Side”.



Stereokill : The band recorded Mezmerize/Hypnotize in Rick Rubin's famed Mansion. Other bands that have recorded there [Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Mars Volta] have claimed that the building is haunted. Did you encounter any spirits when recording there?

JD: Sounds like a bunch of bullshit.



Stereokill : Following Daron's tour cancellation in October, many fans have been in the dark as to whether Scars on Broadway are still together. Can you shed any light on this matter - will Scars ever record/tour again?

JD: I'm not sure, but I do miss it.



Stereokill : Have you heard from [Scars frontman and System bandmate] Daron [Malakian]? Can you discuss why he decided to cancel the tour?

JD: That's a personal matter, but he's well.



Stereokill : Scars on Broadway was often portrayed by the media as a band that consisted of only Daron and yourself. Did you consider Franky [Perez], Danny [Shamoun] and Dominic [Cifarelli] “official” members of the band, or “touring” members?

JD: I consider them as members, as well as family.



Stereokill : I recall reading that [System bassist] Shavo [Odajian] was originally linked to Scars. Is this true? If so, why did his involvement with the band never come to fruition?

JD: That's a question that would be better directed at Shavo.



Stereokill : What have you been up to since Scars went on hiatus? Have you been involved in any music-based projects?

JD: I've been playing, but nothing I'm ready to share.



Stereokill : What are your plans for the rest of the year?

JD: Working on Torpedo Comics, and playing for personal satisfaction.



Stereokill : How is Torpedo Comics?

JD: It's tough to make a new venture profitable, but I believe in my vision for it and I'm giving it my full attention.



Stereokill : Will you release your “superhero-based” comic one day?

JD: I'm working on it now.



Stereokill : What's your take on the music industry these days?

JD: It's in serious trouble.



Stereokill : Do you think you'll remain within the industry until you're old and grey?

JD: I'm not in the music industry; I play music.



Stereokill : Are there any up-and-coming bands that you recommend?

JD: I'm sure there are tons of bands that are great, but I'm not exactly the pulse of the next great thing. I prefer bands that have at least three albums so I can follow their growth and grow with them.



Stereokill : What are your favourite albums of all time?

JD: I can't answer that.



Stereokill : A hard task, but can you list your top five musical artists of all time?

JD: I'd prefer not to try.



Stereokill : If you be could any drum/cymbal piece, which one would you be?

JD: I am a drum/cymbal piece already.



Stereokill : Have you ever given drum lessons?

JD: A handful.



Stereokill : A lot of fans are curious as to whether you've read Switch!, the continuation to the Schnibbel series [fan-fiction about John and Daron's genitalia]?

JD: I read some of it - very creative. People have a lot of time on their hands.



Stereokill : I've read that you have a sandwich named after you, have you ever tried it?

JD: Not yet, is it tasty?



Stereokill : Finally, a question I'm sure you're tired of hearing, but is there any news regarding the future of System of a Down?

JD: System of a Down is dead: I killed all the members for my sandwich.

Posted by ZAk on Saturday, May 09, 2009 - 09:29 AM

The first time I worked with Greg Watermann - at Ozzy Osbourne's Beverly Hills mansion for Britain's Metal Hammer magazine in 2002 - he looked every bit the Hollywood rock star photographer. Black-clad like a Nine Inch Nail, blonde "assistant" in tow, he was briskly efficient. Since then his career curve has been steep: starting with smaller bands like Earshot and Mudvayne, he's worked his way up to being something of the house photographer for commercial juggernauts Linkin Park (he shot their best-selling Meteora - From The Inside book in 2004) and System Of A Down.
Yet he's actually a quiet, sober bloke (who insists on not being on local bands' guest lists - so they can make more money at the door - and asked not to be photographed for this article) with a fierce love for his art.

Last night was Watermann's first gallery opening of a 22-year career which began in New York's fashion world before his move to Hollywood in 1998 to concentrate on rock n' roll. The airy, high-ceilinged A&I Hollywood bustled with rock fans of all ages, music biz types and glamorous gals perusing dozens of Watermann's finest photographic moments and the debut screening of System Of A Down's The Forest Project - a breathlessly nostalgic video-montage of hundreds his pictures from the band's last tour set to a mash-up of their music.

While the opening paid lip-service to Watermann's early magazine work (for Elle, Cosmopolitan and others) with shots of a young Julia Roberts and not-so-young Hugh Hefner, the walls were otherwise festooned with arresting images of rock bands: three giant black and white portraits collectively capturing nine-strong Iowan metallers Slipknot's bizarre masked menace; his career-changing 1992 Nirvana spread for Spin (their first national magazine cover); vividly artsy portraits of Marilyn Manson, Wayne Static and Osbourne; and animated on-stage shots of Linkin Park, Coldplay and, inescapably, System Of A Down.

"I will only shoot a concert if I'm given all-access - sound check, dressing room, on the tour bus, on the jet etc.," Watermann, who'll sometimes spend whole tours with an act, explained.
"I will not shoot a concert unless I'm allowed on stage for the entire show." This, and a blend-into-the-background approach, allows him to get unusual on-stage angles and fly-on-the-wall shots.

"There's a lot of photographers who have a lot of talent, but it's more that Greg developed a relationship that's close with the band," said mildly mohawked System Of A Down drummer John Dolmayan as fans hovered for autographs. "It's kind of like any other relationship - you develop trust. Greg's like a family member of System Of A Down."

Surveying I Photograph Rock Stars, it's easy to see why Watermann's subjects cherish his documenting their careers - he captures bands as fans want to see them but also as they want to see, and remember, themselves. His photos of scribbled set lists, carefully-arrayed foot pedals and mid-gig eye-contact transmit much more of a rock band's everyday existence than any number of posed studio shots.

I Photograph Rock Stars is at A&I Hollywood (933 N. Highland Ave.) through June 10; and A&I Santa Monica (1550 17th St.), June 18 - July 24.


Photos and text by Paul Rogers from LA Weekly

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