Thursday, June 4, 2009
Biography of the Day : Daron Malakian
From Wikipedia :
Daron Vartan Malakian (born July 18, 1975) is the lead guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist in System of a Down. The band has been on a hiatus since 2006. He is currently the lead singer and guitarist in Scars on Broadway. Like the rest of the Hollywood-based band System of a Down, he is of Armenian ancestry, but is the only member to actually have been born inside the U.S. (Los Angeles). He placed 30th in Guitar World's List of The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time.
Early Life
Daron was born on July 18, 1975 in U.S. as an only child to an Iraqi-Armenian father Vartan Malakian and Iranian-Armenian mother Zepur Malakian. At a very early age, Daron got into heavy metal music; his distant cousin played him a KISS record when he was four years old and he was hooked. Daron wanted to play the drums , but his parents got him a guitar instead because they said "You can't turn the drums off." By the time Daron was a teenager, he got into heavier metal bands such as Slayer, Venom, Metallica, Pantera, Sepultura and Cannibal Corpse. At around 17 he started getting into The Beatles and Peter, Paul and Mary as two of his biggest influences on him as a songwriter. Daron went to Rose & Alex Pilibos Armenian school in Little Armenia, Hollywood, which bandmates Serj Tankian and Shavo Odadjian also attended. Daron is still a big Slayer fan, as is band member Shavo Odadjian who sometimes wears Slayer t-shirts to shows. In his childhood, he also became a fan of the Los Angeles Kings Hockey Team, which can be seen in the video of 'Toxicity' and the booklet of the album with the same title.
~Isaiah
Daron Vartan Malakian (born July 18, 1975) is the lead guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist in System of a Down. The band has been on a hiatus since 2006. He is currently the lead singer and guitarist in Scars on Broadway. Like the rest of the Hollywood-based band System of a Down, he is of Armenian ancestry, but is the only member to actually have been born inside the U.S. (Los Angeles). He placed 30th in Guitar World's List of The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time.
Early Life
Daron was born on July 18, 1975 in U.S. as an only child to an Iraqi-Armenian father Vartan Malakian and Iranian-Armenian mother Zepur Malakian. At a very early age, Daron got into heavy metal music; his distant cousin played him a KISS record when he was four years old and he was hooked. Daron wanted to play the drums , but his parents got him a guitar instead because they said "You can't turn the drums off." By the time Daron was a teenager, he got into heavier metal bands such as Slayer, Venom, Metallica, Pantera, Sepultura and Cannibal Corpse. At around 17 he started getting into The Beatles and Peter, Paul and Mary as two of his biggest influences on him as a songwriter. Daron went to Rose & Alex Pilibos Armenian school in Little Armenia, Hollywood, which bandmates Serj Tankian and Shavo Odadjian also attended. Daron is still a big Slayer fan, as is band member Shavo Odadjian who sometimes wears Slayer t-shirts to shows. In his childhood, he also became a fan of the Los Angeles Kings Hockey Team, which can be seen in the video of 'Toxicity' and the booklet of the album with the same title.
~Isaiah
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Biography of the Day : Serj Tankian
From Wikipedia:
Serj Tankian (born August 21, 1967) is a Lebanese-American singer, songwriter, poet, activist, and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the lead vocalist, keyboardist, and occasionally live rhythm guitarist of the Grammy Award-winning rock band System of a Down. In 2002, Tankian and Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello co-founded a non-profit political activist organization, Axis of Justice. During his musical career, he has released five albums with System of a Down, one with Arto Tunçboyacıyan (Serart), as well as debut solo album Elect the Dead. He was named the 26th-greatest heavy metal vocalist of all time by Hit Parader magazine.
Early Life
Tankian was born on August 21, 1967, in Beirut, Lebanon. He and his family emigrated to Los Angeles in 1975. Although Tankian disliked school, he nonetheless maintained a 4.0 grade average. When Tankian got older he started his own software company before beginning his music career; he began performing music in 1992.
Next posts I will be putting up Daron Malakian, Shavo Odadjian, John Dolmayan, and Casey Chaos. Thanks for listening.
~Isaiah
Serj Tankian (born August 21, 1967) is a Lebanese-American singer, songwriter, poet, activist, and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the lead vocalist, keyboardist, and occasionally live rhythm guitarist of the Grammy Award-winning rock band System of a Down. In 2002, Tankian and Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello co-founded a non-profit political activist organization, Axis of Justice. During his musical career, he has released five albums with System of a Down, one with Arto Tunçboyacıyan (Serart), as well as debut solo album Elect the Dead. He was named the 26th-greatest heavy metal vocalist of all time by Hit Parader magazine.
Early Life
Tankian was born on August 21, 1967, in Beirut, Lebanon. He and his family emigrated to Los Angeles in 1975. Although Tankian disliked school, he nonetheless maintained a 4.0 grade average. When Tankian got older he started his own software company before beginning his music career; he began performing music in 1992.
Next posts I will be putting up Daron Malakian, Shavo Odadjian, John Dolmayan, and Casey Chaos. Thanks for listening.
~Isaiah
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Tankians Elect the Dead Symphony
From SOAD Fans :
Serj Tankian’s iconic voice has always polarised my feelings about System Of A Down. Wavering between deep-throated Metal gargling and comedic faux-operatic, Tankian’s tones are unmissable, even when layered on top of industrial-grade guitar riffs.More recently Tankian has experimented with a debut solo album - Elect the Dead - that has polarised fans and critics. Some see it as a lyrical, artistic take on SOAD’s standard flavour, while others see it as devoid of the SOAD energy and nothing but a protest platform for Tankian. Personally I see it somewhere in between. I enjoyed the progression of Baby, but Saving Us just annoyed me.When I heard that Serj Tankian was teaming up with the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra to perform songs from Elect The Dead, I was intrigued. Would it be a Metallica-esque effort, with a rock band fronting the orchestra, or a more “pure” orchestral arrangement? Tankian went for the latter, with the single concession being acoustic guitar and backing vocals from Dan Monti, a member of “The FCC”, his backing band for live solo performances. photo credits: stuff.co.nz" align=right src="http://www.soadfans.com/gallery/serjtankian/ST_tour/serjlive2009/APO/thumb/2269653.jpg" width=156 height=95>The result was mind-bending. The vibe was amazing, from the moment Serj walked on stage, a dapper apparition in white suit against the black orchestra. Dare I say that Tankian’s dramatic, almost operatic vocals were a better fit with the orchestra than they ever were fronting a metal band? Opening with Empty Walls, the full orchestra lent buckets of gravitas to what was previously a basic backing-track for Serj’s protest vocals. Tankian’s stage presence helped him prance, stomp, and generally over-act his way through Lie, Lie, Lie - the crowd laughed as he marched in place like so many stage show performers have done.Some tracks were a more difficult fit for the orchestra, with Money’s speed-metal-noise breaks resulting in a wall of messy noise when translated to an orchestral arrangement. It just didn’t work. A better arrangement was used in Baby, with the cello and double-bass belting out the metal riffs with such force that even I was forced to throw up my horns.The juxtaposition of yoof metallers with the orchestra community resulted in the inevitable brilliance. Among the best moments was the roar of the crowd when the tuba player displayed a very tentative pair of horns (a closed fist with forefinger and pinkie raised) as he took his seat. The enthusiasm of one young long-haired fellow in the well-mannered moshpit was boundless: he emulated the conductor throughout the entire concert, with the exception being firmly clasped horns with both fists.In what seemed to be enforced education, Tankian left the stage and allowed the orchestra to play their own genre of music several times throughout the show. The crowd tolerated this well, although most seemed to take these breaks as an opportunity to use the bathroom or chat amongst themselves. I felt like a scowling old man as I wondered why these kids couldn’t sit quietly through a 3 minute concerto.The only major cognitive dissonance was produced when the concert stopped after 5 or 6 songs, the house lights came up, and the experienced members in the crowd wandered off for intermission drinks. The moshpit didn’t know whether to bay for blood at such a short concert, or start chanting and stomping for an encore. Eventually a voice came over the PA announcing an intermission.Tankian’s enthusiasm was obvious. He praised the setting, the orchestra, and the home-away-from-home crowd several times. Overall the concert was hugely entertaining. I’m not sure how well it will translate to album or DVD, but for a one-off live event, I’m glad I was there.
~Isaiah
Serj Tankian’s iconic voice has always polarised my feelings about System Of A Down. Wavering between deep-throated Metal gargling and comedic faux-operatic, Tankian’s tones are unmissable, even when layered on top of industrial-grade guitar riffs.More recently Tankian has experimented with a debut solo album - Elect the Dead - that has polarised fans and critics. Some see it as a lyrical, artistic take on SOAD’s standard flavour, while others see it as devoid of the SOAD energy and nothing but a protest platform for Tankian. Personally I see it somewhere in between. I enjoyed the progression of Baby, but Saving Us just annoyed me.When I heard that Serj Tankian was teaming up with the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra to perform songs from Elect The Dead, I was intrigued. Would it be a Metallica-esque effort, with a rock band fronting the orchestra, or a more “pure” orchestral arrangement? Tankian went for the latter, with the single concession being acoustic guitar and backing vocals from Dan Monti, a member of “The FCC”, his backing band for live solo performances. photo credits: stuff.co.nz" align=right src="http://www.soadfans.com/gallery/serjtankian/ST_tour/serjlive2009/APO/thumb/2269653.jpg" width=156 height=95>The result was mind-bending. The vibe was amazing, from the moment Serj walked on stage, a dapper apparition in white suit against the black orchestra. Dare I say that Tankian’s dramatic, almost operatic vocals were a better fit with the orchestra than they ever were fronting a metal band? Opening with Empty Walls, the full orchestra lent buckets of gravitas to what was previously a basic backing-track for Serj’s protest vocals. Tankian’s stage presence helped him prance, stomp, and generally over-act his way through Lie, Lie, Lie - the crowd laughed as he marched in place like so many stage show performers have done.Some tracks were a more difficult fit for the orchestra, with Money’s speed-metal-noise breaks resulting in a wall of messy noise when translated to an orchestral arrangement. It just didn’t work. A better arrangement was used in Baby, with the cello and double-bass belting out the metal riffs with such force that even I was forced to throw up my horns.The juxtaposition of yoof metallers with the orchestra community resulted in the inevitable brilliance. Among the best moments was the roar of the crowd when the tuba player displayed a very tentative pair of horns (a closed fist with forefinger and pinkie raised) as he took his seat. The enthusiasm of one young long-haired fellow in the well-mannered moshpit was boundless: he emulated the conductor throughout the entire concert, with the exception being firmly clasped horns with both fists.In what seemed to be enforced education, Tankian left the stage and allowed the orchestra to play their own genre of music several times throughout the show. The crowd tolerated this well, although most seemed to take these breaks as an opportunity to use the bathroom or chat amongst themselves. I felt like a scowling old man as I wondered why these kids couldn’t sit quietly through a 3 minute concerto.The only major cognitive dissonance was produced when the concert stopped after 5 or 6 songs, the house lights came up, and the experienced members in the crowd wandered off for intermission drinks. The moshpit didn’t know whether to bay for blood at such a short concert, or start chanting and stomping for an encore. Eventually a voice came over the PA announcing an intermission.Tankian’s enthusiasm was obvious. He praised the setting, the orchestra, and the home-away-from-home crowd several times. Overall the concert was hugely entertaining. I’m not sure how well it will translate to album or DVD, but for a one-off live event, I’m glad I was there.
~Isaiah
Serj Tankians Latest Album
Serj Tankian will be re-releasing the joint project between him and Armenian awarded musician, Arto Tuncboyaciyan, entitled "Serart" later this month, April 21st.
Originally produced by Serj and Arto, SERART – DELUXE EDITION now includes two previously unreleased remixes by Bill Laswell and Jimmy Urine (Mindless Self Indulgence). An eclectic array of textured tracks, SERART – DELUXE EDITION mixes Middle Eastern melodies with Pan-African rhythms while shifting from classical motifs to bursts of percussion.
~Isaiah Spelldust
Originally produced by Serj and Arto, SERART – DELUXE EDITION now includes two previously unreleased remixes by Bill Laswell and Jimmy Urine (Mindless Self Indulgence). An eclectic array of textured tracks, SERART – DELUXE EDITION mixes Middle Eastern melodies with Pan-African rhythms while shifting from classical motifs to bursts of percussion.
~Isaiah Spelldust
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