This is what Shavo had to say in old 2005 interview with Bass Guitar magazine ..

“We all have different personalities,” says Shavo. “The mask is just one of mine. I couldn’t live being just one way or doing just one thing. I love photography, film, food—I’m a connoisseur of those things, too.”
The multifaceted Shavo fits perfectly into System of a Down, which may be the most individualist hard-rock band ever to top the charts. With its satirical-yet-thought-provoking lyrics and sound that pushes progressive sensibilities into an eccentric pop context, SOAD’s latest album, Mezmerize (American), represents a bold step forward for a band that has always refused to conform to narrow notions of what metal is or isn’t.

While system of a Down—Shavo, singer Serj Tankian, guitarist Daron Malakian and drummer John Dolmayan—remains a tightly knit band, Mezmerize is predominantly the product of Malakian’s vision. He co-produced the record with Rick Rubin, wrote much of the material and even sang lead vocals on a couple of songs. He also played bass on a few tracks.

“Daron wanted some bass parts played a certain way, but my style is different,” says Shavo. “Onstage I get to do it the way I like to.” The bass playing on System of a Down’s previous efforts—the aggressive, growling lines of “Suite-Pee” (System of a Down), the rolling grooves of “Prison Song” (Toxicity)—differ significantly from those on Mezmerize, where the bass tone is deeper and warmer, and the lines usually double Malakian’s guitars. Ironically, before Mezmerize was recorded Shavo took bass lessons from studio ace Carol Verheyen (whose credits include Supertramp, Dave Grusin and Cher) to improve his improvisational and technical skills. But it turned out that Malakian wanted Shavo to lock in with guitars rather than groove with the drums.
So while Shavo’s bass playing is better than ever—as anyone who has witnessed SOAD’s recent live shows can attest—it simply made more sense for Malakian to play bass on some songs instead of having Shavo mimic Daron’s every phrase and nuance.

Although Shavo began his musical life as a guitarist (he’s actually been spotted playing guitar on a song or two several times during SOAD’s tour), he’s fully embraced his role as a bassist. Onstage he’s a commanding presence, churning out rumbling grooves and a massive tone that sometimes sounds like it could swallow an entire arena. While Shavo’s personality may be all over the map, his new approach to the bass is as solid as SOAD’s position as leaders of the new-millennium metal movement.

Bass Guitar: How did you become interested in music?

Shavo Odadjian: I’ve been interested in music as long as I can remember. I used to put on shows for my parents, dancing and singing and whatever, when I was a little kid in Armenia. We moved to California, and when I was five I begged my parents to buy me a guitar. But they wouldn’t do it because they didn’t want me to become a musician and live on the streets. Instead, I got a skateboard when I was six.

BG: What did you listen to growing up?
Shavo: All the other skaters were into punk, so I listened to the Dead Kennedys and Black Flag a lot. I also liked bands like Black Sabbath, Kiss, Van Halen and Zeppelin. The music I listen to now, like the Beatles, is the same stuff my parents and I listened to.

BG: When did you start playing guitar?
My dad finally took me to Guitar Center and got me one when I was 13. I never had any lessons—I just sat in my room all day and night playing and driving my parents crazy. I didn’t even tell anyone I played guitar until around the time I got my driver’s license and moved out of L.A. to Burbank.

What made you switch to bass?
In all the bands I started, the bass player was either a virtuoso who wouldn’t do what I needed a bass player to do or someone just starting out who didn’t know how to play. It thought it would be easier to become a bass player myself and find a guitarist. So I traded this amazing Randall half-stack I had for an Ibanez bass.

In past interviews you’ve described yourself as a guitarist who plays bass, but now it seems like you’ve become very comfortable in your role as a bass player.
For years, Daron always told me that I was a great guitar player, but that I can play bass in the band. Now I really love my instrument. It’s not that I didn’t before, but I’ve just developed a new appreciation for it.

Many of the basslines on Mezmerize sound very technically precise, with lots of tempo changes and abrupt starts and stops.
The technicality of the songs is crazy! Even something that seems simple, like “B.Y.O.B.” is very different from anything we’ve done in the past.

I understand that you took lessons before you began working on this album?
 I took maybe three weeks of lessons from [L.A. studio guitarist] Carl Verheyen.

What did you guys talk about?
I couldn’t play all the scales, but Carl showed what they were and how to use them. He also gave me some fast-picking tips; I’ve always played with a pick, but now I play faster and more efficiently. He even showed me ways I can hold the bass that make it easier to play. I used to have my bass hanging really low because it looked cooler. Fuck the way it looks. I want to play it right.

Have you had a chance to use your new chops?
 Our jams have gotten much better since I developed this new love. Knowing how to go to the eighth or ninth adds a new dimension to my playing.
My lessons definitely made me a better player, but I’m not about showing off on the bass and trying to play as many notes as possible. It’s all about forming a solid foundation. The drums and bass are the meat and potatoes—as long as we keep the grove going, the guitarist and singer can do anything they want.
Daron will sometimes stop playing and sing his solo, or maybe he’ll play along with the vocal melody. But as long as the bass and drums are right, the songs keep going. If more bass players had that mentality, we’d have more bands out there that groove—like Zeppelin, bands that can jam.

Can you give me some examples of your playing where you really had to push yourself?
 The riff on “Cigaro” is awkward. It’s really fast and the first part of it is played really high on the neck and then shifts quickly to a lower register. I can play it perfectly on guitar, but it took me a while to be able to shift positions in time on the bass. The timing on the verse of “Question!” is weird. I couldn’t count it out to you, but give me a bass and I’ll play it. It’s muscle memory. I cant even play it slow—I have to do it with a certain momentum.

Do you play bass at home?
 I used to like to play guitar more because it’s more fu n to play when you’re at home by yourself. But I just built a studio, so now I hook up a drum machine, program a drumbeat, loop it and play bass to it. That got me to start playing more bass at home.

Do you listen to hip-hop?
 I like hip-hop like Wu-Tang Clan; RZA’s beats and basslines are steady and constant. I even made some of my basses fretless because I think it’s perfect for getting that low, smooth hip-hop sub-bass sound.

Given the heavy sound of SOAD’s music, I’m surprised you don’t play a five-string.
I don’t like them; I don’t need to get that low. And when I want to go lower, I just tune the bass down. I do like 8-string and 12-string basses, though; I own two Dean 12-strings. On one song called “174,” which didn’t make the record, I play a 12-string bass in the middle. I wrote this Armenian-sounding melody on that bass, so I needed to play a 12-string bass when we recorded it.

The band spent a good amount of time making Mezmerize and Hypnotize. How did you approach the recording process?
 Mezmerize was different. On all of our other albums, the songs had more time to mature with the whole band. But on this one, we’d write a song and then have two days to play it before moving to a new one. I recorded every bass track for 33 songs in about three weeks by myself. We recorded drums first with the band, then Daron went in and did some rhythm guitar tracks, and I went in and laid down the bass tracks.
We’ve become more in tune with ourselves and our instruments. I’m more zoned in on bass than with performing for the crowd now. You can hear it. Compare a live tape from three years ago with one made now, and you’ll notice a big improvement. Each one of us has gone to the next level. Our music is more progressive now, but it’s also more poppy. I really like that balance.

Why did the record get split into two separate albums?
 After we recorded about 20 songs we didn’t want to bump any of them. We all brought in a lot of tunes, so we decided on this double-album concept. But we didn’t want to make a regular double album, so we thought it would be cool to release them separately but still have them be one, kind of the like Kill Bill.
This album is like two canvases of an abstract painting. The artist only lets you see half of the painting first. You put it on your wall, get used to it and notice every little detail. Then the artist pulls out the second half and you see the whole thing in an entirely new way. Once you listen to all of it at once—Mezmerize and then Hypnotize—you’re going to see how we really thought up the whole thing. The albums are lined, not only with the album art, but also musically. The album ends where it begins and begins where it ends.

Interview by Chris Gill - Bass Guitar Magazine 2005

Credits : luiz_felipe024

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