 System
Of A Down bassist Shavo Odadjian is not only spearheading the new
internet musicians community urSESSION, he's also trying to put the finishing
touches on the first album by his new band, Achozen.
The group features RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan, and Odadjian said it's a dream
come true.
"Me and RZA working together making music? That's fun. I'll do that for free.
It's not even time. I'll stay up all night and do a couple of shots and work.
That's RZA. My friend and my bandmate is my idol and vice versa, and that's a
trip. If anyone should know how RZA...what he's done to music. What he's done to
hip-hop. What a change he's made to lyrics, and to beats and to hip-hop itself.
But to have that guy respect me as much as I respect him, to do a band together
and to know that we're there mentally boom (makes connection gesture).
That just in itself gives me the time and the space to do it. That should be
coming out early in the new year. We're about seventy percent done with the
record."
So what does his band mates in System Of A Down, who are on an specified hiatus,
think of Achozen?
System Of A Down vocalist, Serj Tankian who is not the biggest rap fan was just
like, 'Get out of here! What are you doing?!' It's different stuff man. Achozen
is going to trip people out. That's all I can say for it. It's going to trip
people out in a really good way. I think rock fans are going to start liking
hip-hop. It's not rap metal. There's no heavy guitars or anything like that. I'm
doing all the beats. It's just like a different realm of hip-hop with heavy
hitters on top of us."
Odadjian contributed bass to the forthcoming release by the Wu-Tang Clan, and he
has to work around RZA's schedule to get Achozen finished. Look for it to be
ready and in stores by early 2008.
Watch
Full Videos of Shavo talking about it
Credits:
artisannews.com
UrSession
This summer, Shavo Odadjian and his childhood friend, Narb
Avedissian, will launch a new, more musician-friendly social networking site
called urSession (say "yer session"). Allowing community members to vote
for their favorite artists, an artist's popularity leads to the possibility of
Odadjian signing them to his new label, urSession Records, sharing in the
company's advertising revenue. The company has also teamed with the Wake Up
Show, the influential hip-hop radio program hosted by DJs King Tech and MTV
personality Sway, from which they will pull content from its 17-year run.
What makes urSession truly unique, though, is its opportunity for artists to
make money (and unlike the recent BurnLounge fiasco, they claim it's completely
legal). Artists will make $5 for every 1,000 views or listens of their work from
the advertising on their page. Fans will be able to write reviews of artists,
video blog about things (including musicians auditioning for bands as in a
classified) and read industry news.
Odadjian, Avedissian and Sway stopped by CMJ's office recently to explain what
Odadjian describes as an "online art district."
"I personally know how a band should be run. Labels have molds," Odadjian
expains. "When System Of A Down signed, we knew what we wanted. We wanted to
work with Rick Rubin. We wanted to tour for a year with no single and put that
money into touring. With urSession, we'll have no mold. Although if an artist
has a hit song, we'll work a hit song."
In five years, Avedissian hopes to have "democratized" the entertainment
business, incorporating film, TV, dance and comedy on urSession, making it a
one-stop shop. "Venues want to webcast shows from their venue directly on
urSession," Odadjian says. The musician has also begun turning to his friends,
such as Metallica, Wu-Tang and Slash to provide content and moderate sessions.
What excites Odadjian most, however, is that it's "by artists, for artists."
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