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SOADFans: System of a Down: Voices of Reason |
Posted by JP on Monday, August 29, 2005 - 03:32 PM
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Hit Parader : Sept 2005
Here we are in yet another facelss recording stuido located deep in the heart of the San Fernando Valley.? We were patiently waiting for System Of A Down, and contemplating the photos adorning the walls of various rock gods from years gone by who have presumably recorded in these very chambers.? Faith No More and Alice Cooper...is that Trent Reznor from NIN or Aerosmith's Joe Perry?
We wait and contemplate.? SOAD bassist Shavo Odadjian finally comes by to greet us and say that the others will be here shortly.? We are escorted into a mixing studio, and a motion is made for us to sit on the couch, one of those woven '80s models that has clearly seen better days.
"I remember these couches...they were in my house," recalls vocalist Serj Tankian as he wanders in to join the festivities.? "Yeah, I think my? mom had these in 1989," chortles drummer John Dolmayan.? "No man, I'm serious."
"It's amazing that there are relatively few cigarette burns on them," observes Serj.? Vintage couches go fine with vintage producers.? SOAD were in this valley recording studio mixing Mezmerize with Andy Wallace, a veteran studio rat and a sonically influential presence on the current music scene.? He cut his chops in NYC during the rise of hip-hop in the early '80s.? Along the way he re-mixed tracks for Bruce Springsteen and Prince, and got his big break by producing the Run D.M.C/Aerosmith version of Walk this Way.? The single teamed him wiht Def Jam founder Rick Rubin and the pair has worked together through the years producing such heavy groups as Slayer and Sepultura, and SOAD.? For Those of you who keep track of such things, Wallace takes the mixing credit for both SOAD's Toxicity and Steal This Album.
System Of A Down wrote some thirty tracks for their one-now, one later Mezmerize/Hypnotize pairing and recorded them at Rick Rubin's famed Laurel Canyon studio between June and November of 2004.? The project was produced by Rubin and band guitarist Daron Malakian.
As we looke over the spacious recording studio where SOAD were mixing their 2-disc set, we thought we'd start our interview with a most obvious but intriguing question:
Hit Parader: Playing live and recordig-compare and constrast the two.
John Dolmayan: It's a pretty big difference.
Serj Tankian: You are sharp. (To John)
JD: You're much more under a microscope in the studio than you ae live.? People will be sitting there and listening to you with their headphones on, scrutinizing every nuance of your perfomance.? When you play a show, people are there for the experience.? You can get away with a lot more live than you can in the studio.
HP: When you're in the studio working together do you get that same kind of kinetic energy that happens when you're on stage?
ST: That's what we try and get on tape.? A good recording of SOAD-or any band, really-is when that synergy is there in the studio.? You pretend that it's live as much as possible, like you stand up instead of sitting.? You do whatever you need to do to really connect with the other musicians and do whatever you need to do to get that flow.? When it's great, you know it.? We all do.
HP: How were you able to achieve that on this album?
JD: It's not that you try to achieve it, it's just something tha happens.? It's spontaneous.? If you try to achieve it, it probably won't happen.
ST: We rehearsed a lot.? Some bands in other projects might be able to go into the studio and start a song from scratch, layer it and record it in the studio in Pro Tools and then make it into a song.? With this band we spend a lot of time arranging and working the songs and practicing, practicing, practicing.? We practice befor we go into the recording studio so that when we're there, we can concentrate more on performance and less on all the other stuff.
HP: How does a song like Cigaro evolve? Does it change a lot from rehearsal to recording?
JD: It can.? From the beginning of the recording process to the end you may sometimes have a very big change; sometimeds you have no change.? It has a lot to do with pre-production.? Once you're in the studio and you're recording with a producer - in our case Rick Rubin, always Rick Rubin - a song is going to go through some kind of transformation.? It may not necessarily be a musical transformation, it may be a vocal transformation, but it's a transformation nonetheless.
HP: Why did you decide to do a double album this time?
ST: Originally our intention was to do a single record.? We kept bringing in songs, lots of songs, and at one point we looked at each other and realized that we had a lot more "A" songs that could possibly fit on one record.? We couldn't for the life of us think of how we wold deal with that scenario except to put out a double record.? But, it was important to us to put out a double record in a way that people could digest the volume, and be able to get the next one.? We did not want to hit them all at once with 20-something songs.
JD: Think of it as a double CD release in two parts.
ST: We designed the packaging in such a way that you can connect them.
JD: It's like Lord Of The Rings, you knew theree were going to be three movies, but you saw them one at a time.
ST: That's a perfect analogy.? When we release the econd one depends upon how long it takes people to take the first set of songs in...but right now we're looking at a 6 or 7 month timeline.
JD: We felt like during the Toxicity sessions we had a lot of amazing songs.? When we released them a year-and-a half-later wth Steal This Album, they were more like B-sides I want to correct that; I never felt like they were B-side songs.? That happens to be one of my favorite albums of the previous three.
HP: Are Mezmerize/Hypnotize an evolution, and if so, how?
ST: That's something that people are going to have to decide for themselves.? I think how we've evolved is that John's come up amazingly as a drummer: he's gotten a lot tighter, his legs are a lot tighter and faster, his playing, his touches...everything.? Each member has come up in their own way in what they do for the band.? Daron has been bringing in more lyrics than before.? I've been doing more keyboards and string arrangements.
JD: Serj, you have more of a range in my opinion.? He was an amazing singer the years of touring with Toxicity, but he's much mor so now; he can do more with his voice.? He's more powerful without having to push as hard.? He can communicate more easily, with more energy.
HP: Does the whole process of being in a successful band get easier as time goes on?
ST: Going into it, you have a better idea of what you're going to do; however, not everything depends upon you.? You're not exclusive leaders, you have a whole team around you, producers, record label and whatnot so it's a working game.? I wish that sometimes things were easier than they are.? Sometimes the bureaucracy makes it take a lot longer.? We would have wanted this record out six months ago, and certain things just lagged.? We were really excited about washing our hands from the rehearsing and recording process and just touring.
HP: Rumor has it you'll be spending two years on the road?
JD: Hopefully... if we survive.
SYSTEM OF A DOWN: PRIDE, PASSION & PURPOSE
???????? When SOAD's latest disc, Mezmerize, shot out of the box back in June, selling nearly half-a-million copies during the first week of availability, few within the rock world were caught by surprise.? After all it had long been speculated that the disc would rocket this Armenian/American unit back to the very apex of contemporary music power--a place where they had previously visited with such albums as System of a Down and Toxicity.? Yet while the incredible response afforded Mezmerize may not have shocked close followers of the hard rock scene, it did serve as a major wake-up call for vocalist Serj Tankian, bassisst Shavo Odadjian, guitarist Daron Malakian and drummer John Dolmayan.? They had hoped for the best, even prayed? for the best in regard to their latest creation.? But despite all of the accolades that this politically-laced unit has garnered over the last decade, the success enjoyed by their new disc came as both a surprise...and a relief.? Now as they launch their biggest tour ever in support of thier lates disc, we sat down with the band to discuss SOAD's incredible ride to the top of the rock and roll worl.
Hit Parader: Your tour has sold out.? Mezmerize made a Number One chart debut.? Is this the best time in the band's career?
Serj Tankian: It's certainly one of the most exciting and rewarding times.? When you work as hard as we did on creating the music that fills this album, it's truly something special when people seem to embrace it as warmly as they have.? I think my reactiong to finding out the album had made a Number One debut was a mix of shock and surprise.
Daron Malakian: It's all part of completing the next cycle for us.? We write, we record, and then we go on the road...in this case for the next two years! You have to look at each step in the process on its own or you run th erisk of becoming overwhelmed.
HP: It seems like you've slowly been working the new songs int the live set.
DM: That's true.? It's easy to put the new songs in...but it's really hard to take the old ones out.? Those songs are part of you--and part of this band's history.? But just like when you write and record, a live show has to display your evolution as well.? That's why as the tour goes along, I know we'll be adding more and more of the new songs because the fans will be familiar with them by then.? It would be wrong to go out there when the album is first released and hit them with a dozen? new songs.? It wouldn't be fair.? By the last stages of this tour maybe it will be fair to do that.
ST: Getting as many new songs as possible into the set is something that I believe we all eagerly anticipate.? These songs are all close to our hearts at the moment since we've spent the last few months bringing them to life.? But it's also exciting for us to have new material to play on stage.? Some of the older songs--even the ones that are the most popular with the fans--can get a little tired ofr us after performing them hundreds of times.? Having so many great new songs to choose from really invigorates us as a band.
John Dolmayan: What we enjoy is discovering which of the new songs the fans best react to.? There are certain songs that we feel are more album cuts, things that won't translate that well on stage.? But when we play them, the reaction is sometimes overwhelming.? Conversely, things that we're excited to play don't go over as well.? It's a trial and error method that's always full of surprises.? A few months into the tour you begin to settle down a bit and realize which songs are working best.? It's a very interesting experience for us.
HP: Has this tour given you the oppurtunity to play certain songs that you've always wanted to play live?
JD: Absolutely.? Even when we had just one album out we couldn't play everything we wanted because back then we'd most often get 30 minutes on stage.? By the time Toxicity came out, we already had a prolem regarding set lengths and which songs to leave out.? Now it's almost impossible for us to decide.? There are so many sogs that deserve to be heard.? Maybe we'll just have to play a four hour set every night so that we can get in everything we want!
ST: We want to play songs on this tour thta we've never played before.? And we want to try and create songs on stage each night.? We enjoy the concept of jamming and seeing how we can get back to where we started.? That's a cool way to maeke sure that every show, every night is something totally unique and totally special.? Our fans deserve nothing less.
HP: It seems like the band is a little more lighthearted these days--which was reflected on a number of Mezmerize songs.
DM: I don't think that's really true.? We've alwyas had a lot of humor in our songs, but for whatever reason, people have usually tended to gravitate more towards our political material.? But if the humore of these songs is being noticed, then I'm very happy.? That's such a big element of what we do that I sometimes get very frustrated when it's ignored.? A lot of fans expect a certain sound and a certain lyrical perspective from us, and when they're asked to listen and respond to soemhting else it someitmes isn't that easy for them.? Thankfully, they've shown a willingness to do that with this album.
Shavo Odadjian: It's all about growing as a band and allowing different elements of your style emerge.? It's very important that we always continue to evolve.
HP: As you look back on the recording of Mezmerize--as well as the soon-to-be-released Hypnotize-- how do you view your creative evolution?
ST: It's actually a rather interesting process for each of us.? We all get so caught up in each individual song, and just making it work, that you tend not to have a true perspective on the band's growth.? It's true that only after you've done your work and can sit back and listen to what you've created as a whole can you begin to get a sense of accomplishment.? That's when you can see where you've been, and hopefully sense where you're going as a band.
DM: A lot of it has to do with the vibe I'm looking for and the and is looking for.? I don't want push anything down their throats.? Thankfully, when I bring songs in to be listened to the rest of the band tends to be highly receptive and very honest in their appraisals.? If there's something that they don't particularly like they'll speak up about it... but it doesn't happen very often.
JD: You ca nget so easily intimidated if you look at the body of work in front of you and consider it as a whole.? When Daron brings us songs, he tends to do it in bunches.? We may have had as many as 100 songs to consider at some point in this recording process.? But you can't look at that as a whole or you'd probably become totally intimidated.? You have to take each song individually and take it from there.
SO: Daron is an amazing songwriter, and since we've all been together so long and we know each other so well as people, he seem s to be able to speak for all o us.? When we hear his songs, we're all very excited because not only are they so amazing, but they represent what each of us would want that song to sound like.
HP: On a Personal level, what are you most proud about on this album?
DM: We didn't want to lose our identity on these albums, but we didn't want them to sound like anything we've ever done before.? If you try to change too much, you can lose everything you've created.? It's so important that we stick to our roots.? I want to always keep adding things and changing things to what we do.? I want our past success to serve as a foundation for what we're doing now.
JD: This may be a bit strange for a drummer to say, but the thing I'm most proud about this time are the vocal harmonies we achieved.? I've always been a huge fan of the Beatles, and in that band you had four mediocre talents individually,? but when you brought them together they were a true juggernaut.? I think there's something of a parallel on this album.
ST: We worked on those vocal parts very hard in rehearsal, along with just about everything else that you hear on the album.? We don't particularly like leaving anything to chance.? We have so much to consider once we get into the studio in terms of attaining the kind of sounds we want that it's vital for us to work out many of the basicas--such as vocal harmonies--even before we begin.
HP: This is such a diverse collection.? System has been renowned for their political stances over the years.? Do you feel your message is as strong this time?
JD: It's there, just as it always is.? But we've never trid to hist you over the head with everything we believe.? It's mixed in there with material that has no political agenda at all.? There are some very funny songs on this album that have absolutely no message other than what you hear.? I know that some people may try to delve in and give those songs some extra meaning, but I can assure you that they're not there.
ST: Ther are many issues that are so important to us.? They change almost every day.? We feel a need to address those issues and make sure that the world-- and especially America-- focuses on them properly.? But you can't express everything? you want on an album.? Music, like life, is an ever-changing medium, and we need to possess the flexibility to respond to its demands.
HP: How do each of you handle being members of one of the most successful bands in the world?
DM: That's probably the last thing on my mind.? When I'm hidden away somewhere writing a song, or stuck in the studio for hours-on-end working on getting just the right sound, being a Rock Star isn't even a consideration.? You're just another hard working guy.
ST: In all honesty, I don't even think about it.? Being a star-- or being treated like a star-- has never been a priority to any of us.? We did't begin this band with the aspirations of becoming rich and famous.? It was about having our music heard.? That's still what motvates us.?
SO: The best part is being recognized occasionally on the street and having a fan tell you how much they love the music.
JD: You can't listen to the accolades that are given you.? Your fous must always reman on the muic.? If you don't keep your focus there, you're no longer grounded.? You lose your focus, and once you do that, you risk losing your entire identity.? I feel it's safe to say at this point in our careers that such a fate isn't about to befall any of us.
HP: Do you ever fear that the band's outspoken political beliefs will usurp your musical impact?
JD: It's something we've grown to accept over the years... even if we don't particularly like it.? It seems a lot easier for some people to deal with a band like ours when they feel like they can easily classify us and catagorize us.? Well, we're not that easy to categorize.? But it does seem as if calling us a "political band" is the current trend, and that's something that swe may break away from
Credit: Soadomized.com
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