Search Results for: serj tankian

The big surprise on “Saturday Night Live” was supposed to be Paula Abdul’s cameo mocking the Corey Clark scandal. But System of a Down managed to upstage the embattled “American Idol” judge. During a performance of their new single “B.Y.O.B.,” both singer Serj Tankian and guitarist Daron Malakian were seen – in close-up – mouthing the song’s profane refrain, “Where the f– are you?” with the expletive bleeped out by the show’s censors. But near the end of the song, Malakian screamed “F– yeah!” and the profanity made it by the censor. At least one fan rejoiced in the slip,… Read more »

Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello and Coup frontman Boots Riley are joining Florida farm workers in protesting Taco Bell at the restaurant’s Irvine, California, headquarters tomorrow. Morello will join the Taco Bell Truth Tour’s Southern California stop as a speaker and performer, under his Nightwatchman guise, to draw attention to a wage dispute between the fast food company and farmers who provide its vegetables. “A real change comes from regular people regularly standing up for their rights at work, at home, and in the streets and that’s what we’ll be doing,” Morello says. “Farm workers in Immokalee Florida are getting paid… Read more »

The rock band System Of A Down, which draws inspiration from diverse influences such as heavy metal and Armenian folk music, released “Steal This Album” on Tuesday in response to Internet users downloading the band’s songs before they’re ready. But how do they protect their music in the future? Singer Serj Tankian said it’s a difficult task. “We are just a little more critical as to who we get involved with,” Tankian told the Associated Press. “There’s so many ways of taking music. I heard certain sessions of another band were downloaded while it was being transferred on ISDN lines.… Read more »

System Of A Down’s Steal This Album will be offered with the most bare bones of packaging. The November 26 release will have “Steal This Album” scrawled across the face of the CD and that’s it. However, there will be a limited-edition run of CDs that will come with some artwork. Guitarist Daron Malakian, vocalist Serj Tankian, bassist Shavo Odadjian, and drummer John Dolmayan each created separate artwork. Each member will have 50,000 copies pressed of their version of Steal This Album. All four will be housed in a clear jewel case with no booklet. Tankian’s artwork is a “series… Read more »

A day after the body of Drowning Pool frontman Dave Williams was discovered on the band’s tour bus, details remained scarce but memories of Williams as a fun-loving, kind-hearted character abounded. The 30-year-old singer was found in his bunk by members of Drowning Pool’s touring crew Wednesday afternoon, their publicist said. The band was in Manassas, Virginia, on its way to Thursday’s Ozzfest show in Bristow. An autopsy conducted Thursday morning proved inconclusive, according to a Prince William County police spokesperson. A cause of death is expected to be determined from toxicology tests, which generally take four to six weeks.… Read more »

Those WWF Smackdown spots just wouldn’t be the same without P.O.D.’s “Alive,” Creed’s “My Sacrifice” and Kid Rock’s “Cocky” blaring in the background. In many cases, shots of wrestlers powerbombing, chokeslamming and clotheslining one another are more captivating than the images in real rock videos. Let’s face it, loud rock and wrestling go together like salted bacon and farm-fresh eggs, the aggressive tones and violent visuals feeding off each other, creating a charged symbiosis of pumping testosterone. With over-the-top sound and sight, all you need is a sweat-and-blood-soaked rag under your nose to create the ultimate sensory experience. “Wrestling and… Read more »

The last time System of a Down hit Las Vegas, it was on the Pledge of Allegiance Tour with Slipknot. System held their own on that outing, but now, back in Sin City as the headliner at a more intimate setting – the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino’s Joint – System had a lot more to prove. By the time the L.A. foursome of Armenian-American rockers strolled casually onto the stark stage, the crowd was already geared up for SOAD’s harsh and heavy sounds. Then the thunder hit. The opening riffs hammered across the venue – no introduction was needed… Read more »

System Of A Down had to stop its set on Friday (January 18) at the Big Day Out festival in Auckland, New Zealand due to problems with the barricades in front of the stage, which collapsed during the band’s performance. Singer Serj Tankian told the crowd that the band had to stop its performance because a fan broke his legs due to crowd crush against the barrier. However, NME reported that no one was hurt in the incident. System Of A Down resumed its set later in the night after a second-stage band, Shihad, played. A statement by the organizers… Read more »

System of a Down are on a Los Angeles soundstage shooting a video for the title track to their near-double-platinum second album, Toxicity. Bassist Shavo Odadjian is taking his first turn as director with the aid of veteran Marco Siega, who, in addition to helming clips for Blink-182 and Papa Roach, also crafted System’s TRL standard, “Chop Suey.” The prog-metal quartet has recalled the 200 black-clad fans who populated the “Chop Suey” video to mosh on command for this latest clip. The notion of fan involvement in a video is nothing new to Odadjian. Back in 1993, a young Shavo… Read more »

In the downtime between their recently wrapped Pledge of Allegiance tour with Slipknot and a series of December radio festivals, System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian has recorded a full-length collaboration with noted Armenian multi-instrumentalist Arto Tuncboyaciyan. The tentatively titled “Serart” is slated for release next year on Tankian’s own Serjical Strike Records. Fans who dug Tuncboyaciyan’s curious noisemaking on System’s newly platinum Toxicity will surely enjoy “Serart,” a collection Tankian says is a marked departure from that band’s prog-metal barrage. “It’s really crazy world, jazz and experimental,” he says. “With some rock and hip-hop, beats, dance beats, electronic… Read more »