SOAD Band

SOAD Band

Serj Tankian :

Name Serj Tankian

Birth date August 21, 1967

Birth Place Beirut, Lebanon

Lives in Los Angeles, California

Height 6'1 feet [185 cm]

Marital Status Not Married

Nationality American [Armenian Ancestry]

Occupation Vocals, Songwriter, Composer, Keyboards (System of a Down)

Social Activist [Axis of Justice, Amnesty and other organizations]

Pre-band Occupation Information Technology field, Marketing

Personal Projects Serjical Strike Music label.

Appearances Serart, Buckethead & Friends and others.

Risk Factors Smoking, Drugs, Vegetarian

Early years

1998-2000 2001-2002 2003-2005

Mini Biography

Serj was born in Lebanon, spent his early years there before his parents and his younger brother 'Sevag' moved to Los Angeles. In there, he joined "Rose & Alex Pilibosl" Armenian School, eventually started studies in marketing. Later Serj got a software company 'Ultimate Solutions". 535n1319f

in the beginning of 90s Serj met Daron and started the new born band, called it 'Soil'. later renamed it to 'System of a Down'. Serj has a Husky and he loves New Zealand. he wanted to own large property as a studio to build over there but his intend was rejected in 2005, since New Zealand authorities saw there's no national use.

Beside System Serj has his own record label, Serjical Strike, in an effort to release music otherwise ignored by the mainstream. The first act on this new label was a side-project called "Serart" featuring Serj himself and famed world-musician Arto Tuncboyaciyan. His first poetry book 'Cool Gardens' was published by MTV Books and features artwork by fellow Angeleno, Sako Shahinian.

An outspoken musician, Tankian has spoken out against violence and injustice abroad. On September 13, 2001, shortly after the attacks of September 11, 2001, Serj penned an essay, which he posted on the official System of a Down website, titled "Understanding Oil". Promptly removed by Sony, the essay was seen by many, still shaken by the attack, as justification for the terrorists' actions, though this wasn't what Tankian was trying to put across.

More recently, Tankian has partnered with Tom Morello of Audioslave (formerly guitarist of Rage Against The Machine) to create Axis of Justice, an activist organization aimed at motivating youth interest in politics. On January 3, 2003, Serj and Tom led a protest march in Santa Monica, California handing out bagged lunches to the homeless in violation of a city ordinance that requires charitable organizations, while handing out food in public, to follow restaurant code. Serj is also a vegetarian. He is also currently working on efforts to make Turkey recognize the Armenian Genocide of 1915.

Serj appeared on, and produced the 2005 release by Buckethead & Friends, "Enter the Chicken." under his music label and working on a solo album (unknown release info).

Daron Malakian :

Name Daron V. Malakian

Birth date July 18, 1975

Birth Place Hollywood, California, USA

Lives in Glendale, California

Height 5'6 feet [171 cm]

Marital Status Not Married

Nationality American [Armenian Ancestry]

Occupation Guitarist, Composer, Songwriter, Vocals (System of a Down)

Personal Projects EatUrMusic Music label.

Appearances Bad Acid Trip on the Stage

Risk Factors Smoking, Drugs

Early years

1998-2000 2001-2002

2003 2005

Mini Biography

Daron was born in 1975 as an only child for Vartan and Zepur Malakian. His parents moved to Hollywood from Iraq in 1975. His father, Vartan, is a Painter and Choreograph, his mother was a teacher for sculptures at the college (in Iraq).

According to Daron himself, he always wanted to be a Drummer but his parents got him guitar instead so, they can turn it off when its possible. Daron went to 'Rose & Alex Pilibosl' school, the same school his band mates Serj and Shavo went to, then he attended 'Roosevelt' Middle School and 'Glendale' High School later, When he was 16, he joined his first band ever (unknown name, probably school stuff), in the beginning of 90s, Daron met Serj, and created together their new band "Soil" and made a few songs before eventually renamed to System of a Down which based on a poem's name Daron wrote called 'Victims of a Down'.

Malakian now lives in Glendale, California in a home by himself and likes to collect candles, eastern rugs, instruments, and skulls. Daron smokes cannabis, and has stated that if he was the President of the USA, he would "Legalize Weed". Daron has been voted 4th best guitarist of the year by Metal Edge Magazine. Daron has stated in an interview that he hates the Nu-Metal label more than anything.

Malakian co-produced System of a Down's albums with Rick Rubin, as well as The Ambulance and Bad Acid Trip (a band on fellow member Serj Tankian's Serjical Strike Records). He recently started his own label, EatUrMusic, on which Amen is the first signed band. Malakian is also involved in a project called Scars on Broadway, with Amen-singer Casey Chaos and Zach Hill from Hella and Team Sleep. In 2003 Daron Malakian played in the Celebrity Baseball Game in Hollywood, where a variety of celebrities played a baseball game. He wrote a song about the experience, "Old School Hollywood", which appears on Disc 1 of System of a Down's recent double album, Mezmerize/Hypnotize.

Daron first picked up a guitar at age 12, saying in an interview, "For the first year and a half, I learned how to play by ear, and did alright. After a few years I gained a reputation as being a guitar player in high school. And by 16 or 17 I actually realized it was a good songwriting instrument, and, over anything, that's what I feel like. I don't pretend to be Mr. Guitar Virtuoso".

Daron is well known for playing his Ibanez baritone (between a guitar and a bass) Iceman IC300, with custom graphics done by his father, Vartan Malakian. His father also did custom graphics on the 1978 Iceman, as well as making the horned bridge replacing the stopbar. The guitar was popular in the 1970's and 1980's, and he is fronting its comeback. All of the guitars that he plays on stage have a one-of-a-kind finish and cannot be found in retail, although there was a limited edition Iceman with graphics by 'Vartan Malakian' sold on eBay. He plays through Marshall Amplifiers, uses Jim Dunlop Delrin 2.0mm plectrums and Ernie Ball "Skinny Bottom Heavy Top" guitar strings. Daron now uses a Gibson SG onstage in most of System of a Down's recent live shows. He can be seen with his Gibson SG 61' Reissue in the music videos for System of a Down's B.Y.O.B and Question! and he is seen playing his cream-colored SG in the video for "Hypnotize". From System of a Down's formation, up until their third album, Steal This Album Daron used Drop C Tuning on his guitars. On the band's double album "Mezmerize/Hypnotize", Daron changed to Drop Db Tuning, a step up from Drop C. He gave the reason for the change in tuning as to give the new songs "more kick".

Daron has some plans for solo work soon, in December of 2005, Daron said in an interview that he "could release ten solo records tomorrow.". He also said, "I have tons of material laying around. After these albums," (Mezmerize and Hypnotize) "I'm gonna go off and do something on my own, just like Serj. And no, System of a Down are not breaking up. We're just gonna do like KISS and put out our own solo records or something like that." On what direction his album will take, Malakian states: "It will probably be something electronic. Not dance music, but something more experimental. When, or even if, the music comes out it will still be structured, just like System of a Down's music is." Lately, Daron told Rolling Stone more about his solo project titled "Scars on Broadway" which should be out by Fall 2006.

Shavo Odadjian :

Name Shavarsh S. Odadjian

Birth date April 22, 1974

Birth Place Yerevan, Armenia

Lives in Los Angeles, California

Height 6'0 feet [182 cm]

Marital Status Not Married

Nationality American [Armenian Ancestry]

Occupation Bassist (System of a Down), DJ and Music Videos Director

Pre-band Occupation Banking, DJ

Risk Factors Smoking, Drugs

Early years 1998 - 2002 2003 2005

Mini Biography

Shavo was born in Armenia as Shavarsh Odadjian lived there in his early ages before his family moved to Italy for a short while and then headed to Los Angeles, California eventually.

In his youth, Shavo used to spend most of his time skateboarding and listening to punk rock and heavy metal music. Among others, he names The Punk Angle, Dead Kennedys, KISS and Black Sabbath as his favorite bands with great influence on his future musical development.

Shavo was raised in a great part by his grandmother, after whose death he claims to have lost faith and to have stopped praying every night as he did before. He attended 'Alex Pilibos' High School in Los Angeles, an Armenian parochial school, including his future band mates Daron Malakian and Serj Tankian, although they were not acquainted at the time due to age difference.

Apart from working in a bank doing wire transfers, he also started managing Soil, the band of Malakian and Tankian in 1993 after meeting them in a recording studio, where he was recording with his own band. In 1995, Shavo became the permanent bassist of the band, which from then on called itself System of a Down.

Before Odadjian and his high school friends formed System, the band's bassist appeared on MTV as an extra in AC/DC's video for "Big Gun" from 1993's "Last Action Hero" soundtrack. He was just 18 years old. "You see me full-on," Odadjian said. "It just happened where Arnold Schwarzenegger came next to me. ... It was bad lighting, because they had more light on me than they did Arnold. And I'm watching it going, 'Whoa, dude - I'm on TV!' It was really strange."

In addition, Odadjian is a popular DJ in the LA area, taking part in such events as the "Rock/DJ Explosion" on March 2nd 2001 at The Roxy in Hollywood, CA and collaborating with band mate 'Serj Tankian' on SerArt, the singers side project with multitalented Armenian musician 'Arto Tuncboyaciyan'. He goes by the name "DJ Tactic."

Stating himself to be a "very visual person," he has also directed music videos for System of a Down ( Aerials, Toxicity, Question! and Hypnotize), and Taproot, creating surreal atmospheres and using innovative methods in filming.

Shavo made a short cameo appearance in the 2001 movie 'Zoolander' as one of Hansel's friends. His favorite actor is Christopher Walken, and he declares to be fascinated with occultism, mainly in the form of movies.

Shavo was originally a guitarist, and claims to play guitar better than he does bass. In fact, he was the guitarist for Soil for a short period of time. Apart from playing bass, Shavo did a little bit of vocals on the song, "Bounce", with a strange high pitched voice. He usually plays bass with a pick, but he can be seen using his fingers from time to time.

John Dolmayan :

Name John H. Dolmayan

Birth date July 15, 1973

Birth Place Beirut, Lebanon

Lives in Las Vegas

Height 5'8 feet [176 cm]

Marital Status Not Married

Nationality American [Armenian Ancestry]

Occupation Drummer (System of a Down)

Pre-band Occupation Gas Station clerk

Risk Factors -

Bald head Semi-baled head Painted face Long Hair

Mini Biography

John Dolmayan was born in Lebanon but to Armenian family. One night when he was five, he got scared and went to his parent's room and asked if he could sleep there. His parents agreed, and soon after a bullet came through the window of his room and hit his bed, where he would have been sleeping (while civil war been there). His father decided they had to move. He moved to Toronto, Canada then to Los Angeles. He has a condominium in Las Vegas where he also bought his parents a house.

His unique and original style of drumming has influenced an emerging generation of drummers. More than a few critics have called his style "schizophrenic", and this has attracted a significant portion of SOAD's audience, and it's generally agreed that his talent is a large part of SOAD's appeal.

John's facial expressions are famous for being constantly foreboding and angry-looking, which together with his usual smart dress sense, make him look like a Russian Mafia member. Lead singer Serj Tankian was quoted in Kerrang magazine as always trying to make John crack a smile on stage, to which John replied that he had to make an extreme effort to keep a straight face and not get put off beat, which is sometimes not believed due to the fact that John sounds very rhythmically when it comes to his drum beats. He is known throughout the metal scene for his hi-hat to snare combo, which can be heard in such songs as Deer Dance on Toxicity, I-E-A-I-A-I-O on Steal This Album! and Question! on Mezmerize.

Along with 'Joey Jordison' he is one of the only drummers in mainstream metal to use blast beats (as with Jordison, only occasionally), a death metal drumming technique which can be heard for example on the System of a Down single "B.Y.O.B." The use of this technique and other aspects of Dolmayan's style, which like much of System of a Down's music is generally more complex and technical than that of most popular metal bands' drummers, has given him and his band a modicum of respect in the generally mainstream-critical underground metal community.

John Dolmayan's drum-kit is a modified Tama Starclassic (generally with a White Silk or Brown Fade finish). The eleven cymbals are Paiste Signatures. His old setup contains 2 tom toms in front of the snare, a mounted tom and floor tom on the right, and another floor tom on the left of the snare, where a second snare would usually be. He uses a double-bass pedal with the left pedal unusually on the left of the hi-hat pedal. He has 2 splash cymbals (10" and 8") as well as a 6" bell chime mounted over the hi-hat, and an 8" bell chime to the right of his 2nd tom. He has two 18" china cymbals (thin and heavy), one on the left, one on the right. He also uses 2 timbales around the left floor tom.

His new setup uses 2 basses instead of a double-bass pedal. Now he has 3 toms in front of the snare, and only one tom to the right. Most of his cymbals have moved, and so have his timbales which are mounted to align with the toms.

When he first started his career with System of a Down he used a few Paiste Dimension cymbals as well as signatures. Back then some of his cymbals were 22" and 24". Now he just uses 20" as his biggest (ride and Power Crash).