There’s been plenty of talk about whether or not System Of A Down is on a permanent hiatus, but bassist Shavo Odadjian made it quite clear in a recent interview with Ultimate-Guitar that he doesn’t intend on ever tossing his platinum-selling group to the wayside. The time off has been all about exploring new creative outlets, and since the break was announced, Odadjian could easily be described as the most prolific member.
It’s true that
Odadjian has been recording an album with his hip-hop project
Achozen, but it’s his work away from the traditional band format that should likely draw the most attention. His grandest endeavor has been launching
UrSession.com, a new website that was created in response to the rapidly dying major label system. The site gives musicians the opportunity to essentially audition for a record contract via uploaded videos or audio. And who exactly is the judge of all the video submissions? We are. As soon as you sign up as a member of
UrSession.com (it’s free, so no worries), you can pretty much decide the fate of thousands of bands.
When Odadjian wasn’t working out all the legal kinks to UrSession.com, he added one more title to his repertoire: movie composer. He’s the man behind the score of the upcoming Vin Diesel movie Babylon A.D., which is slated for a September release. It took a bit of time to get used to creating music for someone rather than himself or SOAD, but Odadjian said the experience opened his eyes up to a completely different style of songwriting.
Now that Odadjian has so many irons in the fire, a lot of you might be wondering where exactly he stands with Serj and the guys. While the topic at hand was Odadjian’s most recent projects, it was still clear he remains very close to all of the members in SOAD. He even hinted at a possible onstage reunion in the near future. There are no solid plans at this point, but at least we know there’s hope.
UG: UrSession.com sounds like it was quite an undertaking. How long have you been developing the project?
Shavo: It started a few years ago when me and my best friend, who I’ve been friends with since 1st grade, were talking and shooting the shit. The topic went to American Idol. All it is, it’s people singing other people’s songs. I also started talking about how I’m sure there are so many artists out there - hundreds, maybe thousands of artists around the world - that are amazing and should be heard and seen, but there is no platform for them to be heard. In the last 20 years, you have to know someone. You have to be in Hollywood. You have to be in a certain area to be heard and to be seen and to be recognized. If all goes well, you get signed.
We started talking about YouTube and all this stuff. When we mentioned YouTube I went, “Wait. Now there is this completely new method of being seen and heard, which is doing video and audio and digital uploads.” That kind of gave us the idea: What if we go international? The internet was the only and the best way to go. The idea of UrSession came around.
About a month later we got really serious about it. I had this idea. I was like, “What if we start a digital label that is also a social network for artists and musicians for people to just create. We’re going to do a version 2 and a version 3 where you can add your paintings, your drawings, your comedy. We’re going to feature people who do what they do for passion and not for money. There are a lot of people who have 9 to 5 jobs, come home, and they do what they do. That’s where I come from.
Seeing all these new and upcoming bands must remind you of the early days in System Of A Down.
With System of a Down, we didn’t become a band to sell millions of records and have videos and play around the world and get recognized. It was more like we bonded and we enjoyed what we do together. By some chance, we were that needle in the haystack that go found, that got discovered. I was in college, I had jobs, and I would still come home and do what I do. Even if I didn’t have the opportunity to be where I’m at, I would still be coming home and do what I do.
You need to find these other people that think and want and are like us. Finding them became kind of an obsession. I was like, “We have to do this. We have to get this done.” So we went and tried to get the patent and stuff, and we realized it’s there. It took about a year and half or 2 years to get all the legal mumbo jumbo out of the way, which I’m not very good with. Actually he’s a lawyer, my first grade buddy. It’s like the yin to the yang.
For musicians who are interested in uploading their own performances, explain a little about how UrSession.com works.
The most important thing that I thought of was, “Why not have members of my community who sign on as fans or as artists, vote for who I’ll sign to the label.” They can get a camcorder or a webcam, and they can record themselves playing, singing, rapping. They can upload it to the site, and anyone who is a member can vote. At the end of a period or cycle of about 12 months, I tally up the votes and I sign the 2 acts that have the most votes.
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| "I can keep the major labels away and just release the stuff I want digitally." |
That’s amazing. That should give a lot of bands more faith in the industry.
I trip just talking about it. I can’t believe that I’m actually doing it. Like when I go on the site I’m like, “Wow. Two and a half years ago we were just talking about it, and there it is.” I’m very proud of it.
What kind of feedback have you received about the site so far?
Because I’m one of the founders, I also have a profile set up. I get hundreds of messages a day. It’s getting really hard to look through them all, but kids are thanking us for doing this and telling us how easy and user-friendly it is. You hear from kids from like Kazakhstan. No joke! I hear from kids in Croatia. Everywhere it’s the same thing. It kind of gets me emotional because people are actually appreciating it. I’ve actually been listening to some of the auditions, and there are some really good artists out there! We only have about 3,000 people so far because it’s only been around for 3 or 4 days, but that’s not bad for 3 or 4 days, huh?
Let’s say there is a band that doesn’t receive anywhere near enough votes to win the record deal on UrSession.com, but they still are one of your favorites. Would you sign them as well?
Of course. This is a label, and it’s not just the audition part. I can sign anyone I want and release any record on this label. I’m hoping that Achozen, my new group with RZA, comes out on this label. I’ve already found a few artists that I’m going to help and I’m going to develop along with the ones that get voted on and get signed. It’s not just exclusively on the votes. If I come across an artist that I believe in, I would sign them.
It’s from an artist to artists. I can keep the major labels away and just release this stuff digitally. Nowadays people rarely buy CDs. People like me are buying the CDs because I want the booklet, but the 10 year olds these days, they don’t like it. So why not digitally do it and make the price less and reward the artists with more than a major label would. I’m not here to be greedy - I want to help.
You mentioned that your new project Achozen would be on the label. I understand that it has a strong hip-hop feel to it.
It’s hip-hop, but it’s brand new. It’s me making the majority of the music. It’s not just electronic; I’m playing guitars and actual bass. The sound effects are not hip-hop-friendly, but I made them hip-hop friendly! It’s to the left. When RZA heard, he was like, “Wow, I can be a vocalist.” For everything he’s done, he’s always made the music also. Just to hear him say that to me, that’s an honor in itself.
We’ve teamed up where we kind of have the same mind state. We’re both Achozen. By saying that, I think that only a few are Achozen. That’s pretty much the 5 percent of humans, who have the ability to lead and to guide and to influence and to inspire. They do it benevolently. They do it righteously. They don’t do it for self gain, i.e. politicians and businessmen who do it for the buck and then walk away. One thing I can say for me is I can go to sleep every night comfortably knowing that anything that I’ve gotten or any material thing that I own or any place that I’ve come, I’ve never stepped on anyone to get it. I’ve done it by working hard. That’s pretty big, I think.
It’s very respectable that you’re now giving back to the community as well.
Thank you very much. I hope we get some great artists out there. Even if we don’t sign them, if you audition, it’s not exclusive. Other record companies can come and find bands on our site. If the artists want to go to them, go ahead. Hopefully people will catch on and there will be more outlets like this. Then the whole mindset of the music business will kind of sway in that direction. That’s the dream - but I’ve been known to make dreams come true!
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| "A content artist who just stays with what's working is pretty much a dead artist." |
You’ve been insanely busy these days. Is it true that you’re also scoring the upcoming movie Babylon A.D.?
Yeah, I’m done!
How did you get involved in scoring movies?
Whoo, long story! I’ll try to make it quick, though. Maybe about 4 or 5 months ago, I got a call from RZA. He was offered this film, to do it with Hans Zimmer. I guess after hearing about the film and seeing the film, he was like, “Shavo should be a part of this.” So he talked to the director about me, and he calls me on Thursday. He says, “I think you should really give this some thought because I think you’re made for this job.” I just told you and I got chills. He gave me this opportunity. He saw that in me because I’ve directed. Everything I hear, I see. Everything I see, I hear. That’s natural.
Saturday the director and the supervisor of the music come over to my house, hear my stuff. On Monday, I’m having a meeting with Hans Zimmer. By Thursday, I score my first scene. That’s how it happened! My life is surreal. I moved to Hollywood at 5 years old, and just did what I do. I was a skateboarder, I played music, and I loved music. I just followed it. I did it for passion, and I’m honored and lucky that I got the opportunity to make a living out of it.
When you’re writing for a movie scene, is it similar at all to when you’re writing for System or Achozen?
No, that was the hardest part of it. Well, not the hardest part. That was the one aspect of it that I really had to learn and get used to. Whatever I do, I write for myself. If people like it, badass! If they don’t, I’ll write another one. I’m an artist and I do it for myself. When you’re scoring a film, you have to sort of take direction from the director because it’s a film. At some points I felt like I was kind of working, and I don’t like to think of music and art as working! It was my first movie, and it was a multi-million movie from Fox. It’s out of this world! He kind of made me understand, “Don’t get so attached. Get attached enough to do the best that you can do.” This is the director’s film and you have to go with his vibe and his soul. Once I got used to that and kind of went in that direction and took direction, my mind opened. It was actually cool and it was actually fun.
When does the film come out?
Labor Day weekend. My whole life has kind of been one big roller coaster. I’ve been working with George Clinton - I’m telling you and I’m pinching myself! Don’t anyone touch me because I might wake up!
I recently saw a blog posting that mentioned System Of A Down was indeed on hiatus and had no intention of breaking up. Is that the current status?
We’re a band and we’ll always be. We got to a point where organically, without thinking, we had to part. For example, me and the things I’m doing. Serj, he needed to do what he’s doing. Daron and John, they’re doing Scars. It was just the right time. We went at it for 13 years. It was the right time to separate and do some things on our own. A content artist who just stays with what’s working is pretty much a dead artist. You always have to top yourself.
We never planned to take the hiatus. Even though we could have banked and milked it and made millions of dollars, we stopped. We said this is what needs to be done. When it’s time for us to get back together, when the 4 of us feel that it’s right, it’s going to happen. I don’t have a time frame for you. I can’t say it’s a year or 5 years or 2 years or a month, but we’ll always be System Of A Down. I love my band. I know everyone in my band loves their band. I’m actually dying to play onstage again. I feel like I need to rip out of my skin. I know they all feel that way. I can still play with anyone, but I will never have the feeling that I have with those 3 guys.
Interview by Amy Kelly
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