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Did you get any T shirts, caps or anything.......man be cool to see them live.
Yeh my buddy bought me a T shirt and they actually had my size. They were great live. Serj has a great voice and the guitarist is good at working the crowd and can sing well himself. Bumped into some Armenian friends at the concert. This was my fathers day gift and I really enjoyed it.
RZA AND SYSTEM OF A DOWN'S SHAVO ODADJIAN REACTIVATE ACHOZEN, RELEASE NEW ALBUM
Consequence of Sound
July 7 2015
The catch is that the eight-track LP is only available if you purchase
a Boombotix speaker
by Michelle Geslani
When System of a Down went on a hiatus back in 2006, bassist Shavo
Odadjian launched an unlikely new project with Wu-Tang Clan's RZA. The
duo, dubbed Achozen, contributed "Deuces" to the 2008 Vin Diesel action
flick Babylon A.D. and released a song called "Salute Sacrifice"
the following year. For the most part, however, the two have kept
quiet and out of the spotlight. That is, until this week.
As a new Rolling Stone interview notes, RZA and Odadjian
have reactivated Achozen with the surprise release of their
long-in-the-works debut album. The eight-track effort -- described as
"a hip-hop album fusing positive themes with genre-bending sounds"
-- features cameos from George Clinton, former Red Hot Chili Peppers
guitarist John Frusciante, and Wu-Tang associate Reverend William
Burke. Songs include previously unheard titles like "That's the Zone",
"White Pony", and "Fabricated Lies", along with the early number
"Salute Sacrifice".
The catch? The LP is only available to customers who purchase a
limited edition version of the Boombotix Boombot Pro speaker, which
retails at about $120 a pop.
In the interview, RZA and Odadjian discuss the project and why it's
been delayed all this time:
RZA: Scheduling is one of the biggest issues for us. In the beginning,
we decided this was not to be a Wu-Tang side project or a System side
project; this is what it is. System was signed to Sony as an artist,
so I was like, "You go and do what you want to do and I'm gonna stand
back." He flew to New York and met labels but wasn't satisfied with
the ideology of what they were presenting.
RZA: Right, and then schedule kicked in. I got the movie bug. And so I
made The Man With the Iron Fists, and that's 2011. Basically I've been
running into that movie world so much that this got frozen in time.
Then System reemerges, so he's touring. But when I called Shavo in
January, and we talked about how it was the 100th anniversary of
the Armenian genocide, which is the common denominator that glued us
together in the first place, we decided to put the music out.
RZA also details the reason behind Achozen's unique partnership
with Boombotix:
After the success of the Wu-Tang speaker and the concept of me thinking
to myself and sharing with Boombotix that we should embed the music
into the device, so people could once again have a physical device
in their hand for music, I realized that it worked. In January, I
had took a listen to the Achozen album again in my studio - sober -
and I was like, "Man, this xxxx is xxxxing. . .how the xxxx. . .wow.
We never gave this to the world." So I talked to Shavo and he tells me
that this is the 100-year anniversary of the Armenian genocide. "Then
we got to do it!" It just hit me like, "Yo, this is a great place
to put the record at and it won't be going through all that other
bullxxxx that we've been trying to avoid."
Achozen has reportedly begun writing a new batch of 12-15 songs --
enough for another album -- which will be released in the future
through the speaker company. In the meantime, you can snag the LP
and fancy audio gadget here. Below, check out the artwork, tracklist,
and revisit both "Salute Sacrifice" and "Deuces".
Serj Tankian's new song 'Aurora's Dram' will be released on April 24
April 20, 2016
Prominent musician and political activist, Serj Tankian has composed a
special track called “Aurora’s Dream.” The composition will be the
theme music for the upcoming inaugural Aurora Prize ceremony to be
held in Yerevan, Armenia on April 24, 2016. The Aurora Prize was born
of the 100 LIVES initiative, which is rooted in the inspiring stories
of courage and survival during the Armenian Genocide one hundred years
ago.
The subject is dear to Serj’s heart as Tankian’s own family would not
have survived without the American missionaries who ran the orphanage
in which his grandfather was raised. Tankian’s maternal grandmother
Varsenig survived the massacres thanks to the bravery of a Turkish
mayor, who put his life on the line to hide her and her family. This
righteous Turkish citizen refused to carry out the government’s orders
to kill or deport Armenians; many who undertook similar acts of
selflessness at this time were executed by the Ottoman government for
defying authority.
Commenting on the release of the new song, Serj Tankian said, “Of all
the tracks I’ve composed and produced over the last few years,
‘Aurora’s Dream’ is my favorite. I’m glad it was for the Aurora Prize
and 100 LIVES initiative - an organization doing wonderful things by
bringing attention to devastating tragedies and the real heroes that
rise to the occasion.”
Arman Jilavian, CEO 100 LIVES and the Aurora Prize said, “We are
grateful to Serj for the creativity, enthusiasm and passion he brought
to our project. Above all, his beautiful composition acts as a tribute
to Aurora, the woman after whom the prize was named and who bore
witness to the horrors of the Armenian Genocide and bravely told the
world her story of survival to raise awareness for the 1915
atrocities. Through the Aurora Prize, we aim to raise awareness of the
men and women who are courageously saving lives around the world
today.”
About 100 LIVES
100 LIVES is a new global initiative rooted in the events of the
Armenian Genocide, during which 1.5 million Armenians perished. The
fortunate few were saved by the courageous and heroic acts of
individuals and institutions. A century later, 100 LIVES seeks to
express gratitude, to share remarkable stories of survivors and their
saviors, and to celebrate the strength of the human spirit.
100 LIVES is an initiative of the IDeA Foundation (Initiatives for
Development of Armenia), a charitable foundation committed to
promoting socioeconomic development in Armenia through investments in
long-term, non-profit projects.
About the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity
On behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and in gratitude
to their saviors, an Aurora Prize Laureate will be honored each year
with a US$100,000 grant as well as the unique opportunity to continue
the cycle of giving by nominating organizations that inspired their
work for a US$1,000,000 award. Recipients will be recognized for the
exceptional impact their actions have made on preserving human life
and advancing humanitarian causes.
The Aurora Prize Selection Committee includes Nobel Laureates Elie
Wiesel, Oscar Arias, Shirin Ebadi and Leymah Gbowee; former President
of Ireland Mary Robinson; human rights activist Hina Jilani; former
Australian Foreign Minister and President Emeritus of the
International Crisis Group Gareth Evans; President of the Carnegie
Corporation of New York Vartan Gregorian; and Academy Award-winning
actor and humanitarian George Clooney.
The Aurora Prize will be awarded annually on April 24 in Yerevan, Armenia.
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