Scars On Broadway Post First Song Online

Scars On Broadway, the new band featuring System Of A Down drummer John Dolmayan and guitarist/ vocalist Daron Malakian, have posted a new song on their official Myspace entitled "They Say". You can check it out at http://www.myspace.com/scarsonbroadway. The song has also been made available as a free download.

The band will play their first show at the Coachella festival on April 26th which also features System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian as a performer.

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Serj Tankian Suggests Holographic Touring

Reuters has an article on System of a Down frontman turned solo artist, Serj Tankian, including an interview with him discussing topics of the environment and being a "green" band in-depth. Here's an interesting excerpt:

Q: This is all great, but I'm wondering how you justify being part of an industry that produces so much waste. You've sold more than 10 million CDs, and many of those were in plastic containers that had to be shipped to stores.

Tankian: Basically, we're all hypocrites unless we go out and live off the land. That way of living is a model for me, because I think those people are clued in about climate change and the way we're going to have to alter our lives. I spend a lot of the record talking about the end of civilization, and I don't mean an apocalypse. I think that we are going to have to come to terms with the fact that the way we live now will not exist in 50 years, period.

Q: Along those same lines, you have been touring for this record, and while you have carbon offset programs in place, you are still using a lot of resources and putting a lot of goods out there. How do you reconcile that with your belief system?

Tankian: Again, I realize I am a hypocrite by going on the road and doing this. I've had an idea for a long time, which might sound a little crazy, but I really want to look into holographic touring. I think we could reduce our need to travel if we could project ourselves into meetings and concerts. We have the technology, and we're not using it right now.

For instance, I have a studio next to my house and a live performance room in the studio. I could broadcast a show in real time and could interact with the audience as if we were in the same room. After all, it's not like the audience can touch me, anyway. (laughs) It would open up a whole new world for touring -- shows wouldn't have to be limited to bars or clubs. There would be no travel costs, so bands with very little money could play shows, and tickets would cost less.

Read the full article at Reuters.

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System Of A Down To Reunite For Festival?

SYSTEM OF A DOWN singer Serj Tankian has been added to the lineup of this year's Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival, scheduled for April 25-27 at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, California. With SCARS ON BROADWAY, the new band featuring SYSTEM guitarist Daron Malakian and drummer John Dolmayan, previously announced for the festival, it's likely that speculation will start about whether the musicians will get together for a surprise SYSTEM reunion. The band has been on hiatus since the fall of 2006, with Tankian releasing his first solo album, "Elect the Dead", last fall. The SCARS ON BROADWAY debut is due out this summer.

Malakian recently told MTV.com that SYSTEM's hiatus may be permanent, saying, "If anyone's holding their breath for a SYSTEM record, they're going to turn blue and pass out. It's a long ways away, if it ever even happens."

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SOAD Guitarist Talks About Scars On Broadway

SYSTEM OF A DOWN guitarist Daron Malakian has told MTV.com that SCARS ON BROADWAY — the band he formed with SYSTEM's drummer, John Dolmayan, soon after the Serj Tankian-fronted act went on an indefinite hiatus back in 2006 — is not a side project.

"There's no talk of SYSTEM doing anything," Malakian told MTV.com. "We're not planning on doing anything. If anyone's holding their breath for a SYSTEM record, they're going to turn blue and pass out. It's a long ways away, if it ever even happens. We don't even talk about it — none of us. This is my band right now."

"I should be finished with vocals in the next couple of weeks," he said of his band's forthcoming self-titled album, which he doesn't expect in stores until after the summer. "All we have to do after that is mix the record. I've been in the studio for months now, and we had 15 songs when we first hit the studio in September. We tracked those 15 songs, and then I had, like, maybe five or six songs I felt I really needed to get off my chest. So I took the band back to my house where we were rehearsing, and in a matter of a month, we had those songs written, and we headed back into the studio in late November and tracked those additional songs."

Read the full article at MTV.com.

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Serj Tankian Announces More Tour Dates

SYSTEM OF A DOWN vocalist Serj Tankian has scheduled the following tour dates:

Mar. 08 - San Francisco, CA -Warfield Theatre
Mar. 10 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theatre
Mar. 11 - Seattle, WA - Showbox SoDo
Mar. 15 - Calgary, AB - MacEwan Hall
Mar. 16 - Edmonton, AB - Edmonton Event Center
Mar. 19 - Salt Lake City, UT - In The Venue
Mar. 21 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
Apr. 01 - Glasgow, UK - ABC
Apr. 02 - Liverpool, UK - Carling Academy
Apr. 03 - London, UK - Forum
Apr. 06 - Birmingham, UK - Carling Academy
Apr. 08 - Hamburg, GER - Docks
Apr. 09 - Copenhagen, DEN - Amager Bio
Apr. 10 - Berlin, GER - Columbiahalle
Apr. 13 - Vienna, AUT - Gasometer
Apr. 14 - Filderstadt, GER - Filharmonie
Apr. 15 - Zurich, GER - Volkshaus
Apr. 18 - Strasbourg, FRA - Artefacts
Apr. 19 - Bourges, FRA - Palais d'Oron
Apr. 20 - Lille, FRA - Artificiels
Apr. 22 - Milano, ITA - Alcatraz

Serj Tankian has issued "Sky is Over" as the second single from his debut solo album, "Elect the Dead". Although Tankian doesn't say straight out what the song is about, he did tell The Pulse of Radio that it comes from both his childhood memories and his concerns about the planet. "I've always thought of the sky as, like, an open canvas," he said. "When I was a kid and I looked at the sky, I always remember being able to daydream, just looking at the sky, being creative, being able to design things. What would happen if we had no sky? Where would we be? Well, obviously, scientifically, without an atmosphere, we'd all be dead."

Tankian recently shot and premiered a video for "Sky is Over".

"Elect the Dead" made the "long list" of finalists for this year's Shortlist Prize, which is awarded to an album that has sold less than 500,000 copies. The winner will be announced in the spring.

"Elect the Dead" came out in late October and landed at Number Four on the Billboard album chart.

Tankian will join FOO FIGHTERS on a portion of their upcoming North American tour, beginning on February 18 in Worcester, Massachusetts and ending on March 6 in Los Angeles.

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Scars On Broadway Confirmed For Coachella Festival

SYSTEM OF A DOWN guitarist Daron Malakian's new band with SYSTEM drummer John Dolmayan, called SCARS ON BROADWAY, has been confirmed for this year's Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, set to take place April 25-27 in Indio, California.

For more information, visit www.coachella.com.

Malakian has told Revolver magazine that SCARS ON BROADWAY is his first priority right now and he doesn't see a return to SYSTEM any time soon. Malakian explained, "SYSTEM is not my band right now. I'll go back and do that someday. I'd expect a second SCARS album before I'd expect another SYSTEM album." That could mean a long wait for SYSTEM fans, since SCARS ON BROADWAY has yet to finish recording its debut album or set a release date. The last SYSTEM CD, "Hypnotize", came out in late 2005.

SYSTEM drummer John Dolmayan, who also plays in SCARS ON BROADWAY, told The Pulse of Radio he understands fans being concerned over SYSTEM's future. "The SYSTEM issue is gonna come up forever," he said. "It's unavoidable because people really like the band and they want to see the band working, making albums and touring. The only thing I would ask of our fans is just be a little bit patient. We are in a phase of our lives where we need to do something different so that we can come back to SYSTEM renewed and refreshed. That's not gonna take 15 years. We don't know exactly how many years it'll take. When we're ready, we'll get back into it."

SCARS ON BROADWAY has yet to determine which record label will release their debut album.

SYSTEM vocalist Serj Tankian released his debut solo effort, "Elect the Dead", last October through Reprise Records.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN bassist Shavo Odadjian recently launched a music-based social networking site called urSession and is working on his own side project with WU-TANG CLAN member The RZA.

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Serj Tankian Reveals New Single

The Pulse of Radio reports: SYSTEM OF A DOWN vocalist Serj Tankian has issued "Sky is Over" as the second single from his debut solo album, "Elect the Dead". Although Tankian doesn't say straight out what the song is about, he did tell The Pulse of Radio that it comes from both his childhood memories and his concerns about the planet. "I've always thought of the sky as, like, an open canvas," he said. "When I was a kid and I looked at the sky, I always remember being able to daydream, just looking at the sky, being creative, being able to design things. What would happen if we had no sky? Where would we be? Well, obviously, scientifically, without an atmosphere, we'd all be dead."

Tankian recently shot and premiered a video for "Sky is Over".

"Elect the Dead" made the "long list" of finalists for this year's Shortlist Prize, which is awarded to an album that has sold less than 500,000 copies. The winner will be announced in the spring.

"Elect the Dead" came out in late October and landed at Number Four on the Billboard album chart.

Tankian will join FOO FIGHTERS on a portion of their upcoming North American tour, beginning on February 18 in Worcester, Massachusetts and ending on March 6 in Los Angeles.

The singer will also perform several headlining dates before joining up with the FOO FIGHTERS tour. Newly confirmed shows are:

More...

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SOAD Guitarist Speaks On Scars On Broadway

SYSTEM OF A DOWN guitarist Daron Malakian has told Revolver magazine that the debut album from his SCARS ON BROADWAY project — which also features SYSTEM drummer John Dolmayan — promises to explore the same thematic and sonic territory as SYSTEM while pushing into new terrain as well.

"The way SYSTEM sounds is my signature," Malakian says proudly, "and I don't want to completely run away from that, because I like it. It's where I'm comfortable. But at the same time, we want this to have its own identity, which I think it will. I'm not writing the same songs now as I did two years ago. And when you listen to 'Mezmerize' and 'Hypnotize', they're different from 'Toxicity'. I can't repeat myself."

SYSTEM OF A DOWN singer Serj Tankian's solo debut, "Elect the Dead", sold 66,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 4 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was the first new release from a member of SYSTEM OF A DOWN since the band went on hiatus in the fall of 2006.

Although Tankian played most of the instruments on the record himself, SYSTEM OF A DOWN drummer John Dolmayan contributed to a few songs.

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SOAD's Shavo Odadjian To Score "Babylon AD" Film

Shavo Odadjian, music video director, DJ, and bassist for the multi-Platinum, Grammy Award-winning rock band System of a Down, will add film scorer to his list of credits with his work on the upcoming sci-fi/thriller feature film, "Babylon AD," starring Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh and Gerard Depardieu. The film is being directed by Cannes Award winning French director Mathieu Kassovitz ("La Haine/Hate"), and will be released over the Labor Day Weekend, 2008.

Working closely on the score with Academy Awarding winning composer Hans Zimmer and composer Atli Orvarsson, Odadjian is collaborating with writing/scoring partner, Wu-Tang Clan's The RZA, writing and scoring several tracks for "Babylon AD," as well as various "futuristic-specific" musical themes and orchestration throughout the film. "Musically, our objective was to merge the sounds and energies of hip hop with classical music, seamlessly melting them into an unusual soundscape," explained Zimmer. "Shavo's unique talent, perspective and ability have achieved exactly that, and then some."

Much of the music for the score is being performed by Achozen, the musical alliance formed by Odadjian and The RZA.

As bassist for System of a Down, Odadjian has seen every one of the band's five albums hit the Platinum mark with three debuting at #1 on Billboard's Albums charts, and has sold in excess of 10-milliion albums in the U.S. alone. He has written and/or directed the music videos for the band's "Toxicity," "Aerials," "Question" and "Hypnotize," and earlier this year, wrote and directed the Bad Brains video for the song, "Give Thanks and Praises."

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System Of A Down Frontman Posts Solo Shows Online

Professionally filmed video footage of SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman Serj Tankian performing at the House of Blues in Las Vegas on October 25, 2005 can be viewed below:

• Unthinking Majority


• Sky Is Over


• Empty Walls

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Serj Tankian Answers Fans Questions

SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman and solo artist Serj Tankian recently answered several "frequently asked questions", posting the answers on his MySpace page:

Q: "Elect The Dead" [is] your first album released since SYSTEM OF A DOWN went on a hiatus in 2006. What was it like to make an album on your own?

Tankian: I've wanted to make a solo album for quite some time. When I was in the thick of it, I felt possessed. It was like swimming in the depths in that ocean of creativity. My mind was always tuned into the project, even during sleep. It's a nice form of exorcism, getting all of that stuff out emotionally and also channeling sounds from the universe. With making this album on my own versus with a full band, there are certain vulnerabilities and intimacies you can only express by yourself, when you're representing only yourself. And lyrically I consider this record a lot more vulnerable and intimate than anything I've done with SYSTEM. There are love songs, pain songs…very personal songs. And of course there are political songs.

Q: How would you describe "Elect the Dead" to someone who is not familiar with the album yet?

Tankian: "Elect the Dead" is a rock record that takes you on a journey with different types of genres integrated, different lyrical themes digested, and many fun and colorful moments to enjoy. It's more intimate, orchestral, and exploratory all at the same time, yet a very quality album. In fact, it's the best work I've ever done in my life to date.

Q: What is the status and future of SYSTEM OF A DOWN? Do you have plans to record another album with SOAD in the future?

Tankian: SOAD is currently on an indefinite hiatus after 10+ years of being a touring and recording band. SOAD is not a corporation that needs to put out a product every year to sustain. We're a group of artists and we create music together when we want to. We are enjoying prioritizing other artistic and personal efforts. We're all friends and supportive of each others' art. If and when we need to speak as one to the world, the world will be aware.

Q: Do you write and record other genres of music?

Tankian: I've had my own studio and have been writing music for many years. I have over 400 or 500 pieces total of all sorts of musical genres. Some are used for films, video games, collaborations, remixes, SYSTEM, and some for my solo stuff. Some of these songs I've had for a number of years in demo form, others were written last year.

Q: The end of civilization is a theme that seems to run through most of the album. Can you talk a bit about what that means to you?

Tankian: We're addicted to this concept of civilization- we can't imagine living outside of it because we've had it for 10,000 years, all of what we call history. But according to archaeologists, humanity has been on this planet for millions of years in indigenous form. Based on the current progression of overpopulation coupled with the accelerated rate of destruction of national resources, civilization is scientifically unsustainable. We know this thing is ending, and what are we doing about it? We're just making plans to slow down its death.

Q: How did the material on "Elect The Dead" come together? Did you play all of the instruments in addition to producing the record?

Tankian: Much of it is culled from recordings I've amassed over a long period of time, up through this past year. I have such a backlog of material and when I was going through everything, the songs on the album are the ones that stood out. When I wrote everything, I wrote it on piano and acoustic guitar, and I didn't know I was going to arrange it as a rock record. Producing this was something — in the beginning when I first started, I was a little skeptical about it, because what if I succeeded as an artist and not as a producer? So I had that in the back of mind, but I really knew what kinds of sound I wanted from the tones, what kind of guitars I wanted to use, how I wanted my pianos, strings and vocals to sound. I was very involved, and knew what I was going for, so as I went along, layer by layer developing the songs, it was getting there, so I didn't want to bring someone else in and change things at that point. But I had to do that, to step out into the control room, take my artist/songwriter hat off, put on the producer's hat and say "How could this be better, is this the best it could be" at every point in the game. I did have the help of some close friends/artists to collaborate with. Dan Monti, my engineer and guitarist played on the record, as did my friend and opera singer Ani Maldjian. John Dolmayan (SOAD's drummer) and Brian "Brain" Mantia (PRIMUS, GUNS N' ROSES) helped by playing drums.

Q: What is the concept behind creating a video for each track on the album?

Tankian: There's a two-fold idea behind it. One is to multiply the artistic factor of the record, and the second reason is in today's music industry, with file sharing and downloading we have to offer something a lot more than just 12 songs on a record. We need to offer multiple ways of connecting with our fans, with the people that listen to our music. I always like involving really artsy friends, whether we're going to do artwork for the record, website stuff or videos. So I gave 12 different video director friends songs, one for each, and a small budget, and said "He, go crazy. Do whatever art idea you've wanted to experiment with in the past. I don't want a treatment, I don't want to see it until it's done." It turned out to be some of the more amazing videos I've ever seen coupled with music.

Q: What does the album title mean?

Tankian: I am more interested in how people interpret the phrase "Elect The Dead" than what I may or may not have intended. I named the album after the track, which is a spiritual song about love, life and death and is the heaviest song on the album without having any heavy instruments.

I have gotten some great responses from friends/colleagues as to what the meaning could be.

1) The current leaders are not qualified enough to lead us through these trying times, so we need to look for guidance from past leaders (Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, JFK, etc). The living ideas of the dead are more powerful and effective than the dead ideas of the living.

2) The victims of the epitome of civilization should elect our next leaders so we can live in a more just society.

3) We need to gain the wisdom from beyond history, from beyond the material and physical worlds, to be able to deal with not just electing our political leaders today, but learning how to elect ourselves as leaders.

Q: What is the Axis Of Justice organization that you co-founded about?

Tankian: Axis Of Justice is a non-profit organization started by Tom Morello (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE) and myself in 2001. You can download or copy our mission off of the website (www.axisofjustice.org). It's both a fund to donate to other just causes and a political platform for things that we decide to intervene in. We have taken up diverse causes such as labor issues, co-op farming, feeding the homeless, recognition of the Armenian genocide, Article 301 in Turkey (freedom of speech) with Amnesty International, the war, etc. Any fight for justice is worth it.

Q: The Armenian Genocide issue is on the news these days. Do you feel pleased with the (still unofficial) recognition of the genocide from the American side? And how do you feel now that this issue is directly linked with the prospect of a Turkish invasion of North Iraq?

Tankian: I think that both parties in Congress have ultimately been made tools of U.S. strategic interests (some people call it Empire) whether willfully or against their will. The administration, the defense industry, the oil industry, and K Street Lobbying firms hired by Turkey at a rate of $300,000 per month have all lobbied congressman effectively for the removal of the Genocide Bill from the house for this year. Nancy Pelosi (Speaker of the House) has been very supportive but "National Security" is the ugly trump card used by all to remove inconvenient truths that are essential for us looking into the mirror as a democracy. I am still hopeful that the truth will prevail no matter how much the U.S. feels dependent on Turkey. The truth is the other way around, but of course what does truth have to do with politics?

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Potentially Satanic Ozzy Memorabilia For Sale

People who find themselves watching reruns of The Osbournes and wondering where they could possibly get their own skull and crossbones cufflinks or backstage pass to Ozzfest 2002 may be in luck.

Julien's Auctions, who specialize in high-profile celebrity auctions will be selling off more than 500 items from the Ozzy Osbourne and family's personal collection, many of which were prominently displayed on episodes of The Osbournes. The auction, which is scheduled to take place on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, features a wide range of products from rings to cars and everything Ozzy in-between.

Some items will likely have no problem finding buyers. The Dark One's bat cloak, his velvet bath robe and trademark wire-frame glasses are all available, as are the family's Teen Choice Award and 2006 Bentley Continental. While items from Ozzy's wardrobe come too late for Halloween, they are certainly coveted items amongst those who still request "Crazy Train" at weddings.

On the other hand, some items, while sure to sell, may go to buyers who wish to remain anonymous, such as a pair of Ozzy's used leather pants and a signed and inscribed 8x10 photo of David Hasselhoff circa Baywatch.

Also available for auction is Ozzy's Yamaha "Banshee" ATV, the very one he crashed in 2003 leading him to sporting a neck brace, which unfortunately isn't up for grabs. Bidding starts at $2,000 for the neck-smashing quad.

Many of the items may be of little interest to Ozzy fans at all and may instead end up in the hands of gothic furniture collectors, such as carved changing screens, lamps and a log bin.

Fans of other celebrities may want to take note as well. The auction features gold records from Pantera, Ugly Kid Joe, System Of A Down, Static X and more.

The auction seems to be the real deal and not a police sting similar to one used by Fargo, North Dakota police earlier this month in which people with outstanding warrants were invited to meet the singer, only to be led away in handcuffs upon arrival.

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Serj Tankian To Guest On Bruce Dickinson's Show

SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman Serj Tankian will be IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson's guests on Friday, December 7 during Bruce's weekly BBC 6 Music radio show, aptly named "The Bruce Dickinson Friday Rock Show". Listen to the program live via the Internet between 10:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. U.K. time at BBC.co.uk.

Serj Tankian's solo debut, "Elect the Dead", sold 66,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 4 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD is the first new release from a member of SYSTEM OF A DOWN since the band went on hiatus in the fall of 2006.

Although Tankian played most of the instruments on the record himself, SYSTEM OF A DOWN drummer John Dolmayan contributed to a few songs.

Dolmayan is also in a new band called SCARS ON BROADWAY with SYSTEM guitarist Daron Malakian.

Tankian and his backing band, the FCC, are currently touring the UK as the support act for FOO FIGHTERS.

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Leaked Demos From SOAD Side Project Not Legit

The Pulse of Radio reports: SYSTEM OF A DOWN side project SCARS ON BROADWAY, which features guitarist Daron Malakian and drummer John Dolmayan, has posted a message at its official web site claiming that material that has surfaced online in the guise of "demos" from the band are not legitimate recordings. The post said, "Lately, there have been songs leaked onto YouTube labeled as 'SCARS ON BROADWAY demos.'We want to make it clear that this music is from a disbanded project from four years ago, and is in no way affiliated with SCARS ON BROADWAY. Any music that will be leaked or released from SCARS, will be done so directly to our fans through our official websites."

SCARS ON BROADWAY has been in the studio working on its debut album, which is likely to surface sometime in early 2008.

Asked what the band will sound like, Dolmayan told The Pulse of Radio it's both similar to and different from SYSTEM OF A DOWN: "I think you're gonna be pleasantly surprised. It's certainly a departure from SYSTEM, but it's gonna be difficult to completely take a departure, because you have two members of SYSTEM, and you have the primary songwriter also writing these songs. But it is definitely an evolution."

Dolmayan recently launched his own online comic book store, called Torpedo Comics, at TorpedoComics.com.

The drummer also contributed some work to "Elect the Dead", the recently released solo debut from SYSTEM frontman Serj Tankian.

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System Of A Down Drummer Talks Comic Store

With multi-platinum rock band SYSTEM OF A DOWN currently on hiatus and his SCARS ON BROADWAY project with SOAD's Daron Malakian in the early stages, drummer John Dolmayan has fulfilled his other passion of comic books and collectibles by launching Torpedo Comics, an exclusively Internet-based retail store. Torpedo Comics went live on November 1, and boasts some 15-million items — comic books, toys, graphic novels, trade paperbacks, superhero action figures and other comic book-related memorabilia, ranging in price from 99 cents to six figures.

"I've been collecting comics for well over twenty years and at a certain point I couldn't afford to buy more comics anymore, so I started selling comics, you know, to make money to buy new ones," Dolmayan told the Artisan News Service. "I noticed that I had a knack for it and I enjoyed it. There is something cool about setting up at a convention, having no guarantees and you make sales because you're personable and you have the right prices and the right product. It kind of manifested into a little bit larger than I thought it would, but at this point we have 15 million books, original art, huge Silver Surfer statue. You name it, we got it."

He added, "It's a labor of love for me, so the more time I spend on it the better I feel. It is really a lot of fun because you're dealing with comic books, toys, animation and it's all fun. I come in and I have a lot of great employees who work with me and it's a team effort. It isn't something that I dread, you know. I wake up happy to go to work. I guess I'm lucky because I have the same experience in music that I do with Torpedo Comics."

Regarding the long-term goals of the project, Dolmayan said, "We're planning on, when you have 15 million comics, inputting becomes an issue, you know. It'll probably take us another year or so to get everything that we have in stock represented online. We're starting the company November 1st with a soft opening of 8 thousand items. So, it'll progress to a hundred thousand items within a year or so and it's all for sale. You know, there are always going to be different things coming in, it's just the nature of the business. You buy stuff, you put it up for sale, somebody buys it and you feel like 'Oh I didn't want to sell that!' Then you move on to the next thing."

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System Of A Down Drummer Launches Comic Store

With multi-platinum rock band SYSTEM OF A DOWN currently on hiatus and his SCARS ON BROADWAY project with SOAD's Daron Malakian in the early stages, drummer John Dolmayan will fulfill his other passion of comic books and collectibles by launching Torpedo Comics, an exclusively Internet-based retail store. Torpedo Comics goes live tomorrow, Thursday, November 1, and will boast some 15-million items — comic books, toys, graphic novels, trade paperbacks, superhero action figures and other comic book-related memorabilia, ranging in price from 99 cents to six figures.

If you're a collector, a comics voyeur, or just looking for a unique holiday gift, be sure and peruse the virtual pages of Torpedo Comics, as Dolmayan has something up there for everyone in every price range.

* If you're a vampire buff or a fan of the new smash hit film "30 Days of Nights" starring Josh Hartnett, Torpedo Comics offers the original graphic novel that the film is based on. Sold elsewhere for about $75, Torpedo is discounting the full-color, hard-cover book for $55.

* "Star Wars" toy collectors — you can own the FAO Schwartz Exclusive Imperial Shuttle Tyderium for only $149 — it's selling on eBay for $225.00.

* Currently, the priciest item available at Torpedo Comics is the Young Allies, issue #1 comic book. This particular item is acknowledged as the one in the best condition on the planet, and can be yours for only $75,000.

Dolmayan, who has been collecting comic books since he was 12, houses Torpedo Comics' inventory in a just-completed 30,000-square-foot warehouse in Las Vegas, NV where he now lives. He employs a staff of 25 who catalogue and care for rare items like Sensation Comics issue #1 (the first solo series featuring Wonder Woman), just about every key issue of Marvel and DC comics including Marvel Comics' issue #1, multiple copies of Giant Size X-Men #1, plus superhero action figures from Marvel, X-Men, Superman, and Batman titles. Torpedo Comics will also offer original comic art, created between the 1940s and the present, by some 150 different artists, including Jim Lee, Art Adams, Bernie Wrightson, and Alejandro Gaza.

Dolmayan incorporated his love for comic books into the drum kit that he played during SYSTEM OF A DOWN's 2006 tour. Dolmayan contacted 22 of his favorite comic book artists, including Jim Lee, Simon Bisley, Kevin Eastman, Neal Adams and Bill Sienkiewicz, were each sent various pieces of the drum kit onto which they drew original illustrations.

As for Dolmayan and Malakian's SCARS ON BROADWAY venture, the two are writing and recording their debut album which is intended for a summer 2008 release.

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Just For Fun

Metal, Rock Frontmen Talk Halloween Plans

The Pulse of Radio reports: Wednesday (October 31) is Halloween, one of the biggest and most increasingly popular holidays on the calendar. The day is normally filled with costumes, parties, haunted houses, horror movies, trick-or-treating and all kinds of spooky and entertaining events and activities, and we asked several of our favorite musicians how they'll be spending the day:

DISTURBED's David Draiman has one objective in mind for the holiday: "Gonna go somewhere with a gorgeous lady friend of mine, and get her to wear her wonderful costume, and get me to take off her wonderful costume, and that's pretty much my intention for the night (laughs). I'm gonna probably go somewhere and drink a bunch of things I shouldn't, and feel entirely too horrible about it the next day and tell myself I'm never gonna do it again, and like always, I've never been a good liar."

KORN frontman Jonathan Davis is a family man these days and plans to make the trick-or-treating rounds with his younger sons, Pirate and Zeppelin: "I think Pirate's gonna be a spider, and I'm not sure, I think Zep's gonna be a little mummy. I'm not sure yet. But we can't wait. We're gonna go trick or treating and just have a good time. I don't know what I'm gonna be yet. We all get in the spirit at the house, we all dress up."

SYSTEM OF A DOWN singer Serj Tankian told The Pulse of Radio the best idea for a costume we've heard in a long time: "My favorite Halloween costume is a lamp. I like just wearing this long, long thing and having, like, a shade on my head and going to the corner of the room and having this light on my head, and just standing there not talking to anyone. And if someone comes up to me and says, 'Hey, Serj, how are you doing?' I always ask them, 'Do you talk to lamps often?' And if they say yes, then I say, 'Then you need help,' and if they say no, then I say, 'Don't talk to me then.' No, I'm just kidding. I've wanted to do that for years, but I've never done it."

Halloween is not as big a deal in South Africa as it is here, but that didn't stop South African natives SEETHER from getting into the spirit, as frontman Shaun Morgan told The Pulse of Radio: "About two years ago, I put on a fat suit, biker chick suit (laughs). Dale (Stewart, bassist) actually was, I think, the worst part about it. Dale was wearing the cheerleader outfit with just enough belly revealed, and Johnny (Humphrey, drummer) played in a fat suit. So that was kind of cool. I think that might have been the first time I remember actually dressing up for Halloween."

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Watch Serj Tankian Cover The Beatles' 'Girl'

Fan-filmed video footage of SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman Serj Tankian performing a cover of THE BEATLES' "Girl" on October 22, 2007 at The Granada Theater in Dallas, Texas can be viewed here.

In a recently interview with Live Daily, Serj was asked which covers was going to be performing on his current tour. "One of the covers I'm doing is [the DEAD KENNEDYS'] 'Holiday in Cambodia', which I did with the FOO FIGHTERS at the VMAs," he said. "I figured, 'Hey, if I'm going to get that down and learn it, I might as well have the band learn it as well.' For the other one, I asked the band, 'Do you guys know any songs? Any cool covers we could play?' The pianist was like, 'I could do 'Girl' by THE BEATLES.' I'm like, 'All right, let's try it.' We kind of tweaked it our own way and it came out kind of funny." More...

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Serj Tankian's Home Has Close Brush With Fires

The Pulse of Radio reports: Serj Tankian is one of many artists and celebrities who has a home in the Southern California area that is currently endangered by massive fires, and told a Seattle radio station on Tuesday (October 23) that his area was under orders to evacuate. But Tankian arrived in California on Wednesday (October 2h) and told The Pulse of Radio that his house was now out of danger. "Thankfully, we got news that they lifted the evacuation and they were able to control the fire," he said. "But that was really, really scary, and I'm praying that it all dissipates and gets done pretty fast. There's people that are losing their homes. I can't imagine, you know, I've been thinking about that for the last 48 hours of, you know, what it would be to lose my home and it's a tough thing. It makes you realize how many little things are irreplaceable in your life."

Tankian has been on the road for the last two weeks on his first-ever solo tour, in support of his just released solo debut, "Elect the Dead".

"Elect the Dead" is the first new release from a member of SYSTEM OF A DOWN since the band went on hiatus in the fall of 2006.

Tankian plays on Thursday night (October 25) in Las Vegas. He and his backing band, the FCC, will head to the U.K. early next month to open for FOO FIGHTERS.

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Serj Tankian To Appear On Rockline

Serj Tankian will be the featured guest on the nationally syndicated radio show ROCKLINE on Monday night October 29 at 8:30pm PT / 11:30pm ET. Fans are encouraged to call to speak with Serj at 1-800-344-ROCK (7625). For a station near you and for information regarding how to log onto the Internet for the broadcast go to www.RocklineRadio.com

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