Daron Malakian

Daron Malakian
Malakian performing with System of a Down in 2006.
Background information
Born	July 18, 1975 (1975-07-18)
Origin	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Heavy metal, experimental, alternative metal, progressive rock
Occupations	Musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, drums, dulcimer, viola, piano, keyboards, organ, synthesizer, mellotron, mandolin, mandola, sitar, sarod, banjo, ukulele, tambura
Years active	1990 – present
Labels	Interscope, eatURmusic, American, Columbia
Associated acts	System of a Down, Scars on Broadway
Website	www.systemofadown.com www.scarsonbroadway.com
Notable instruments
Ibanez Iceman Gibson SG Fender Stratocaster 50th Anniversary Flying V

Daron Vartan Malakian (born July 18, 1975) is an Armenian-American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist, songwriter, and occasional vocalist of the heavy metal band System of a Down and as the lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and songwriter of the alternative metal band Scars on Broadway. Like the rest of the Hollywood-based band System of a Down, he is of Armenian ancestry, but is the only member to actually have been born inside the United States. He is placed 30th in Guitar World's List of The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time.

Biography

Daron Vartan Malakian was born on July 18, 1975, in Hollywood, California, the only child to Vartan and Zepur Malakian, immigrants originally from Iraq and Iran respectively. Vartan Malakian is a painter, dancer, and choreographer and Zepur Malakian is a sculptor who used to instruct college-level sculpture. At a very early age, Malakian got into heavy metal music; his distant cousin played him a Kiss record when he was four years old. Malakian started listening to Van Halen, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motörhead and Ozzy Osbourne among others. He always wanted to play the drums, but his parents got him a guitar instead because “You can’t turn the drums off.” Daron first picked up a guitar at age 11, 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." During his teens Malakian listened to heavy metal bands such as Slayer, Venom, Metallica, Pantera and Sepultura . Malakian then began listening to The Beatles and cites John Lennon as one of his biggest influences on him as a songwriter. He also cites other British Invasion bands such as The Kinks and The Who as major influences as well folk-rock such as trio Peter, Paul, and Mary and punk pioneer Iggy Pop. Daron went to Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School in the Los Feliz side of Hollywood, which his future bandmates Shavo Odadjian and Ontronik "Andy" Khachaturian (System of a Down's original drummer) also attended. System of a Down vocalist Serj Tankian attended the school as well, but he was many years above Malakian and the others. Malakian attended Glendale High School as a teenager.

Malakian met Serj Tankian in 1993, while they both shared the same rehearsal studio in different bands. Tankian was playing keyboard for a band, and Daron was playing guitar and singing for another band. They formed a jam band called Soil with bassist Dave Hakopyan and drummer Domingo Laraino. Shavo Odadjian then became their manager, and then rhythm guitarist. Soil broke up and Malakian, Tankian, and Odadjian (who switched to bass) formed a new band using the name “System of a Down”, based on a poem that Daron wrote. The poem’s title was “Victims of a Down” but Odadjian thought "system" was a stronger word than "victims." They then recruited drummer Andy Khachaturian, who was replaced by John Dolmayan in 1997.

Malakian co-produced System of a Down’s albums with Rick Rubin, as well as albums by The Ambulance and Bad Acid Trip (a band on fellow member Serj Tankian’s Serjical Strike Records). In 2003, Malakian started his own label, EatUrMusic, on which Amen was the first signed band. The label is now inactive and its current status is unknown.

Scars on Broadway

Main article: Scars on Broadway

In 2003, Daron Malakian (lead guitar and vocals), Greg Kelso (rhythm guitar), Casey Chaos (vocals), and Zach Hill (drums) recorded a demo tape entitled "Ghetto Blaster Rehearsals" credited to the name Scars on Broadway. However, in 2007, an official letter appeared on the band's website that stated that these tracks are not in any way affiliated with Malakian's later project Scars on Broadway. Incidentally, these demo sessions produced "B.Y.O.B.", which would be a major hit for System of a Down in 2005.

Following System's hiatus, Malakian announced his latest project — Scars on Broadway — a band which would include System of a Down bassist, Shavo Odadjian, and himself. Ultimately, Odadjian was not involved with the band, and instead System of a Down drummer, John Dolmayan became a member. After Malakian and Dolmayan experimented with different musicians (for a period of nine months in 2007 - 2008) the band took form and forged its sound in intense rehearsals and recording sessions (under Malakian’s direction at his home studio and Sunset Sound) with musicians Danny Shamoun on keyboards, Dominic Cifarelli on bass, and Franky Perez on guitar and backing vocals for live performances (in the studio Malakian played nearly all the instruments with the exception of drums which were played by Dolmayan and some overdubs provided by the other members). The group released an eponymous album in 2008, which featured the hit single "They Say" (written by Malakian). However, shortly before the tour supporting the album, Malakian cancelled all scheduled concert and TV appearances, blaming a lack of enthusiasm and that his "heart wasn't into touring." This sudden cancellation prompted speculation and rumors that the band had broken up. It was the last that would be heard of Malakian for more than a year.

In August 2009, Scars on Broadway, minus Malakian, traveled to Iraq for a USO tour across the U.S. army bases. Their setlist consisted of covers as well as a few Scars songs. Guitarist/vocalist Franky Perez stated on his Twitter that "the Scars tunes sound amazing but they're not the same without D..." He also stated before they left that Malakian had given them his blessing. In 2009 Franky Perez mentioned on his Twitter that he and the D-Man (Malakian) were going into studio to jam, this was the first news people have heard about Malakian's whereabouts for about a year.

On May 2, 2010 Malakian reunited with Scars on Broadway at the Troubadour in West Hollywood. It was the first time he had performed with the band since October 2008. The group played songs from their album as well as new songs. Odadjian performed with the band for two songs, playing guitar.

Recent activity

Malakian stayed out of the public eye following his cancellation of the tour in support of Scars on Broadway's debut album in October 2008. In 2009 Malakian made a surprise appearance (his first in a year) at Shavo Odadjian's Halloween Party and played "Suite-Pee," "They Say," and an unknown song with Odadjian, Dolmayan and Scars on Broadway's Franky Perez on guitar. It was the first time that the band members (minus Tankian, who was working on his second solo album) performed together in more than three years.

On November 20, 2009, Malakian played at the Chi Cheng Benefit concert along with Deftones and also performed with Odadjian and Dolmayan. Malakian, Odadjian, and Dolmayan played "Aerials" and "Toxicity."

He appeared on Cypress Hill's 2010 album Rise Up, on one song, "Trouble Seeker", which he also produced.

On July 29, 2010, Scars on Broadway released their first new studio recording in exactly two years, a Malakian-penned song called "Fucking."

On August 20, 2010, Malakian played in Hollywood with Scars on Broadway.

On November 29, 2010, it was announced that System of a Down would reunite for a European tour to take place in June 2011. They played at the Download Festival on the 11th of June 2011. Despite playing a number of reunion shows, the band has no plans to record new material.

Discography

System of a Down

Main article: System of a Down discography

Scars on Broadway

• Scars on Broadway (2008)

Other appearances

Year	Artist	Song	Release and/or explanation
Live performances
2000	Metallica feat. Jonathan Davis and Daron Malakian	"One"
	Metallica feat. Serj Tankian and Daron Malakian	"Mastertarium"
2003		"Creeping Death"	Reading Festival 2003
	The Ambulance feat. Daron Malakian	"Stop"
2010	Cypress Hill feat. Daron Malakian	"Trouble Seeker"

Production credits

Malakian has also produced a number of albums.

Year	Album	Artist	Credit(s)
1998	System of a Down	System of a Down	Producer, credited as System of a Down
2001	Toxicity		Producer
2002	Steal This Album!
2004	Death Before Musick	Amen	Executive producer and A&R
	Lynch the Weirdo	Bad Acid Trip	Producer
2005	Mezmerize	System of a Down
	Hypnotize
2008	Scars on Broadway	Scars on Broadway

Awards

• In 2002, System of a Down was nominated for a Grammy Award in Best Metal Performance for their song Chop Suey! but lost to Schism by Tool
• In 2003, System of a Down was nominated for a Grammy Award in Best Hard Rock Performance for "Aerials" but lost to All My Life by Foo Fighters
• In 2005, System of a Down won for Best Alternative Act in the Europe Music Awards
• In 2006, System of a Down won their first Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance for B.Y.O.B.
• In 2006, System of a Down won the "MTV Good Woodie Award" for their song Question!
• In 2006, System of a Down's song Toxicity was #14 on the VH1 Top 40 Metal Songs list
• In 2007, System of a Down was nominated for a Grammy Award in Best Hard Rock Performance for their song Lonely Day but lost to Woman by Wolfmother

External links

• System of a Down official site
• Scars on Broadway official website