System of a Down duo form new rock band
By Mitchell Peters
LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - System Of A Down guitarist/vocalist Daron Malakian and drummer John Dolmayan are putting the finishing touches on the debut album from their new rock band Scars On Broadway.
The Los Angeles metal veterans are currently shopping for a record label, and hope to release the self-titled set by late summer.
"We're in the final stages," Dolmayan told Billboard.com. "There are three or four songs left."
Scars On Broadway performed last weekend at the Coachella festival in southern California. The band already received a warm welcome earlier last month during its debut performance at the Whisky A Go-Go in Los Angeles.
"It was crazy," Malakian recalled. "Nobody knew any of the songs, but the crowd was going off. The response we got gave me a lot of confidence."
The band is rounded out by a keyboardist, rhythm guitarist and a bass player, but Dolmayan declined to identify them until the lineup is completely solidified.
So far, only one Scars On Broadway song, the hard-edged "They Say," has been released online. With about 20 songs already recorded, many of which won't make the final album cut, another track could be posted online before the album comes out, according to Malakian.
As opposed to System of a Down, which is on indefinite hiatus, Scars On Broadway is "driven more by rock than it is by metal, even though there might be some metal overtones there," said Malakian, the primary songwriter in both bands. "I see it more as a rock band."
While drawing influence from early punk bands, along with heroes like David Bowie and the Beatles, Malakian made a conscious attempt to maintain his songwriting style without delving too much into the System back catalog.
"I was trying to keep my identity but not copy past work," he said. "I'm proud of everything that I've done with System, but right now I'm focusing on moving forward with Scars."
Although System of a Down producer Rick Rubin offered a few suggestions during rehearsals, Malakian is the new album's chief producer.
On the touring front, Scars On Broadway will appear at a radio station festival in Tucson, Ariz., on May 16. Future road plans haven't yet been solidified, but "we're going to play live quite a bit," Malakian said, noting that he's not opposed to supporting a larger act.
"John and I have no ego in this situation," he explained. "It's not like we think we deserve something because of our old band. Everything we have done so far is out of our own pockets -- we've paid for the record."
Reuters/Billboard
