By Reg Seeton
Three years removed from his debut solo album,
Elect the Dead, System of a Down front man, Serj
Tankian, has gone back to Elect the Dead with
the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra for the March
9 live release of Elect the Dead Symphony, which
is now available in both CD and DVD format. One
of the most socio-politically aware artists in
music, Serj Tankian reworked the tracks from Elect
the Dead to begin a whole new process of writing
for an orchestra to give the songs a new identity
in a classical live medium.
A multi-talented artists with many musical layers beyond System of a Down, Serj Tankian continues to grow not only as a singer, musician, poet, and activist but most of all a "thinking" person that cares about the world around him. As Serj Tankian evolves, so too does the music of Serj Tankian. Although Elect the Dead was a stellar release in rock form, Elect the Dead Symphony opens the musical door to a new world of orchestral possibilities.
Ahead of Elect the Dead Symphony, we spent some one-on-one time with Serj Tankian to learn more about how he approached his own music for orchestral re-arrangement, how the creative process was different between Elect the Dead and Elect the Dead Symphony, and how Tankian approaches his solo identity away from System of a Down.
THE DEADBOLT: Can you talk about how an orchestral arrangement changes the impact of lyrics like "bodies burning" in "Empty Walls", as compared to the first release?
SERJ TANKIAN Acoustic orchestral instruments put out a different emotion than electric instruments can, simply. The sum of 70 of these musicians with their instruments create a much more dynamic stretching of the songs than what can be accomplished with a rock band. The soft is much softer and the heavy is much bigger, if you will. I think that's a huge difference in perception of the music and what one feels listening to the music, especially live. That said, some songs are better suited for one genre or another.
THE DEADBOLT: Since tracks from the original Elect the Dead were challenging on their own, how did you rediscover a new sense of objectivity with the songs for the symphony to head in the right territory?
TANKIAN
Well, I stripped down all of the songs to their
original instruments, piano and vocals, or acoustic
guitar and vocals, and starting writing orchestrally
on top, starting with cellos, violas, then violins,
and brass. I wanted a different way of perceiving
and presenting the music more apt for an orchestral
setting.
THE DEADBOLT: Since the creative flow of the original release came from a different process, in what ways did new creative freedom present a challenge with the symphony given how Elect the Dead already existed in a different form?
TANKIAN The challenge wasn't so much in the re-arrangement of the music. The challenge came in performing with an orchestra live. It's a whole different way of hearing rhythm than what I had ever experienced. Since there were no drums to allow one to follow the kick and snare, and since the orchestra is like a moving amoeba, with great physical depth and sounds reaching me at different intervals, I had to pay attention to the conductor to reign in all the elements and bring it to a focused point of perception.
THE DEADBOLT: From a creative standpoint in putting together the orchestral identity of the tracks, how did you know when you were going to far into, "No, that just sounds like someone else trying to fit an orchestra into their existing sound?"
TANKIAN That I can't really explain. Something either sounds done or not. And something either belongs or doesn't.
THE DEADBOLT: What type of critic are you with yourself now as compared to the original Elect the Dead? Have you noticed a difference?
TANKIAN
Everything I've been working on with Elect the
Dead and on has been self produced. So I like
to bring in other musicians, producers, friends
etc, to critique the music. My favorite critics
are kids. Kids are honest, open to new forms,
and more intuitive than adults giving me the
most important aspects of feedback necessary.
Ultimately when I'm working on something, I
do what I think sounds right, but it really
helps getting that feedback.
THE DEADBOLT: When artists find success in one medium, it's sometimes difficult for fans to accept change. In what ways has your public image with System of a Down been a challenge in showing people the many musical sides of yourself?
TANKIAN Doing what I have done for years, I've realized that we, in the music industry, unconsciously undervalue the adventurism of modern fans or consumers of music. Our radio stations, marketing programs, promotional efforts are extremely focused on genre, while most fans of music today, especially since the advent of the internet and file sharing, listen to all sorts of music, more than ever before in history. I think that's a discrepancy worth exploring.
I've also realized that a great portion of SOAD fans have an adventurous spirit when it comes to their music, otherwise they probably would have never been listening to System in the first place. I am honored to be interacting with those types of aficionados of music. When I did the show with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, I was delighted to see all these rock fans cheering for a classical styled performance, though mind you, I don't think the Elect the Dead Symphony is classical music. It is my music presented with classical instruments - not the same. People stuck on a genre are people stuck on a genre, but most music fans seem to have a wider palette than our commercial release structuring gives them credit for.
THE DEADBOLT: What was the decision process behind leaving "The Unthinking Majority" off of the symphony release?
TANKIAN Good question. I didn't think it would have worked well with an orchestra, or maybe I just didn't have the vision and couldn't see it working with an orchestra. Maybe someone else may be able to do that effectively. Some people look better wearing certain colors, it's not different with songs.
THE DEADBOLT: In just the few short years since the release of "The Unthinking Majority", we've seen the explosion of Twitter and Facebook. Since the current U.S. administration used it so effectively for the election, how do you view social media in relation to the "thinking" and "unthinking"? Are people really thinking, or is social media another anti-depressant?
TANKIAN Wow. What an interesting question. I don't think the sheer volume of information or communication makes any society any smarter. I think it makes us more effective but not necessarily better thinkers. Thinking always happens between the words, not over them. That said, those that do think have many more avenues to explore their thoughts through now. A positive outcome of these social networking forums is we have a better sense of people's true reactions, unfiltered by the press or other media representing that reaction. I think that's really important.
THE DEADBOLT: So, is the sky still over now that you have an orchestra behind it?
TANKIAN [laughs] Nice one! The orchestra really took to that song [Empty Walls] and played it perfectly from first read. The sky used to be the limit, now our limits are sky-less.
