Shavo Odadjian

When System of a Down announced that it was going on indefinite hiatus in 2006, it was not just a pause in activity for one of L.A.’s most distinctive, successful rock bands, but the beginning of an intense period of work for each of its members. And that’s no less true for bassist Shavo Odadjian, who has remained busy with a series of projects in music, film, and online. He describes it as “coming out of my shell.”

Among these projects is a new band with the Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA called Achozen, currently at work on a debut album. He also recently finished collaborating with Hans Zimmer on soundtrack music for the sci-fi thriller Babylon AD, due for release Labor Day weekend. Odadjian recently directed a new video for D.C. punk icons Bad Brains, is working on a script for a feature film, and has just launched a new website for young, aspiring bands and hip-hop artists, urSESSION.com.

At his home in the hills overlooking the West Valley, a small, fluffy, white dog named Chomp wanders the marble floor of the foyer while Odadjian relaxes on a nearby couch. He wears loose camo pants and a black T-shirt and cap, the remnants of black nail polish on his bare toes. A pair of well-used skateboards are ready by the front door, and framed posters from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Night of the Living Dead decorate the walls. On the big-screen TV is Saw IV, with the sound off, though he calls the horror series “very inspirational.”

“It looks lived-in,” Odadjian says happily of his home of five years. “That’s how I like it. It’s not like Cribs, when everything is perfect and in its place.” He’s too busy for that now.

–Steve Appleford

CityBeat: When did you first get into music?

Shavo Odadjian: I’ve been into music ever since I can remember. I never wanted to make it my career because I didn’t know that could happen. That was like winning the lottery. I always loved music. I saw KISS on Solid Gold in ’79 or ’80, and Gene Simmons was singing “A World Without Heroes.” It was more about the makeup, and being a five-year-old kid going, “Yeah! That’s it!”

I was always asking my parents for a guitar or something, and they never bought me an instrument. But then, at 13, I forced my dad, we went to Guitar Center and bought this little blue Kramer. I took one day of lessons – it was my dad’s cousin, who was a guitar player, and he just went too slow for me. I had friends who played guitar, and by the second week I knew how to hold each chord. I just played every day, every day. That’s what you’ve got to do – you’ve got to make it 817 your passion. It’s not like homework. I’m going to practice, and you guys can go party.

You gravitated to a certain kind of sound and energy?

Yeah, an energy, always doing something to the left. What I’m doing with Achozen is like what we did with System: Put a twist on rock, now putting a twist on hip-hop. It doesn’t matter that my skin is white, and it doesn’t matter that I come from the rock world. I’ve got the coolest people backing me – George Clinton, RZA. We have 29 songs now.

RZA came from a clique, and I came from a clique, and we connected really strongly. It’s like, “Many will come, but only a few are a-chosen.” That’s where the name Achozen came from. It’s the five percent elite, who use their power to make music to guide, to lead, in a righteous way. We always have a good time hanging out together.

What does hip-hop have in common with hard rock?

The stuff that I love about is the punk-rockness of it. I mean an attitude. Punk rock is an attitude. It’s not giving a fuck and doing it anyways. I think that I can do something, and I’m doing it. [RZA] doesn’t care. He comes from Wu-Tang and he’s picking up a guitar and he’s ripping it, for himself. He’s reinventing things.

When did you first start playing around?

I started playing out at 17. “Dead Embryonic Cells” by Sepultura was the first song I ever played in front of anyone. System of a Down was the first club band – everyone else was garage bands. I did play parties and I did play Hoover High School once with a band called Van Buren. That was a band we started in stage crew [class] – our teacher was Mr. Van Buren. I recruited people from the class.

What was special about playing L.A. clubs when System started?

L.A. is L.A., man. L.A. is the mecca of bands: It’s Guns N’ Roses, Mötley Crüe, the Doors. Didn’t Gene Simmons discover Van Halen at the Whisky? That’s crazy.

What is urSESSION?

It’s a label, it’s a networking site, it’s a music site, it’s an online art district. Right now it’s revolved around music. We’re going to go into comedy. I want to see where this goes.

You can audition to UrSession via webcam or digital audio or video uploads. I’m trying to get bands out there. I’m an artist, I’ve made money in other places. Yes, I’m hoping to make money here, too, but that’s not why I’m doing this.

Maybe we could [find] the next Eminem, maybe we could have the next Wu-Tang, the next Metallica or the next System or the next Bad Brains. I don’t mean bands that sound like them, but do what these have done: They have changed something. That’s what I’m looking for. In whatever genre they’re in, starting a movement.

How many bands do you have up there now?

5,000 or something. That’s in three weeks.

Who discovered System?

Rick Rubin. We were getting hits from labels all over the place. There was no money on the table or anything. They just kept coming to shows. So shows kept filling up with suits. One day at the Viper Room, we saw Rick show up. There were labels that had been to their 12th show, already, and hadn’t given us an offer. They saw Rick and shit bricks. That night he goes, “I want you, I’m done. I don’t have to come back. Whatever you guys need, you let me know.” The other labels started a bidding war. We went with Rick. We made the best decision we could have made.

Sounds like you’re not taking it easy during his hiatus period.

This isn’t a break. This is coming out of a shell. This is a rebirth. I’ve always been an artist, man, and I got wrapped up in only being the bass player in System of a Down. Don’t get me wrong: I love my band, and I love what we’ve done. I will never give that up for nothing. That’s my mothership. Without that, I never would have been given a shot with my ideas. But I’m not just a bass player. I always wanted to step out of my shell.

Now that we’re in this hiatus moment, I’m doing whatever I want to do. I’ll score a film because I can; I’ll start a band with my friend the RZA because I want to. Why not? I want to give this opportunity to other people, and that’s why I’m doing urSESSION, so other people get a chance to do what they want.

What does your music with the RZA sound like?

It’s hip-hop, it’s heavy, it’s me doing all the beats. The Gravediggaz inspired me – but done with the new sounds, with a heavy-metal spice of song arrangement. And I’m playing sitars on them, and bouzoukis on them, and guitar.

How did you get involved in film?

When I was a kid, I had been a skateboarder, and my dad had this big-ass VHS camcorder. I used to always take that out with us. I would record us skating all over Hollywood.

Then we did [System’s] “Sugar” video and the “Spiders” video. Everyone knew I was all about the visuals. The first show we ever had at the Roxy, the light guy was like, “I’m just going to press one color and you guys are going to play … .” I gave him a hand-written page-by-page, verse-by-chorus plan for what kind of lighting I wanted. The guy looked at me: “Are you kidding me?” He did it and tried his best.

There was also that free show in Hollywood in 2001.

The free one that never happened? We couldn’t have bought publicity like that. Channel 7, Channel 5, a helicopter going “I think they’re called ‘Systems of the Downs’ … .” That turned into, “Their album is coming out tomorrow.” We sold 220,000 albums the next week.

The fire marshal just didn’t let us play. It got too crazy. They gave us these hotel rooms at the Roosevelt, and I invited all my friends to my room. We could hear the helicopters above us, and we’re in our rooms watching the news live: “Special Report: There’s a riot in Hollywood,” and it’s about us! What the fuck just happened? This is not cool. You could see kids breaking our equipment, like “Fuck System!” for not playing. You know how long we stayed there? My dad and little brother were in that audience. I had to get them out of there. I would have loved to have played. It would have been sick.

You didn’t think you were going to be that big.

No, that was a realization: Yo, people are liking this shit. Wow, psychotic.

Everybody now asks you if and when System is coming back.

Even though System of a Down is not my band right now because I’m not playing with them right now, I am in System. The System is not broken up. Yes, Scars on Broadway exists; yes, Achozen exists, urSESSION exists; yes, the Serj Tankian solo project exists. That’s all good. System also exists. It’s just not working. It’s on a break right now, and it needs to be.

Are you following what the others are doing?

Of course. It’s great. I wish everybody the best, because everything that everyone does will just make System better. What we’ll do is up to us.

You did a video for Bad Brains.

It was an honor. [Bad Brains singer] HR was a sweetheart. I got the call that they wanted me and gave me HR’s phone number. Oh my god, I’m calling Jah. He was so respectful: “You think different, you think to the left … .” I couldn’t even speak. I was that honored, that freaked out. An artist thinks to the left. When you’re a genius you’re not normal.

Are you doing other videos?

I’ve been asked to do some stuff, but I’m trying not to spread myself out too thin right now. I really want urSESSION and Achozen … I really want to follow that for a while. And there’s a movie that I’m writing. It’s an idea, man. That’s all it is. Let’s make it happen. Live righteously, trust your gut.