- John Dolmayan
Infobox Musical artist
Name = John Dolmayan
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Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
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Born = birth date and age|1973|07|15
Origin =Beirut ,Lebanon
Genre =Alternative metal ,Experimental rock ,Hard rock ,Alternative rock ,Nu metal
Occupation =Musician ,songwriter ,drummer
Years_active =1997 - present
Instrument = Drums
Label = American, Columbia, Serjical Strike,Axis of Justice , Interscope
Associated_acts =System of a Down Axis of Justice Serj Tankian Scars on Broadway
URL = [http://www.systemofadown.com www.systemofadown.com]John Dolmayan (born
July 15 ,1973 inBeirut ,Lebanon ) is a musician, best known as thedrummer for theArmenian-American alternative metal bandSystem of a Down , and current drummer for the bandScars on Broadway . His bandmates for System of a Down are vocalist/keyboardistSerj Tankian ,guitarist /vocalistDaron Malakian , and bassistShavo Odadjian . John currently lives inLas Vegas, Nevada . He was first interested in drums at the age of 2. His father was a saxophone player. When his mother would take him to watch his father play, he would mimic his father's drummer.ystem of a Down
So far, he has recorded five albums with System of a Down: "System of a Down" (1998), "Toxicity" (2001), "
Steal This Album! " (2002), and, most recently, "Mezmerize " (2005), and "Hypnotize" (2005). His style of drumming has influenced an emerging generation of drummers, and this has attracted a significant portion of SOAD's audience.John's facial expressions are famous for being constantly foreboding and angry-looking. Lead singer
Serj Tankian was quoted in Kerrang magazine as always trying to make John crack a smile on stage, to which John replied that he had to make an extreme effort to keep a straight face and not get put off beat. He is known for his hi-hat to snare combo, which can be heard in such songs as "Deer Dance ", "Prison Song, "I-E-A-I-A-I-O " , "Question! ", and "Soldier Side ".During System of a Down's hiatus after
Ozzfest , Dolmayan has said that he will start a comic book business. This is because he is an avid fan of collecting Marvel comic books. He says that music and comic books were his two favorite things as a kid. He even worked with a couple of artists to make himself a drumset of different comic book characters.Dolmayan won "DRUM!" Magazine's 2006 Drummer of the year.
Personal projects
In Summer 2006, right before Ozzfest tour, John told the press in several interviews his intention to make an online comic company, "I've got over 5 and a half million comics right now, and I'll probably have about 20 million comics in a year's time. But it's not really a collection. The reason I'm accumulating all these books is I'm starting an Internet-based comic-book company called 'Torpedocomics'. That'll be up in November 2007, probably." Dolmayan said. [http://soadfans.com/Article393.htm] Recently John has been playing live shows with a newly designed drum kit, featuring drawings from many famous comic book artists. [http://www.craveonline.com/music/articles/04646843/john_dolmayans_custom_drum_kit.html] Dolmayan also said he may at some point write a movie script and might be involved in drum work regardless of SOAD's status. [http://soadfans.com/Article452.htm] John has played alongside Flea [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flea_%28musician%29] of
Red Hot Chili Peppers and Wayne Kramer for the song Bombs Over Paris. [http://youtube.com/watch?v=Xjymzj5LRWs] , on the Serj Tankian solo debut,Elect the Dead [http://soadfans.com/Article512.htm] , and joined Tool on stage for a few shows. [http://soadfans.com/Article514.htm]John recently sent
Howard Stern andRobin Quivers rareSpider Man comics. It was revealed that he would be advertising his new comic book shop on the Howard Stern radio show.Discography
System of a Down *1998: "System of a Down"
*2001: "Toxicity"
*2002: "Steal This Album! "
*2005: "Mezmerize "
*2005: "Hypnotize"Killing Joke *2003: "Killing Joke" (Guest Drums) [ [http://soadfans.com/Article640.htm The Second Coming of John Dolmayan :: SOADFans ::The Official Unofficial System of a Down Site] ]
Axis of Justice *2004: "
Concert Series Volume 1 "*2004: "
Blah...Blah...Blah...Love Songs for the New Millennium " (Guest Drums)Serj Tankian *2007: "
Elect the Dead "Scars on Broadway :"Main article: Scars on Broadway discography"
*2008: "Scars on Broadway"Awards
*In 2006,
System of a Down won their firstGrammy for Best hard rock performance for B.Y.O.B.
*In 2006, they won the "MTV Good Woodie Award" for their song "Question! "
*In 2006, John won Drum! Magazine's drummer of the year award. He also won thealternative rock drummer of the year award.
*In 2006, they were #14 on the VH1 Top 40 Metal Songs with "Toxicity "
*In 2007, they were nominated for aGrammy Award in Best Hard Rock Performance for their songLonely Day John Dolmayan has a sandwich named after him at "Hey That's Amore" coffee shop located at 27 E. Holly St., Pasadena, CA, 91101. The sandwich is called "The John Dolmayan"Equipment
John Dolmayan is endorsed by Tama drums.
Tama Starclassic MapleCustom Finish crafted by Eyptian artists
*18" x 22" (2) Kick drum
*12" x 10" Tom
*14" x 12" Tom
*16" x 18" Floor Tom
*Paiste Signature Cymbals
*Paiste RUDE Cymbals (24 inch ride)
*Vic Firth Signature SticksReferences
External links
* [http://www.soadfans.com/John_Dolmayan.htm John Dolmayan page at SOADFans]
* [http://www.torpedocomics.com/ Torpedo Comics Website]
* [http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/John_Dolmayan.html John Dolmayan page at drummerworld.com]
* [http://www.tamadrum.co.jp/world/artists/setup/dolmayan.html Tama's info on John's "Toxicity" Kit]
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