BURBANK, CA. (Top40 Charts/ Reprise Records) -
Serj Tankian - the visionary frontman for multi-platinum rock band
System Of A Down - has asked a collection of video and film directors, painters, and digital artists to each create a video for one of the 12 tracks on his forthcoming solo debut album, "Elect the Dead," which will be released on Serjical Strike/Reprise Records on October 23rd, 2007.
Videos will be posted periodically over the next few months on Tankian's website www.serjtankian.com and other outlets to be determined. The first video, an animated clip for the song "The Unthinking Majority" directed by filmmaker/video director Tawd Dorenfeld, is currently available.
"For me, the great pleasure of 'Elect the Dead' has been not only to make the record with the pure vision of what I feel artistically through my music and poetry, but also to multiply the art factor by bringing in other great artists, in this case directors, and putting forth their interpretations of my music and words. This serves two functions: to create more art from the original source, the album, and to offer more than just a CD to people interacting with the music, thus giving us more points of connection with each other."
The directors involved in the project include a prestigious array of artists whom Tankian has befriended over the last decade. They include music video director Tony Petrossian (Taking Back Sunday, Slipknot, Avenged Sevenfold), who shot the video for "Empty Walls," the first single from "Elect The Dead," photographer/video director Greg Watermann (Mudvayne, Lamb of God, Howie Day), Oscar-nominated Puerto Rican playwright and screenwriter Jose Rivera ("The Motorcycle Diaries"), French film director Diran Noubar ("Armenia: A Country Under Blockade"), digital artist Roger Kupelian ("The Lord of the Rings"; "Flags of Our Fathers"), documentary director Sevag Vrej (System Of A Down, Fair To Midland), and Beirut-born filmmaker Garine Torossian (Sparklehorse), among others.
"I asked each of the directors for their visual interpretation of my work," Tankian explains. "They were asked not to write treatments and that they could make whatever they liked. The results have been overwhelmingly amazing!"
For news and updates on video debuts, please visit www.serjtankian.com. A complete list of videos and directors is below:
1. "Empty Walls" - Director: Tony Petrossian
2. "The Unthinking Majority" - Director: Tawd Dorrnfeld
3. "Money" - Director: Ara Soudjian
4. "Feed Us" - Director: Sevag Verj
5. "Saving Us" - Director: Kevin Estrada
6. "Sky is Over" - Director: Jose Rivera
7. "Baby" - Director: Diran Noubar
8. "Honking Antelope" - Director: Roger Kupelian
9. "Lie, Lie, Lie" - Director: Martha Colburn
10. "Praise The Lord and Pass The Ammo" - Director: Greg Watermann
11. "Beethoven's C***" - Director: Adam Egypt Mortimer
12. "Elect The Dead" - Director: Garine Torossian
