BURBANK, CA. (Top40 Charts/ Reprise Records) - Earlier this year,
Serj Tankian - the visionary frontman for multi-platinum rock band
System Of A Down - 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.
The directors involved in the video 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"), digital artist Roger Kupelian ("The Lord of the Rings," "Flags of Our Fathers"), documentary director Sevag Vrej (System Of A Down, Fair To Midland), short film/music video director Adam Egypt Mortimer (Against Me!, Idiot Pilot) and Beirut-born filmmaker Garino 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 told that they could make whatever they liked. The results have been overwhelmingly amazing!"
Among the videos posted on Tankian's website www.serjtankian.com is an animated clip for the song "The Unthinking Majority" by filmmaker/video director Tawd Dorenfeld. Also available for viewing on the website are the videos for "Empty Walls" and "Saving Us."
To celebrate the artistic collaboration of the music and visual interpretations of Serj Tankian's solo album, Reprise Records and Serjical Strike, in conjunction with digital cinema/music marketing company D&E Entertainment (www.DandEentertainment.com), will screen the videos of "Elect The Dead" back-to-back, accompanied by an introduction by Tankian at movie theaters across the nation at 8pm on Monday, October 22nd. This unique experience on the eve of album release offers fans a preview of "Elect The Dead" in a premium listening and visual environment. A special screening event on the October 23rd album release date will take place in Los Angeles with Tankian in attendance.
Special screenings of "Elect The Dead - The Short Films" will be held at 8pm on Monday, October 22nd at the following locations:
Long Island, NY: Herricks Cinema
Parsippany, NJ: Parsippany Cinema
San Francisco, CA: Embarcadero Center Cinema
San Diego, CA: Ultrastar Theatres Mission Valley
Boston, MA: Kendall Square Cinema
Chicago, IL: Century Centre Cinema
Detroit, MI: Emagine Novi
Philadelphia, PA: Clearview's Anthony Wayne Cinema
Seattle, WA: Metro Cinemas
Houston, TX: The River Oaks
Minneapolis, MN: Lagoon Cinema
Phoenix, AZ: Harkins Tempe Marketplace
To usher in the release date on Tuesday, October 23rd, Serj Tankian will attend a 9pm screening that evening of "Elect The Dead - The Short Films" in Los Angeles at the Vista Theater (4473 Sunset Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90027).
Starting at 7:30pm on October 23rd, the first 300 people in line at the box office to buy tickets for the 9pm showing will be able to have their CDs autographed by Serj after the show. Lining up at the Vista Theatre before 7:30pm is prohibited. Copies of "Elect The Dead" will be available for sale at the Vista Theater that night, along with a free poster for every CD purchased.
Tickets will be sold for $10 a the box office, with all net proceeds donated to Axis Of Justice (www.axisofjustice.org), an organization founded by Tankian and Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine.
