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 The Apex Theory are the second band to emerge from the current "Armenian Invasion." But their resemblance to the forefathers of the movement, System of a Down, end there – even though Apex singer Andy Khachaturian is System's ex-drummer. When I first met the Apex Theory in 2000, they already had a devoted fan base in Los Angeles, easily packing famous local clubs like the Roxy and the Troubadour. Soon after, they signed to DreamWorks Records and hit the road to tour the States. It's now 2002 and they're in Paris. The band and I catch up.... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYROCK: |
You've toured quite a bit on your own and with many popular new acts like Andrew WK, Linkin Park and Lostprophets. Now you're doing Ozzfest. That's an even bigger crowd. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: | Yeah, it's going to be interesting. It's a different type of crowd. But one thing that's really good about Ozzfest this year is there's going to be a wide array of kids. I don't think it's only going to be metal kids. Hopefully, we'll appeal to more people than just metal kids. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYROCK: |
Yeah, your music isn't really as hard as... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: | Most of the bands? Yeah, we're not really a metal band. That's part of the reason why last year we did the Warped Tour. The Warped Tour is more of a rock tour, but we're not really a rock band. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYROCK: |
You're actually difficult to define. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: | Yes, I always thought that was a good thing. The French would say... What's the word? When they can't describe something, they say something... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ART: | Je ne sais quoi? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: | Je ne sais quoi, yeah! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYROCK: |
Two years ago, you said to me that your influences "are as much non-musical as they are musical." What are those non-musical influences? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: | Things in life – waking up, hearing a bird singing is an influence. It gives you a certain emotion. Someone passing away in your life, on the other extreme, is a sad moment in your life. But somehow that inspires you to do better and to push forward with that much more enthusiasm and work harder at what you do. So those are non-musical influences of a sort. There's hope, there's beauty, all that kind of stuff. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYROCK: |
Andy, you still write all the lyrics, right? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: | Yes. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYROCK: |
Andy, Art and Dave: How does your Armenian heritage affect your music? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: | I think my heritage affects everything in life. If someone is French, it doesn't just affect their music. It affects their life. It affects how you see things, smell things, interpret things, everything. Growing up as an Armenian kid – I don't know about them – you hear certain things. You react to other people's perceptions differently, how they react to you. Obviously, that's going to seep into the musical influences as well. Armenian music is so cultural – weddings and this and that and all kinds of things. Also Greek music for me. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYROCK: |
Do comparisons with System of a Down, who are also Armenian, annoy you? Comparisons just because you're Armenian. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: |
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ART: | Comparing is ludicrous. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: | But I can understand why people do it, because... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYROCK: |
Because there aren't many Armenian rock bands around. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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DAVE: | Yeah, that's why it's easy reference. That's why we've learned to take it with a grain of salt. It's okay, and we understand that sometimes people don't have anywhere else to go. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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SAMMY: | If any one person in this band is really similar as in style and their [System of a Down's] approach, it's me. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYROCK: |
And you're the American in this band. Sammy, according to your bio, you're an accomplished musician with extensive experience. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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DAVE: | So you're an accomplished musician? This is news to all of us. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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SAMMY: | I did a little bit of touring before this band. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: | They probably meant that he plays the drums very well. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYROCK: |
You certainly manage to play Armenian-Mediterranean-rock beats pretty expertly. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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SAMMY: | Right. Well, I think it's trying to take maybe their culture, their world and where all these rhythms come from and take my influences and try to keep them as honest as their culture, but still [honest] to myself. And that's kind of what happens. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYROCK: |
What are you guys doing after Ozzfest? Working on new material? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ALL: | No, no. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: | Hopefully coming back here. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYROCK: |
Are you going to do a world tour? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: | Hopefully. We want to play as much as possible... Take the album out to as many people as possible and have it be heard around the world before we go in and do it all over again. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYROCK: |
People in the U.K. heard it a couple of nights ago. What was the response to your live shows there? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: | London, Glasgow and Manchester. Amazing. Good response. They actually knew the lyrics to our songs. They kept singing along, so that's really cool. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYROCK: |
What current bands do you listen to? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: | That's a tough question. Everyone listens to different things, all kinds of music: electronic, singer/songwriter, heavy. [Whatever we like is] over two years old, four years, almost five years... I like David Gray. I think he's doing something unique. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYROCK: |
What's the next single after "Apossibly"? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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SAMMY: | We're not [looking] that far. We're focusing on the present. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: | Yeah, "Apossibly" just came out. The Ozzfest is about to hit. That's going to take two-and-a-half months. Fall tours are lining up. I'm sure our management is taking care of it. That is the immediate future. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYROCK: |
Any bands you're particularly looking forward to seeing at Ozzfest? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: | Ourselves. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ART: | I've heard a lot about Meshuggah. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: | I'm just looking forward to playing in front of people. It's outdoors. I like [playing] outdoors. I really hope we're outdoors and not in a tent. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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DAVE: | Most of the time, we're going to be outdoors. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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SAMMY: | We're looking forward to seeing Ozzy. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYROCK: |
System's going to be there too. Andy, is it true you were System's ex-drummer? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: | (a visibly touchy question) Yeah, you heard right. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYROCK: |
Why did you leave System? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: | Um... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYROCK: |
You don't want to talk about it? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: | There's a few different reasons. But whatever happened, happened. It's almost like saying, "You had an ex-boyfriend. Why did you leave your boyfriend?" You don't sit down and say, "Well, he's an asshole." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYROCK: |
Were there creative differences? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: | Of course, I think if you ask them, they'll probably tell you that they knew that I wanted to sing or that I wanted to front the band. In that way, there is probably that understanding. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYROCK: |
How long have you been singing? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: | Four years. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYROCK: |
And how does it feel to go from drummer to frontman? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: | To my own surprise, I didn't have a problem with the transition. I feel fine. I feel at home onstage. There are different challenges, obviously. You see things differently. You have movement all of a sudden. You're naked. You don't have an instrument in front of you. It's you and your voice with the microphone. You have nothing to really hold onto and obviously you're singing, so there's this kind of physical and metaphysical or spiritual balance that you have to play. If you have a bad day, or if you're thinking of something that's happened – tragic, something that's happened to you, weird or whatever, and you're going through a bad time... I personally felt like I could still sit at a drum set and bang away and not [give] the audience the perception that there's something wrong. Sometimes, as a singer, it's really difficult, 'cause there's that weird balancing act that you play, that emotional and physical act that you play as a singer, so it's a little more challenging in that way. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYROCK: |
Has your experience as a drummer had an effect on your singing? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: | Yeah, huge. Everything is rhythm. Everything is based on rhythm. I don't know if that means drumming – obviously drumming is based on rhythm as well – but everything is based on rhythm: vocals, almost every instrument. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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SAMMY: | I think it helps us relate too. There is, drum-wise or with different instruments, there's a lot of play, because of his rhythmic-sensed background. It makes it that much easier to sometimes just see through each other, 'cause our music is sometimes complicated, in different time signatures. The fact that he has rhythm and sense and he can help swim through it is a little easier than sometimes tying it together in that sense. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYROCK: |
Do you still have a visual stage act, throwing stuff from the stage? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: | Oh, you're talking about the candy. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYROCK: |
Candy, each other, the other stuff. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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SAMMY: | We ran out of candy. It's been a while. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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DAVE: | We can bring it back for Ozzfest. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYROCK: |
It'll be Halloween everyday. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: | It was just something at that time that we were doing. You grow as a band, you grow as an artist, you grow as people. You try different things, and whatever the moment brings, you try it. And if it makes you feel good, you do it. That's the beauty about being onstage and playing your own music. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYROCK: |
Your project was to "grow and infect." Have you infected? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: | Yeah, I still think that's the same goal. We want to grow and infect. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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DAVE: | We want world domination. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: | And reach. Infect is a negative word... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ART: | Affect (stressing the A). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NYROCK: |
Is that your apex? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDY: | Well, obviously. I think for us to reach that goal is a pinnacle. It would be the apex for ourselves as musicians, as people. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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DAVE: | Sometimes, when you set little goals and reach those little goals, you realize that it's not the goal that's going to make you happy. It's actually the journey. We're ultimately in that journey, I guess. July 2002
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