They sing in 10 languages, mixing various musical traditions with contemporary sounds. They’ve performed with an all-female mariachi group, as well as an African American gospel group. World music—including Armenian music—is richer with Element Band on the scene.
Originally formed in 2005, Element Band now has seven members, including two vocalists, and an arsenal of eastern and western instruments and sounds. Nothing stale here. Instead, a familiar yet unique mix of country, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, flamenco, jazz, and Armenian. Producing “contemporary compositions laced with bold arrangements” has been Director Ara Dabadjian’s vision.
Dabadjian plays the guitar, mandolin, and accordion. The band’s vocalists are Heibert Sarian (piano) and Karni Hadidian (piano). Four other musicians—Shant Mahseredjian (violin, mandolin, bouzouki, baglama), Krikor Sarafian (acoustic and electric guitar), Roman Samokish (bass), and Armen Meshefejian (drums and percussion, glockenspiel)—complete the band.
East coast readers can experience their exhilarating live performance in a couple of weeks when the band goes on tour. Organized by Hamazkayin Eastern USA and under the auspices of the Ambassador of Armenia to the U.S. Tatoul Markarian in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the independence of Armenia, the tour will take the band to Boston/Providence on March 11, New Jersey/New York/Philly on March 12, and Washington, D.C. on March 13. For more information, click here.
The Armenian Weekly recently conducted an interview with Dabadjian for a closer look at the inspirations, aspirations, and essence of this L.A. based group.
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Nanore Barsoumian—How did Element Band come into existence? What brought your members together?
Ara Dabadjian—Element band was originally formed in 2005. I grew up in a household filled with music and the ideas of re-arranging many of our traditional Armenian songs flowed inside me since childhood. I wanted to form a band through which I could express those rhythms and vibrations that I always felt. The band went through a few changes during its formative years. It started out as a five-piece band; most left to pursue other dreams. Our violinist Shant Mahserejian, who also happens to be my nephew, is the only original band member besides me. Shant was given the responsibility of scouting good musicians with similar tastes that would fit the profile and have that rare chemistry that a band of seven would require. He was able to bring together an amazingly talented bunch. The current members of the band have been together for almost three years.
N.B.—How would you describe your music?
A.D.—Contemporary compositions laced with bold arrangements.
N.B.—What are your influences?
A.D.—We each have our own influences. My influences run anywhere from opera and classical Armenian music to Led Zeppelin, George Dalaras, Radio Head, Jethro Tull, Al Dimeola, Charles Aznavour, Amalia Rodriguez, and back to Gomidas. If you were to ask the same question to the rest of the band, you would probably get a different answer from each individual. I think that’s what makes it real interesting.
N.B.—Do you have a target audience?
A.D.—Yes and no. Yes, because one of our goals is to introduce Armenian music to non-Armenians; another is to have young Armenians listen to Armenian music. No, because we play in 10 different languages and genres. We don’t believe in limiting our music to one specific group—our music is for everyone and our target is everyone. We love seeing non-Armenians dance to our music and enjoy it as if it were their own.
N.B.—How do you choose your songs?
A.D.—Many of the songs recorded thus far had been imbedded in my memory since childhood. Some I’ve written, while others are introduced by different members of the band, and the rest are simply songs that fit our criteria of musical arrangements. We try to follow good music, no matter what genre.
N.B.—What are some of the group favorites?
A.D.—It’s hard to pick, but I suppose these are some of the ones that we don’t get tired of rehearsing: “Anoush Hayrenik,” “Stu Thomas” (Greek), “Nas Noites Sem Lua” (the original is in Portuguese and will be on our next album), “Habrban,” and “La Derniere Lettre” (French).
N.B.—In an interview you said, “Our goal is to bring all the cultures together.” With that in mind (and if it’s not too much to ask), can you pick a song and tell us about some of its different elements?
A.D.—It’s not too much to ask, at all. However, I don’t think the description of a single song will answer your question. In fact, I think it is the band as a whole, collectively with its music, chemistry, character, and personalities that strive to achieve that goal. We are first human, then everything else. We are committed to elevating our Armenian heritage through music. However, we believe that it is not all about us, it is about our listeners and it is about understanding other cultures and music.
N.B.—You’ve performed with a mariachi band and a gospel group. What’s it like collaborating with different groups?
A.D.—Refreshing! Last year we were invited to perform at the Starlight Bowl in Burbank, Calif., where no other Armenian group has ever performed. An all-woman mariachi band opened the evening concert. It was a phenomenal experience. The positive interaction between the Armenian and Latin audiences was invigorating—Armenians enjoyed mariachi music as much as Mexicans enjoyed Armenian music…
Having the gospel group join us for a couple of Armenian songs has been one of the highlights for the band. Imagine a group of African Americans singing Kousan Ashod’s “Hov Kisher.” The audience was on their feet as soon as the choir started singing and we had the biggest smiles on our faces. The previous question may also be answered by this paragraph—we think it’s interaction between cultures that paves the way to teaching and respecting one another.
N.B.—What are some of the songs we can expect to hear during your East Coast performances?
A.D.—You will hear many of the fan favorites like “Anoush Hayrenik,” “Ailoughs,” “Habrban,” as well as songs in Greek, English, French, Italian. And some surprises.
Nanore Barsoumian
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I loved their music but I guess it was old Element from 5 years ago. Did they produce any new CDs?
for tickets please visit http://www.itsmyseat.com/element
for more info please visit http://east.hamazkayin-usa.org
they have two albums
Oo and Yev o Phe
a third album is in the works
Abrees Nanore, Good job