by Armen Rostamian
They just play whatever’s good. They don’t really care about what’s already been good, or about what music people are currently into. They want to do something different, something totally singular, something that is all their own. Six Armenian guys from L.A. have slowly but surely been changing the face of what the average musical consumer would consider “good music”.
Their name: Chameleon Conductor. Their objective: play music for the love of music. Bringing together the styles and sounds of more bands and artists than can be counted, Chameleon Conductor manages to shape and mold an unfathomable amount of musical ideas from completely diverse backgrounds into completely coherent and absolutely beautiful songs.
No two songs sound the same, and it never gets boring, which is hard to say about anybody’s music these days.
Their lineup includes two technically and creatively genius guitarists, an undeniably versatile and talented bassist, a monster of a drummer with chops like you won’t believe, a keyboardist with more personality than can fit on the stage, and an energetic hand percussion expert; all of them good friends, all of them experienced and veteran musicians.
With influences that range from the likes of Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, The Beatles, and even Bulgarian folk chants, to the integration of all kinds of groovy and melodic Middle Eastern and Armenian elements, these guys have truly stumbled onto something great, something new.
Their music is, at times, hard hitting and in your face; the kind of music you can just cut loose and head-bang to. Within the same song, however, you can jam out to groovy, almost jazzy, Armenian and Middle Eastern melodies that soar into beautiful solos. There is no lack of variety or theoretical intelligence in what they do.
These guys are definitely worth checking out at LEAST once. No matter what you listen to, how you dress, where you come from, or what you think, their show will leave you saying “damn, that was pretty crazy.”
These guys always keep it humble, and almost always treat their crowd to an improvised 5-7 minute musical free-for all which includes covers of Mortal Kombat, various 90’s pop songs, and even covers of progressive musical genius like King Crimson (for any of you at home who know who that is).
Their next show is on December 14, at the Whiskey-A-Go Go in Hollywood. They will be performing with famous Armenian rock group, The Apex Theory, as well as esteemed musical guru and avant-garde folk music genius, Arto Tuncboyaciyan.
Tickets cost about 12 dollars, and you’ll get to see three of the greatest independent, Armenian musical projects in the world.
Check out something new, something different, have a few drinks, and go home with an earful of the greatest music you’ve ever heard.
For more information on Chameleon Conductor can be found on their MySpace Webpage: www.myspace.com/chameleonconductor.
They are gearing up to record a demo, to be released soon, but go ahead and check out the live videos on the page which will blow you away. Keep an eye out for these guys, you might be hearing about them in the media sooner than you think!
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