Ani Khodaverdianani.khodaverdian@ucla.edu
The timeless conflict of passion versus convenience undoubtedly crosses the paths of many people. It is a test of what people give meaning to and what they want out of life. It is a test of their abilities and capabilities as individuals. This conflict comes at times in people’s lives when they have to make choices, choices that may very well change the rest of their lives.
Barrett Yeretsian was born in Los Angeles on January 26, 1980. He went to the Armenian private school, Alex Pilibos, from 1983 until 1997. At the tender age of 12 he visited Armenia with his family. It was there he started to really appreciate Armenian music and discovered the drums.
He saw his uncle play them and became eager to learn. Barrett’s uncle was very hesitant about teaching him the instrument because he was a "12-year old kid from America who was probably spoiled" and he was afraid that Barrett would not take it seriously. Nevertheless, he gave him a shot.
As soon as Barrett returned to the U.S. he began jamming on his cousin’s drum set. He soon began taking lessons, but they only lasted for three weeks because he disliked his teacher.
He went on to graduate from UCLA in 2001. Yeretsian continued playing drums during his studies. Always looking for a show to play, Barrett found gigs here and there to keep himself occupied and connected to his passion.
In 2001, the developing artist/student received a scholarship for UCLA Law. He had been planning on being a graduate student, and eventually becoming a lawyer. Shockingly, he decided to pursue his true love, music.
Many people may think this was the wrong choice, especially considering the success he could have had as a law student. Not only did he have a high LSAT score and scholarship offers, but traditionally, going to law school would seem like the safer route to take.
So, what happened to the guy who turned down law school for the music industry? He developed a thriving career as an artist, a producer, a songwriter and a composer. After ending his academic career, Barrett became involved with several bands while at the same time working on individual projects on the side.
The bands he was a part of included Beat and Path, and Aviatic. He also produced clips of music that ended up being used for NBC, MTV, MTV2, the hit TV show "America’s Next Top Model," Lifetime Channel, XM Satellite and Radio. On top of all of this he taught drumming lessons, and helped produce other up-and-coming bands. Barrett even became endorsed by Pork Pie Drums. He received a custom, hand-made drum set, and was acknowledged for his talent as a drummer.
It was in 2006 when his band, Aviatic, began to really take off. They won Universal City Walk’s battle of the bands, where they beat 80 other Southern California bands. They began booking shows in the Roxy, Whiskey, and other venues. Aviatic also performed at college campuses, including UCLA and GCC.
They were interviewed in local news stations and had their single "Goodbye Beautiful Day" entered into Yahoo Music, and become one of the top 10 songs. Their name became more familiar, and they were one of best known unsigned local bands around.
I heard about Aviatic through my friend Razmig Harboyan, who was the cousin of Sebu Simonian, the lead singer of the band. I finally met Barrett after one of the Aviatic shows at the Roxy. The band members were standing by a table signing t-shirts and selling their CD, Arrival (still available online at http://cdbaby.com/cd/aviatic).
I decided to introduce myself to Barrett to compliment his music. Once and we began conversing, he asked me if I played an instrument as well.
I told him that I played the drums. Fortunately for me, Barrett offered to give me lessons and wrote down his e-mail address on a napkin for me to contact him. I ended up going to his lessons for about a year, and eventually got to know him as not only a great musician, but an amazing human being as well.
Question: What instruments do you play, and which one is your favorite?
Barrett Yeretsian: Well, I also play the keyboard, base, a little bit of guitar, and also all hand drums. My favorite is the drums.
Q: Which bands/musicians have influenced you the most?
BY: The Beatles, Armenian Composers like Aram Khachatoorian, Metallica (their old stuff), Primes, Deftones, Red Hot Chilly Peppers, Electronica music. As a drummer I would say Tool has had the most impact, as a song writer the Beatles have influenced me more than anything, and as a producer Terry Date, who produced Deftones and Pantera, Rick Rubin, and Martin, who produced the Beatles.
Q. What inspires you to make music?
BY: To me, it is emotional and it is an expression of who you are. So, when I feel like expressing myself I tend to make music, and also I just make music for music’s sake. It’s a treasure.
Q. What is the most important thing that you have learned after working with so many different types of people?
BY: Almost all band members or musicians have over inflated egos, which is their number one downfall. Thinking you can do something on your own is a downfall. Believing that you do not need anyone’s help, or that others can contribute to your music is a downfall.
Also, musicians get two responses from society: old people/the older generation usually don’t like them, but the younger crowd idolizes them. As a result, most musicians try to fight conservative tendencies, and live liberal carefree lifestyles. You cannot do this in today’s industry. You have to be responsible and hard working. There are so many talented people in LA, but there is also a lot of junk.
Q. What do you believe helps you grow as a musician and as a person?
BY: Constantly learning, surrounding yourself with people who love you and challenge you. Always learning from others, always sharing credit, and always being true to yourself. Also, you should never define yourself by one thing. I produce, I score for TV shows, I write lyrics, I do all this stuff, and it’s because I am not just one thing. I am also always asking myself "what can I improve, and what can I learn?"
Q. How has being an Armenian influenced your style of music?
BY: Being an Armenian has influenced me hugely. Growing up as an Armenian gives me a unique perspective as a songwriter, drummer, and producer. In my rock songs there are certain rhythms I throw in that are clearly Armenian influenced.
It adds a Middle Eastern flavor to my music. Then again, in some ways it influences me a lot, and in some ways not at all. For example, as far as making a mark in the music industry being Armenian really did nothing for me. Also, it doesn’t really impact any of the pop music that I produce.
Q. Tell me about your first real show/event.
BY: My first ever event that I played at I was closing up a barahandes (Armenian for banquet) for Robert Chilingirian. He was a wedding singer. It was 1993 and there were about 500 people there. We covered Nirvana and Metallica. I was 13 at the time.
My first LA show my band was opening up for System of a Down. It was at the Anti Club in 1995. I was very nervous and very excited. Me and my band-mates were so hyped up that we were yelling in the car on our way there. You can’t describe the energy you have right before a show like that.
There were 200 people in the audience, it was very cool. It was the first time I felt like I was playing my music for others. The Armenian community has always supported me a lot.
Q. How did you get the chance to play at the Hollywood Bowl?
BY: My girlfriend was actually the one who told me about it. she heard about an Armenian show being organized by Stepan Partamian at the Hollywood Bowl.
So, I asked Stepan if I could perform also. He said I had to have something meaningful to present, and I told him I wanted to perform a song I had written about my aunt, Anahid, who had recently passed away. Stepan had also known her, so he agreed. It was the best show I have ever had.
There were 16,000 people in the audience; from the ground to the sky you could just see heads of people.
Q. What do you love most about music?
BY: The power it has. Every single person in the world has a favorite song. It is a universal language. I also love my relationship with music, and how it adds to my life. You know, my job is music. I can’t imagine doing anything else.
Q. Do you have anything you would like to add for other artists out there?
BY: Just, always remember the real reason why you are doing this. It is to leave the world a better place, through your music. Believe in your powers, but never think you are too good to learn.
Be a ‘whole artist’, and more importantly, be a ‘whole human being’. Make yourself a viable artist, surround yourself with the right people, develop true connections, and be yourself.
Barrett is currently working on a new project he is planning on releasing very soon. You can find out more about him, and listen to his music at BarrettYeretsian.com!
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