Ani Khodaverdian
I decided to meet up with Sam Babayan, the lead singer of the band called The Dirty Diamond on a Friday afternoon. They are a local band with a great new-old mixing of sounds. Their music is honest, warm and captivating. While maintaining a very modern sound, they eloquently interweave vintage type styles into their music. From everything between Pink Floyd and The Beatles, these extremely talented musicians combine and reconstruct a vibe that is universally welcoming and easy on the ear. In our interview, Sam was very charismatic and down to earth, much like their music.
Armenian Chronicles: Who are the band members?
Sam Babayan: Adam Stackpole (guitar), Lee Butterfield (bass), Hiuro Mardirosian (keys), Chris Jago (drummer), and me, Sam Babayan (vocals/guitar).
AC: When did The Dirty Diamond become an official group?
SB: In the beginning of 2006.
AC: How did the band come together?
SB: I used to be in a band called Slow Motion Reign. It was a great band, I’m still very good friends with Nareg, the lead singer of the band. We were being produced by Serj Tankian at the time, but as time passed we all kind of went in our own directions. After that I went to Spain for a few months. I found a few Spanish guys who I traveled with for a while. I began writing new music there, and it came to a point where I decided to start a new band. I came back to LA with this idea in my mind of a “fantasy band” I’d been daydreaming about, which is now known as The Dirty Diamond. All my band members were looking to be in bands also. I met them all here in LA.
AC: How did you choose what kind of music to produce?
SB: To be honest I didn’t. If I had planned any of my music out it would sound prefabricated. I’ve probably been influenced most from Pink Floyd, The Beatles, The Stones, and Hendrix. That is the head-space I’ve developed; it’s the diet I’ve given my musicality, so I’m just trying to take it to the next level. It has a bit of an old-school sound with keyboards, harmonica, and a lot of Middle Eastern ‘warmth.’
Sometimes what I like to do for certain sound effects is to take a portable recording device to the LA Metro and record a few songs there. I like the sound of street musicians, so I incorporate that into a few
songs.
AC: What genre would best describe your music?
SB: Brand New Vintage. It’s a name people kind of came up with for our sound.
AC: That’s a bit of an irony, no?
SB: Well yea, just like the name Dirty Diamond.
AC: How has the Armenian community affected you?
SB: Armenians are extremely cultured people. They like going to shows, whereas getting ‘odars’ to show up is usually difficult. The Armenian audience is a willing supportthe group. They are extremely loyal fans.
AC: What message are you trying to get across and how do you come to write your music?
SB: When I write music I do it by singing to myself. I have an open dialogue with myself. When you speak freely, it comes to you. A lot of our music is geared toward raising awareness; awareness of yourself and your surroundings. We have a song called “Death Won’t Hurt.” Its purpose is to eliminate fear and guilt from within people. We want to liberate people, and music, on its own, already does that. Honestly, life is a big adventure. You can sing about anything. There is a lesson, a teaching, and a message in everyday. So, you could really write a song every day. It just depends on whether you are willing to listen to those lessons, and to accept them.
AC: What are your future hopes?
SB: My first goal is to be able to master accessing the information that’s in me as a writer… to be able to tap into that easily. Also, I want to reach the masses. People nowadays feel so alone. That’s what media does, it’s how they get you. They make you feel like you’re alone, and manipulate that state of mind in a way where they can take over and put you into autopilot; make us sleep at the wheel. That’s the problem I’m trying to solve. I want to wake people up, myself included. So that’s basically my goal with my music: spreading awareness of yourself and your surroundings, and making everyone realize that we’re all brothers and sisters. We’re not all that different, and it’s time we came to realize that. It’s all about trying to spread love. The world needs more of it... much more.
- The Dirty Diamond will be releasing their new album in spring 2009. They have a show coming up January 8 at the King King on Hollywood Blvd. You can check them out at myspace.com/thedirtydiamond -
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