Blast Off: Armenian Space Station

By Tigran Avoundjian
Tavoundjian@ucla.edu

They’ve already taken off in Armenia, and now Armenian Space Station prepares to take off in the United States, starting with our very own Los Angeles, CA.

“Mozart meets Metallica with an Armenian twist,” is all that’s given as a description of their sound on their Myspace. Listening to the four tracks that they’ve put up so far, the description is neither farfetched nor hyperbolic. Armenian Space Station does indeed sound like equal parts symphony and metal, with just enough “Armenian-ness” to stay true to their name. After playing their first show at the Moscow Cinema Open Hall in Yerevan, Armenia, Armenian Space Station prepares to debut in their hometown of Los Angeles, CA.

Barrett Yeretsian began playing percussions from a very young age. He went to Alex Pilibos Armenian School from the age of 3 to 17. He fell in love with music when he was 12 years old and, “started playing the Armenian drum (dhol) during a visit to Armenia. When I came back to L.A., I taught myself the drums and eventually started writing songs on the piano.” He went to UCLA and graduated with a degree in Philosophy in 2001.

Greg Hosharian was born into a musical family. He went to Mesrobian Armenian School and then L.A. Country High School for the Arts. His father was a famous composer/conductor, “he led the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra in L.A. He was my first music teacher. I studied Music Composition and Orchestration at Cal Arts and got my Masters degree from CSUN.” They have both been working in the music industry as composers, producers and songwriters, since then.

The band started out when drummer Yeretsian met up with pianist Hosharian. “We were writing music together for TV and film,” says Yeretsian. “A few of the ideas eventually took on a life of their own and became the first few Armenian Space Station songs. At that point, we brought Phil Trujeque (guitarist) and Clint Feddersen (bassist) on board and we officially became a band about 3 months ago,” he added.

Their first show took place in Armenia, on October 28, 2009. “We were invited there by the FPWC, an organization that promotes environmental awareness in Armenia. We were a part of the Sunchild Festival and we headlined the Rock for Nature show” says Hosharian. It was a completely sold out show. The crowd was going wild, and by their third song it began raining; nobody left.

Since then they’ve put up four songs, all instrumental, which feature sounds that range from polyrhythmic progressive metal to sitars to neo-classical piano concertos and everything in between. The complexity and range of their music makes it difficult to categorize. “We are instrumental, melodic, progressive rock with a heavy Armenian influence,” says Yeretsian. “Our musical taste is very broad because we like a wide range of artists and bands such as: Tool, Deftones, Rush, Dream Theater, The Beatles, The Doors, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, and Chopin.” And if you’re wondering where the “Armenian twist” is in that list, the band also mentions that they love Armenian composers such as Komitas, Aram Khatchatourian, and Sayat Nova.

Armenian Space Station is currently planning their Los Angeles, New York, and San Fransisco debuts for January 2010.

If you would like more information about the band, find them on Myspace, Twitter, and Facebook. Search Armenian Space Station to find them, or go to their website: www.armenianspacestation.com/