APEX THEORY'S FIRST CD DEBUTS IN RECORD STORES.

Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer

GLENDALE - After years of paying dues in Los Angeles venues and exposing audiences to a sound influenced by ethnic music, a local band has made its debut in local record stores.

For the past three years, David Hakopyan, Art Karamian, Ontronik Khachaturian and Sammy J. Watson have built a loyal fan base playing as The Apex Theory and introducing people to a hybrid sound derived from musical influences ranging from jazz and blues to ethnic sounds - and hoping to break down social barriers.

``The Apex Theory, to me, has the spirituality and musicality that seems to be inspiring, compelling. They have moved me in a way that I haven't been moved in a long time,'' said DreamWorks Records executive Michael Goldstone, who recently signed The Apex Theory to a contract.

Goldstone, who is known for signing artists like Rage Against the Machine and Pearl Jam, said that much like those bands, Apex demonstrates an adventurous musical style.

``Some of the other bands I've worked with in the past have forged new ground musically and politically, and at the time, some thought those bands would never be embraced by the mainstream,'' Goldstone said. ``Apex Theory has an ability to do something different rhythmically, yet draw the listener in.''

Drummer Watson says the band's dynamic allows for unlimited musical freedom.

``We are four different creatures coming from different places and different cultures, but at the end of day when you close your eyes and play music, none of it matters,'' said Watson, 27. ``It's wanting to explore, and the possibilities are endless.''

On Tuesday, DreamWorks Records released the band's five-song, eponymous extended play album, which is available in music stores. The group's full album, ``Random Bursts,'' will be released next February.

The band - whose name means striving, moving forward and not looking back in life - shies away from pigeonholing itself into a genre of music, only saying that at its most basic, it's rock.

``That's for others to decide. It is what it is,'' guitar player Karamian said. ``We do what feels right. It's a weird chemistry.''

Khachaturian, the band's 26-year-old lead singer and lyricist, goes so far as to describe its music as ``heavy Mediterranean groove.'' He, as well as Karamian and Hakopyan, both 26, said that without realizing it, they were also influenced by their Armenian heritage and the songs they heard at home growing up - including Middle Eastern and Mediterranean music.

The blend of sounds caught the attention of the band's manager, HM Wollman, who flew out from New York to see the band perform the day after his friend sent him a demo CD.

``It was a cathartic explosion of spirituality and positivity that pulled you in,'' Wollman said.

Khachaturian says he tries to write positive lyrics that encourage and infuse confidence into the listener.

``We're about something very good, very positive, forward moving, to strengthen our lives in a world full of disruptions and chaos and all kinds of things that will steer us away from what would generally be considered 'the good,' '' he said.

Despite breaking into the record industry, Apex defines its success by the music it creates - something that goes beyond material success.

``It's what you do with the instrument, the songs you write, the emotion you put into the world,'' Hakopyan said. ``That's heart. And if it comes from a truthful place, that's success.''

For more information on the band, visit www.theapextheory.com.

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

Members of The Apex Theory are, from left, Art Karamian, Sammy J. Watson, David Hakopyan and Ontronik Khachaturian. The band's first extended play album premiered this week.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer