Serj Tankian Partners With Gibson to Benefit Artsakh Refugees

NASHVILLE, TN — Gibson, the iconic instrument brand, has announced the launch of the Gibson Band, which features a revolving collective of Gibson artists. Today, the Gibson Band is launching the first single, “Deconstruction,” which was co-written by Serj Tankian of System of a Down and Cesar Gueikian, CEO of Gibson, and features Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath on guitar.

Gibson Records, Cesar Gueikian, Serj Tankian, and Tony Iommi will donate all proceeds from the sale of the song “Deconstruction,” as well as the funds raised from the auction of Serj Tankian’s painting and a unique Les Paul guitar (details below) via Gibson Gives, and Corporación América Airports will match the funds raised from the auction–with all funds going to Armenia Fund’s Artsakh Refugee Initiative. Tankian, Gueikian, and the Eurnekian family are all of Armenian descent, and the Armenia Fund provides humanitarian assistance to the people of Armenia and global Armenian communities through the development of vital infrastructure projects, educational, cultural, healthcare, and disaster relief programs, as well as direct assistance to families and individuals.

In addition to fronting System of a Down, Serj Tankian is also an accomplished painter. The single cover artwork for “Deconstruction” is based on an original work of art by Serj Tankian titled “Our Mountains.” Tankian stated, “’Our Mountains’ harks back to the twin peaks of Mount Ararat, a symbol of the Armenian nation and the location for the rebirth of Noah’s civilization.” Tankian’s original “Our Mountains” painting–a 48” x 36” acrylic on canvas–as well as a one-of-a-kind Gibson Les Paul Standard customized with the “Our Mountains” artwork, will be part of an exclusive global auction from Friday, December 8 through Monday, December 18, closing at 11:00 a.m. PST, via Julien’s Auctions, HERE.

Acrylic on canvas original artwork titled “Our Mountains,” by System of a Down founding member Serj Tankian. An accomplished artist as well as a musician, Tankian created this work to be sold in conjunction with the release of “Deconstruction,” the first single from the Gibson Band. “Our Mountains,” was used as the cover artwork for the single’s release. The painting is accompanied by a unique musical score that is unlocked via smartphone or tablet using optical recognition software via the Arloopa app.

The 2023 Gibson Les Paul Standard guitar serial #232030094 was custom built by the luthiers and craftspeople of Gibson USA using a proprietary, pure lacquer, technique that perfectly recreates the center portion of the original painting “Our Mountains,” painted by Serj Tankian of System of a Down. The guitar comes with a Black USA Modern hardshell case.

“We are thrilled to launch the Gibson Band project and release the first song, ‘Deconstruction,’ says Cesar Gueikian, CEO of Gibson. “We have been working on this project for a very long time. The concept of the Gibson Band was born out of a love of writing and recording new music and having a new venue for collaboration between our team and our Gibson artists. The first song, ‘Deconstruction,’ brings multiple emotions together for me, including the dream of collaborating with Serj Tankian and Tony Iommi, two artists I admire and who have been influential and transformational in so many ways. Serj and I are both diaspora Armenians therefore, we immediately decided we wanted ‘Deconstruction’ to be dedicated to the Armenian community. I hope everyone loves ‘Deconstruction’ as much as we loved making it!”

“It’s a dream come true to have collaborated with my good friend, Cesar Gueikian, and Tony Iommi, who I have collaborated with before,” says Serj Tankian. “I am happy that we are using our platform to donate the music, my art, and Gibson’s incredibly unique guitar for such a great charity. Music with the right intentions can inspire and also create positive change.”

“It was great to hook up with Serj again and also to do a track with Cesar (I think that he’s trying to steal my job!! ) ha-ha!! The Armenian people are really lovely people, and it’s a great pleasure, a great cause, and I’m very happy to be involved in it.” –Tony Iommi