By James Wright

It's fairly common these days to hear a band say that their music is a melting pot of styles and sounds. In the case of Dreamworks newest recording artist, The Apex Theory, that's the honest truth. At times, they sound as melodic as Incubus or at other points they throw down System of a Down like heaviness. The Apex Theory is a band that truly defies genres and classification. Their debut record, 'Topsy Turvy', is heating up the Billboard charts and their new single, "Apossibly', is so undeniably infectious that no one can resist. With a huge buzz surrounding the band and a slot on this year's Ozzfest, Shoutweb was fortunate enough to sit down with frontman Andy Khachaturian to talk about the band's recently released debut, "Topsy-Turvy".

Shoutweb: For those people that may not know, how did The Apex Theory come together? Andy: Dave and I had known each other for a while. We went to junior high together and we just started working on a project where it was a whole new musical style. We needed a guitarist and through a mutual friend we hooked up with Art. From there, we took a few weeks off and then started writing songs that we're a bit heavier and moving in that direction. During that time, I was jamming in another project using keyboards, not cheesy pads but rather sound texturing and through that project I came to meet Sam. That project folded and the four of us started jamming and in January of '99 we kind of solidified things. Shoutweb: I was reading that some of you guys play other instruments like accordion and things like that. Andy: Well, I played accordion from the age of seven till about thirteen and then picked up piano and then when I was about fourteen I started playing drums.

The Apex Theory meet with fans at the Webster Theater in Hartford, CT. Copyright (c) Therese McKeon/Shoutweb.com

Shoutweb: Does it help knowing that the members of the band can play other instruments when writing?

Andy: Of course, because you can relate to the other instruments and what everybody else is trying to do. We all basically write from vibe and how things feel. It's about making the instrument speak and not necessarily you speaking. A lot of people can play an instrument and hit every note but it doesn't mean that they're making the instrument speak like it hasn't before. That's what makes an artist different is their filtering systems and how you decipher music that's different and original from everything else out there.

Shoutweb: Is it difficult for you to talk about your music like this? I know we press people and some fans like to categorize things.

Andy: Well, the way I see things is like this… Take a band like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and try to describe them for someone else and you'd probably fail. You can't really describe the Chili Peppers, right? You can say a little but of this and a little bit of that but the only way to truly describe the Chili Peppers is to say the Red Hot Chili Peppers because they are themselves. Take Bjork, for example, because she is a thing all her own. You can't say she sounds exactly like this or exactly like anyone else, Right now, there are a lot of bands who sound exactly like each other! Everyone is kinda doing their thing, which is cool, but I think it's important to be unique and on your own. Who does The Apex Theory sound like? I really don't know so you'll have to check them out. The Apex Theory sound like The Apex Theory.

Shoutweb: On the way to the show today, someone asked me what The Apex Theory sound like and I was like "Umm…. A whole bunch of bands and styles really."

Andy: That's great because the goal is to have people say the Apex Theory sound like the Apex Theory kind of like the Red Hot Chili Peppers sound like themselves. I'm not trying to say we're as great as the Chili Peppers or anything but that's the type of thing we're striving for.

Shoutweb: How would you describe your music to someone who hasn't heard it yet if you can put it into words?

Andy: I think it's kind of cliché to say, "It's really hard describe ourselves because we're a thing all our own." But it truly is that. Our music for the most part is influenced from non-rock music and more world music most of the time but the way we choose to express ourselves is through rock music. I think the best way to describe ourselves is to say we're a heavier version of world music. The odd rhythms we have are prominent in other music in the world like Greeks, Armenian and Middle-Eastern music. These types of rhythms are not foreign to us as we grew up listening to them, but…

The Apex Theory performing live at The Webster Theater in Hartford, CT. Copyright (c) Therese McKeon/Shoutweb.com

Shoutweb: They may not be foreign to you but they're foreign to everyone else. Andy: Exactly! You're exactly right. Shoutweb: When you guys do write, is it kind of like throw in everything but the kitchen sink and see if it works?

Andy: It stems from an idea really. It could a bass line Dave shows me and we work on together and present it to the rest of the guys or we could jam together and something comes out of that like a beautiful melody or something. Sometimes, I pick up a bass or a guitar and the idea just stems from things like that. Usually, what happens is someone has an idea and presents it to the band and we all work on it.

Shoutweb: We talked about you guys being very diverse musically before. This year you're on Ozzfest and last year you were part of the Warped Tour. How do you think the crowds will receive you?

Andy: Warped Tour was good because we got our feet wet in a festival type situation. Festivals are a lot different from playing clubs shows in that there is a lot of stress on the band. There are so many bands playing and you don't know when your on or you're playing really early in the morning. It's chaos. Utter chaos. The cool thing about those shows is that, with all the bands, you're kind of like a traveling musical circus really. You get to know everyone in the bands and work with the same people everyday and the opportunity to play in front of that many people is amazing really. I hope that anywhere we play, we'll fit in. With our music and our art we're trying to do something different and bring that message across. Hopefully our music and our message will come across pretty clearly at these festivals.

Shoutweb: This tour is pretty diverse as you have Lost Prophets doing their thing and Andrew WK is doing his kind of party rock.

Andy: I can agree with that. There is quite a selection of bands on this tour but we're all pretty heavy. Everyone is just doing their thing really.

Shoutweb: Getting into the record, one has to wonder where the name, "Topsy-Turvy" comes from? It seems like an odd kind of name for a record.

Andy: The name comes from a lyric in "Shhh… (Hope Diggy)" that is "Will not tolerate toilet tokens until he is topsy-turvy". That is just the idea of playfully being chaotic. It's like there is chaos around you or you're creating chaos but it's not like, "Let's kill each other and fuck the world up!". It's playful chaos, but you have to remember to stay positive. Get it all out and come together as people, you know? So "Topsy-Turvy" is kind of like a playful word for chaos.

Shoutweb: Kind of like how your music may inspire mosh pits?

Andy: It's that but it's also like when you feel like tearing off your skin because of the feeling you get from it. You may take that feeling and run into a wall or you might hug someone, you know? We're hoping that our music will bring that energy out. Shoutweb: Do you guys feel like you're successful so far since you never sought out a label but now you're with Dreamworks, had a great first weeks sales, and are about to begin this summer's biggest tour in a number of weeks? You must feel on top of the world because things are looking good!

The Apex Theory on tour with Alien Ant Farm at the Theatre of the Living Arts in Philadelphia, PA. (November 13, 2001) Copyright (c) Therese McKeon/Shoutweb.com

Andy: I don't really know what success means but the way I would measure it is to be able to do something you love to do and wake up every morning doing it. You have to be happy doing whatever it is you do while at the same time being able sustain yourself and the most important thing for me is to be able to evoke a positive emotion in someone. That's what success is to me. With our craft, our skills, our music we want to be able to give them a positive energy if they're having a bad day. I want them to listen to us and say, "I'm not going to pout about this." And have the music give them the energy to get up off their ass and do something positive with the circumstances or with their day. I want our music to be able to self-empower people to get up and go for the positive. I would consider that to be successful.

Shoutweb: The current musical climate is kind of depressing and your music is very positive.

Andy: That's funny because yesterday someone said that the current musical climate is positive but I don't really see it as we don't really pay attention to that. We just try to stay focused on what it is that we do and keep striving for the good.

Shoutweb: Hopefully people take that away from your music.

Andy: Definitely.

Shoutweb: Thanks for taking the time to chat with me today.

Andy: Thank you, James.