SOUND & VOICE

I have been playing music in the metropolitan area regularly since 1990. Initially, I wrote music, sang, and played guitar for the band Surreal. Surreal played hundreds of gigs all over the east coast, created its own record label (Melting Palette Records) and publishing company, charted on CMJ several times, and contributed music to film and television productions from 1990 till 1999 or so. Even now, I receive modest royalty checks from ASCAP for snippets of music used for a TV show here, a short film there. . .

During the past few years, I've collaborated with gifted musicians to form Milquetoast, Watercats, and Stratosphere. I've worked with New York free jazz player Daniel Carter in a variety of settings, locals Bopa King Carre, Tom Karcher, and Nick Gianni, and performed with an myriad of musicians including Jen Chapin, Chris Barron from the Spin Doctors and other dear friends and talented people. During the Surreal years, we opened and played with a wide a variety of acts, as well, ranging from Ben Folds Five and Richard Lloyd to Naughty By Nature and Michelle Ndegeocello. We toured the NACA college circuit with an excellent and inventive hip hop project called Dark Theory. Recently, I've been collaborating with old friends to create Diet Kong, a swank-rock-punk project focused on songwriting with a wider lens. In addition, for the past two years I’ve curated a series for innovative singer/songwriters in the Long Island/New York City area called The Conklin barn Singer/Songwriter Series. I’ve had a chance to meet and work with some excellent songwriters including Philip A. Jimenez and Gordo Gringo, Rich Stein, Brian Sendrowitz, Akiva, Greg Fine, Rorie Kelly, Bess Rogers, Seth Davis, Dave Diamond, Neil Cavanagh, and many more.

I guess what's important to me about my music now is that it's honest and somehow in tune with my intentions, which are, ultimately, to learn more about myself and others through creation and performance and have that be a kind of entertainment too. I've been playing solo a lot more lately with steady monthly shows in the Long Island/New York City area where I live, and I'd like to further that path with more work as a composer and summer tours in the region. I've come to understand professionalism as the integrity we bring to our performances and the respect we have for the environments in which we create. I'd love to continue to build professional relationships with people in the music industry and beyond if the shoe fits.



Check Alan Semerdjian.com for the latest news and performance information.

DISCOGRAPHY

Alan Semerdjian 'When There Was Something Wrong With You' 'When There Was Something Wrong With You' CDBaby

Alan Semerdjian 'Hero City' 'Disappear' 'Hero City' cd is $8

Milquetoast  '3' 'Bridha' '3' cd is $8

Watercats 'Out' 'But you still sit right next to me' 'Out' cd is $8

Stratosphere 'Live@Knitting Factory ' 'Fantastic Cruise' 'Live@Knitting Factory' cd is $8

Stratosphere 'Night Before Storm ' 'Night Before Storm 1' 'Night Before Storm' cd is $8

Stratosphere 'Night Driving...' 'Night Driving' 'NIght Driving' cd is $8

Surreal 'Gift' 'Fall' 'Gift' cd is $5

Surreal 'Surreal' 'Shouting Constellations' 'Surreal' cd is $8

Surreal 'Drawing Bridges...' 'Drawbridge' out of print