by Laura Studarus
Ashod Simonian is a musician who jams with members of Pavement, a visual artist who still works in Polaroid, and a co-founder of The Ship—a Los Angeles artist collective that just happens to include many of the scene’s heavy hitters. In short, he’s everything we look for in a Panelist.
“My primary instrument is guitar. But I'm not the kind of guy who could sit and listen to a CD and go play it with a bunch of people,” Simonian admits. When he got the call to join the post-pavement project Spiral Stairs, his first instinct wasn’t celebratory but rather diffident. “I think a lot of times, the fact that I'm not super well versed gives me an edge,” says Simonian of his skills as a musician. “That's how I keep myself from not sounding corny is by not knowing. That's where a lot of my sounds come from." However, he's quick to add, "People like to have me in the band, because I'm not gonna fight with anybody and I'm not gonna smell too much.”
It was his natural talent (in part at least) that led him to “birth” The Ship recording studios. The Ship is a hybrid analog/digital recording studio in Eagle Rock, California, boasting all kinds of unique recording equipment "from ribbons, to tube, to what-the-hell-is-that?" A creative collective has focused around The Ship recording studios. Simonian counts among his “people” such Los Angeles scene heavy hitters, as Earlimart, Silversun Pickups, Sea Wolf, and Great Northern.
Simonian’s obsession with Polaroid art sprung directly from his rock n’ roll lifestyle, accumulating in a recently released collection, Real Fun. “Rock photography is so often relegated to bands playing live, or bands posing for promo pictures. And as art, both of those leave me pretty empty,” he says. For Simonian, Polaroids gave him a way to counteract that. “Once I had an inkling I was on to something, I just made sure to carry my camera at all times and to have extra film in my bag. And I'm sure, to some extent, it pushed me into creating those moments where I was pushing a group of drunks out the door and into the streets and down to the river or what-have-you, because that's where I knew the best memories were.”
It’s the emotional connection of memories that drive Simonian’s artistic choices. Conveniently, his first pick of the week, There the Open Spaces by Sleeping States, is saturated with memories. “[Leadman Markland Starkie’s] music reminded me of cobblestone streets and foreign market places, walks in the park and strange birds I'd never seen. He came to the states on vacation once and I took him to Fresno, my hometown, in the heat of summer and made him sell Panty Lions merch. It was miserable but it was the start of a great friendship. He continued to send me songs as he finished them, each outshining the prior, and I couldn't believe I was one of the few who got to hear them," Simonian explains. “Another vacation to the states began with the idea of me helping him get a few shows where I knew people, and it blossomed into a full-blown tour and record deal. Since he didn't have too many American friends, I lucked into a position as guitar player. What an honor. The tour was cursed with one snafu after another (which is why you likely have never heard of nor seen Sleeping States) but remains one of my favorites ever, due to sheer ridiculousness. You couldn't be stuck in a van with a more awesome dude than Markland, or stuck on a stage at a Wings joint in Lubbock, Texas with prettier sounds than those of Sleeping States."
Photo Credit: Annie Beedy (www.mimandhoney.com)
A musician who jams with members of Pavement, a visual artist who still works in Polaroid, and co-founder of The Ship—a Los Angeles artist collective that just happens to include many of the scene’s heavy hitters. In short, he’s everything we look for in a Panelist.
