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Shavo and Two Real Heros |
Posted by Petr on Sunday, June 21, 2009 - 12:54 PM
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 Heroes
come in all shapes, sizes and ages. You can do something extraordinary at nine
or thirty-nine as long as you believe.
Teagan Stedman believed that he
could make a difference, and he did. When he found out that his friend Alex had
cancer, he felt like he had to do something. So the nine-year-old started
Shred Kids Cancer,
and he organized a charity battle of the bands at the Roxy benefiting Mattel
Children's Hospital UCLA and The Pediatric Cancer Research foundation.
He called the Roxy to set up the event, and eventually he garnered support from
sponsors such as 'Rock Nation' and Guitar Center. As a surprise, some important
rock stars popped up to judge Teagan's contest. One of them was
Shavo Odadjian.
With a big smile, Shavo
reminisces about the moment he first saw Teagan. "When I met him, I hugged him!
I gave him some signed System picture discs, and he was like, 'This is the
coolest!' I said, 'You're the coolest thing in the world right now!' It was so
amazing."
Teagan just wanted to help his buddy out, and the benefit was a
smash success. In addition to Shavo, the celebrity judge panel included Jesse
Johnson (The
Time) and Dhani Harrison (thenewno2).
Even with how extraordinary the event was, Teagan remains humble and
soft-spoken. Charity work is just something that he does.
He explains,
"When I met Alex, I got inspired because I felt really bad for him. I wanted to
help him and the other kids who have cancer, so I started
Shred Kids Cancer.
Alex plays bass and loves music so I thought a Battle of the Bands would be
good."
The Battle of Bands was perfect, and the turnout was phenomenal.
Alex even jammed "Sweet Child O' Mine" with Teagan's band Slatr. "I felt really
happy when I saw everything come together," continues Teagan. "It happened
exactly how it was supposed to. Rock Nation and Guitar Center were the best
sponsors they could ever be. I really want to help people out everywhere."
After the benefit, Shavo is still wide-eyed at the whole experience.
"The fact that I'm helping people means so much to me," he says. "It blows
me away that this event was thrown by a nine-year-old. If my presence can help
people, I will be there. Who wouldn't believe in the cause of a kid having
cancer and his friend putting this together? That's like the kids on South
Park building a ladder to Heaven to see Kenny [Laughs]. Of course, I wanted
to be a part of it."
He continues, "If you have a gram of good bone in
your body, you'd have to do this. I was inspired by this little nine-year-old
bringing everyone together; that's something I usually do! I've got a lot of
soft spots. I like to help. Everyone calls that 'giving back.' To me, it's a way
of life. If I can help, I will help. It's not a matter of, 'Oh, I've got it, so
I'll give it back.' There's no obligation whatsoever. Whether or not System was
System, I would still help people—guaranteed. I'm always going to give. It's not
about what I get or what I have."
The excitement was beyond palpable at
the Roxy. It's funny for Shavo because the club is still a home away from home
for him. He laughs, "I felt a lot of emotions the second I walked in. That's the
first club I ever played at—May 28th, 1995. 14 years later, I'm judging a cancer
benefit there. I was even sitting at the table I had my parents sit at during my
first show! I was so amped on this little kid. The only thing I didn't do was
put him on my shoulders and run around [Laughs]."
This past February,
the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) awarded Shavo with a community hero
award for being a mentor. The kids nominated him, and he accepted it with his
Achozen partner RZA (Wu-Tang Clan) in tow. "It was better than winning the
Grammy, no joke. The Grammy is just industry; it's corporate. This is from the
kids. This shows you that a difference happened. The best thing in the world is
when you can get someone to notice a difference. I was really emotional when I
went up there. It was an amazing feeling. I know where I came from. The kids
nominated me, and it was the best."
Shavo's even ready for more though,
and he'll never stop helping. Recently, he even spoke out against pet euthanasia
on Raul Levy Jr.'s Flaunt My Pet, appearing with his pup, Chomp.
"Everyone's capable of greatness. I've already succeeded in my head before I do
something, period. Success has nothing to do with money or anything material.
Success is inside. What I did with
Shred Kids Cancer
made me feel complete. That's success."
He's also got urSESSION.com, his
online musicians' community and record label, which continues to flourish. "I
want to teach, help and raise awareness," he says smiling. "urSESSION.com is a
platform for that. I'm at a really strong point in my life. I'm in my mid-30s,
and I think I'm a pretty cool role mode [Laughs]. I'm not nervous or scared
about it. I really want to help kids. I'm working with this band called
Chameleon Conductor. My little brother and my little cousin are in the band, and
I'm putting them on urSESSION.com. The youngest member is 19, and the oldest is
24. I'm mentoring them about life in general. First you gain the knowledge then
you gain the wisdom after that you gain the understanding."
As for the
future of urSESSION.com, Shavo's right hand man Kevin Potts puts it best, "We're
taking digital media to a place it's never been before."
If anyone can do
it, it's Shavo and his team of heroes.
—Rick Florino
06.07.09
Help fight kids cancer with Tegan at
Shred Kids Cancer.org!
From Left to Right: Shavo Odadjian, Jesse Johnson, Alex Berson
(Inspiration for Shred Kids Cancer), Teagan Stedman (Founder Shred Kids Cancer),
Dhani Harrison
Courtesy of
artistdirect.com
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Comments
hackthesystem2
21.06.09, 16:20
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wow shavo really is a nice guy
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Balweh1234
21.06.09, 16:33
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yeah he really is.. but i wonder why serj or daron or john didn't show up
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Aciid_drop
21.06.09, 16:36
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Awesome, that's nice.
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blakspyder
21.06.09, 17:11
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This whole thing was organized by a nine year old. Wow! ... Shavo's all over the place these days. :D
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sejana
21.06.09, 17:59
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Shavarsh's behavior is deeply touching and it shows how great person he is! All he said must be a great example and is to be highly appreciated. what else can i do now after reading this article than stand up and giving a never ending applause.
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stlpujols5
21.06.09, 21:07
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Wait a second... Shavo has a brother?!
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sejana
21.06.09, 21:31
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yes, Davit (Dave) Odadjian >>go to Chameleon Conductor thread ;)
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OH-NO-ITS-ROGER!!!
21.06.09, 22:20
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Shavo always refers to him being in System... :D he is such a great person! i want to meet him!!!!!
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ROCK2006
21.06.09, 23:29
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Может кто-нибудь это на русский язык перевести? Заранее Thank you!
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MrSeed
22.06.09, 04:11
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He's probably one of the only genuine 'stars' out there who contribute more than just money, but positivity and good influence. And he probably doesn't just go searching for any benefit he can give to who have photographers ready, but most likely gets involved through various means of awareness such as a friends and music or whatever. You know?
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HyeSOADfan
22.06.09, 18:47
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this is great, shavo is sweeet
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AkiTusspot
22.06.09, 19:44
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You don't see enough people doing this. I applaud Shavo and anyone else who participated. And it makes me even more excited for Achozen!
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BASSic
22.06.09, 21:19
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He sure is a role model, and a dam good one :D That kid is a great person and will grow up to be an even better one (if that's possible ;))
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ret94
23.06.09, 13:34
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shavo is the #1! a nice guy! an idol!
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Lindz_on_broadway
23.06.09, 16:12
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good read! shavo is ... THE MAN !!!!!!!!!!!! YEAAAAAAAH
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gemonie03
23.06.09, 22:58
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Wow! This is really awsome! I wish I could have been there! Dhani Harrison is one of the coolest guys ever and Shavo is well Shavo!
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physco88
29.06.09, 22:25
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man thats really good for him doing something for a9 yr old thats AWSOME!
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MurMur
05.07.09, 23:03
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What a guy.
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