06 02 19 - GRAMMY TO SYSTEM OF A DOWN:

By Gayane Abrahamyan , Armenia Now reporter

GRAMMY TO SYSTEM OF A DOWN: System of a Down rock group, whose members are Armenians, was honored with a GRAMMY in the “Best Hard Rock Performance” category in the pre-telecast ceremony at the 48th Grammy Awards, which were held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Wednesday night (Feb. 8). The group won for their “B.Y.O.B.” single, which beat out the likes of Audioslave (“Doesn’t Remind Me”), Nine Inch nails (“The Hand That Feeds”), Robert plant (“Tin Pan Valley”) and Queens of the Stone Age (“Little Sister”).

SYSTEM OF A DOWN has yet to announce 2006 tour plans in support of last year’s two album releases “Mesmerize” and “Hypnotize”. Source: PanArmenia.net

NAVY BAND IN MOSCOW: February 20, 2006 avant-garde folk Armenian Navy Band of Arto Tuncboyaciyan will give a concert in Moscow. The event will be held in the Theater of Variety Art. The band is arriving in Russia for the first time. Instruments used by the Armenian Navy Band are a mix of Armenian folk instruments (duduk, blul, zurna, kanon and others) with contemporary ones – saxophone, trombone, bass, keyboard. Percussionist, singer and composer Arto Tuncboyaciyan was born in Turkey, lived in the US and returned to his historical fatherland a few years ago. He has 20 solo albums and has produced music for cinema. The band is among quarterfinalists for a BBC World Music Award, to be announced February 25.

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