Over the past decade, veteran musician and songwriter Levon Sultanian has
been a valuable player within the Los Angeles music scene. His musical journey
began on piano at the age of seven, where he studied classical music with his
grandfather. He eventually picked up the guitar at age nine. Discovering players
such as Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple), Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) and Jimi
Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen, it inspired him to buy his first Fender Stratocaster
at age 11.
As a musician, he has played with Onesidezero, recording and writing on their
two full length recordings, 2001’s Is This Room Getting Smaller? (Maverick
Records), and 2007’s Onesidezero (Corporate Punishment). ‘Tapwater’ was
featured in the 2002 film A Walk To Remember (Warner Bros. Pictures), while
‘New World Order’ was featured in the television series Smallville (CW Network),
both songs that Levon co-wrote. They toured with Incubus, 311, Rob Zombie,
Zebrahead, and the Static X and Soulfly tour, which eventually led to the
formation of his next project, Abloom.
In Abloom, Levon had worked with former Soulfly members, drummer Roy
Mayorga (Stone Sour), guitarist Mikey Doling (Snot/Invitro), and bassist Marcello
Dias (Against All Will/Dead Heart Saints), as well as Onesidezero vocalist Jasan
Radford. Within its brief time, the band recorded material with System of a Down
bassist Shavo Odadjian, and later opened the Southwestern dates on the Static
X/SOiL tour, as well as participating on the 2005 Zippo Tour. Their song ‘What
You Came For’ was featured in the B-Movie The Passing.
Levon has since expanded his horizons into other areas, including producing and
sound engineering. He has previously worked with producers Ulrich Wild (Static
X), Toby Wright (Sevendust, Fear Factory), Jim Wirt (Incubus, Jack’s
Mannequin), and John Travis (Kid Rock) on many of his previous musical
ventures. His personal credits include classical outfit Kohar, Los Angeles based
rock band Red Snow and Russian metal band ANJ (he co-wrote songs and hired
as their live guitarist). ANJ was nominated in three categories for the 2009 Los
Angeles Music Awards - Music Video of the Year, Best Song, International
Showcase Artist of the Year, and International Songwriter of the Year.
As a songwriter, he has teamed up with various musical acts to collaborate for
songwriting. His understanding and adaptability between different genres of
music has made his skills a valuable asset. He has co-written with people such
as Poet Named Life, which featured Black Eyed Peas members Jaime Luis
“Taboo Nawasha” Gomez and Allan “apl.de.ap” Pineda Lindo ; Mazik (Blood of
Abraham); and Takbir ‘Tak’ Bashir (Styles of Beyond); as well as a song on Roy
Mayorga’s solo album titled ‘Desert Song’ (also featuring Slipknot/Stone Sour
guitarist Jim Root).
Levon has been involved with coordinating benefit concerts for various causes. He and his band Onesidezero were involved in four high profile Los Angeles benefit shows - Sultan To Mars Productions – Der Zor Eve Of Justice: A Rock Concert To Benefit Pyunic Disabled Children of Armenia at the Roxy Theater, Amplifly Your Voice Against Genocide” benefit concert for Darfur at the El Rey Theater, Recognize The Armenian Genocide Festival (with Axis of Justice) at the Knitting Factory, and Silenced Cries: A Benefit Concert For Humanity (co-sponsored by the USC Armenian Student Association) at USC Bovard Auditorium (with Jacob Armen). Each of the benefit shows helped raise money for various causes he felt deeply about.
Levon is endorsed by ESP Guitars, Bogner Amplifiers, Dunlop Electronics, Dean Markley Strings, and Seymour Duncan Pick Ups.
