Stephen Dadaian
| Stephen Dadaian | |
|---|---|
 Dadaian in 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Stephen Charles Dadaian |
| Born | May 3, 1987 (age 28) |
| Origin | New Jersey |
| Genres | Rock, Classical, Progressive Rock, Heavy Metal |
| Instruments | Electric and classical guitar |
| Years active | 2005-present |
Stephen Charles Dadaian (born May 3, 1987) is an Armenian electric and classical guitarist from Cresskill, New Jersey.[1] He is also a general dentist.[2][3] He attended Cresskill High School, where he graduated in 2005 and later graduated from The College of New Jersey in 2009. He graduated and earned his DDS degree from Columbia University College of Dental Medicine in 2013, where he was part of The William Jarvie Research Society.[4]
Dadaian began playing electric guitar at the age of 14 then classical thereafter at the age of 16. In his teenage years, Dadaian studied with electric guitarists such as Ron Thal and classical guitarists Antigoni Goni as well as Jorge Caballero. In 2008 and 2009 he was a top prize earner in the Philadelphia Guitar Society Competition - Collegiate Division.[5] During this time, he won first prize in Music Nation's "Slash's Ultimate Guitar Showdown", a national guitar competition with 2,500 entrants. The grand prize was chosen by Slash (musician).[6] Stephen was a top prize earner in Guitar World's "Shred the Web" competition. He has also opened for notable acts such as Third Eye Blind at The College of New Jersey in 2008, which was one of the largest turnouts seen at the College in the past five years.[7]
In 2013, Stephen won a national guitar competition hosted by Jammit and judged by Dean guitars in addition to a representative of Pantera. Jammit allowed contestants to play a note for note cover or create their own rendition for the Pantera song "Drag the Waters", where Stephen performed the latter. The rhythm guitar was the same as the studio recording while the solos consisted of a mixture of his lead style with the style of Dimebag Darrell. It also made use of the features on his signature model guitar by Jason Lee guitars such as the arcade style killswitch button and the 27 fret fretboard. The judging for the contest was unanimous in Stephen's favor.[8]
In 2014 he was selected as a finalist and won the Jon Donais (Shadows Fall, Anthrax) Guitar Battle Royale, which was judged by Jon himself. [9]
Equipment
Jason Lee Guitars Stephen Dadaian Signature model
Dunlop Crybaby Wah Pedal
Dunlop Jazz III Picks
Ibanez Tube Screamer
Parker Fly Mojo
Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier 100 W 3 Channel
Mesa Boogie Mark IV
Mesa Boogie 4 x 12, 2, x 12
References
- ↑ Batipps, Mylin. "Dentist by Day, Musician by Night", TCNJ Journal, April 13, 2013. Accessed December 23, 2013. "Stephen Dadaian is an electric and classical guitarist from Cresskill, New Jersey."
- ↑ Fitterman, Ben. "Rock music news and views". RIFTrock.com. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
- ↑ "College duo plays to packed house". The College of New Jersey Signal. March 25, 2009. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
- ↑ "The William Jarvie Society of Columbia University". Dental.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
- ↑ "2009 Annual Guitar Festival Winners". Philadelphia Classical Guitar Society. April 18, 2009. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
- ↑ "Musicnation channel". YouTube. May 20, 2006. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
- ↑ "Third Eye Blind draws largest crowd in five years". The College of New Jersey Signal. April 23, 2008. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
- ↑ "Jammit Contest Winner". YouTube. Feb 7, 2013. Retrieved 2013-01-03.
- ↑ "Guitar Battle Royale Contest Winner". Jon Donais. March 24, 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-24.