Amir Derakh

Last updated

Amir Derakh
Amir Derakh.jpg
Derakh performing in 2017
Background information
Birth nameAmir Davidson
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • producer
Instrument(s)
  • Guitar
  • synthesizer
  • programming
Years active1980–present
Website amirderakh.com

Amir Davidson, professionally known as Amir Derakh, is an American musician and record producer. He is currently the guitarist and the synthesizer player for the band Julien-K, and was the guitarist for the band Dead by Sunrise. He was once the guitar synthesizer player in the rock band Orgy, and has also played guitar in the bands Rough Cutt and Jailhouse.

Contents

Career

After graduating in 1981 from Mission Bay High School in San Diego, California, Derakh played lead guitar for local bands Armed & Ready and Emerald. He moved to Los Angeles to replace Craig Goldy in Rough Cutt. He made a guest appearance on Crazy Town's album, The Gift of Game . Julien-K released a remix of Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington's solo song "Morning After" which appeared exclusively on the soundtrack for the 2006 film, Underworld: Evolution . Derakh describes the sound of Julien-K as Depeche Mode meets Nine Inch Nails.

Derakh performed backing for Bennington when he performed the song "Let Down" during 2005's ReAct Now: Music & Relief televised concert. He also made an appearance in the 2003 version of the film Freaky Friday and has worked with many other popular bands, including Coal Chamber, Spineshank, Danzig, the eels, Red Tape, Mumiy Troll and Estados Alterados.

Derakh owns two highly successful restaurants in Orange County, California. 2145 & Lola Gaspar, plus a recording & mixing studio in Long Beach, California.

Personal life

Amir Derakh's "Fiction" video outfit at the Hard Rock Cafe in San Francisco, California Hard Rock Cafe Orgy.JPG
Amir Derakh's "Fiction" video outfit at the Hard Rock Cafe in San Francisco, California

Derakh is of Iranian, Irish, Austrian, Hungarian, and Russian ancestry. He attended UCLA and earned his certificate in producing/engineering. [1]

Derakh is an avid guitar designer. He has worked with Grover Jackson of Jackson Guitars and has personally designed several of the guitars he currently plays (the most famous being The Disruptor). One of his motivations for designing his own guitars is his desire to create something unique yet functional, and having the public wonder "Wow, what is that guy playing?" He also designed a signature model for Yamaha called the AES-AD6 which was made in a very limited factory run and is highly collectable.

Derakh has a son named Michael Melody-Davidson. [2]

According to Metal Sludge, his stage name is meant to imply the phrase "I'm Here to Rock", with the spelling of the last name as a tribute to his Iranian heritage.

Discography

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References

  1. "Amirshrine.tripod.com". Archived from the original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2006.
  2. Popgurls.com Archived March 17, 2006, at the Wayback Machine