My Birthday at the Tower of Song! (Leonard Cohen live @ TerraVibe 30/7/2008)

Now, I heard, there was a secret chord

that David played and it pleased the Lord
But... you don't really care for music, do ya?

I cannot seem to remember ever having done something special on my birthday. In the heart of summer, my friends and I have always been scattered to the four corners of Greece (and now that wanderlust is upon us, the four corners of the world - getting birthday wish phonecalls from New York, Limassol, Melbourne, Vienna, London - and this year - Varna, well... it is undeniably funny but gets really annoying when almost nobody's around for the fun of it).









As always, this year I had nothing to look forward to and was particularly miffed (I like this word, I will be using it more often!) that I would in all probability miss the Leonard Cohen show since I heard of it too late... BUT ! the Lycabettus theater was closed because of security concerns and the concert was moved to the huge TerraVibe venue. Although such an expanse would not be suited to Leonard Cohen's music style, it would ensure ticket availability!

Why do I love Leonard Cohen so much when I do not even listen to similar style music?

The great Leonard Cohen


It goes like this:
The fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, the major lift
The baffled King composing
Hallelujah

It must be the effortless way he tackles the pitfalls of strong emotion, the way that irony finds its way into the lyrics, the way that drama of mythical proportions is reduced to the level of our fundamental weaknesses.

Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya
She tied you to a kitchen chair
She broke your throne and she cut your hair
and from your lips she drew the
Hallelujah

To be able to say "I've gotten over you", "We'll never see each other" or to say "I've found God" is one thing. Through his lyrics, Cohen is able to not only say all this, but shrug it off and walk away alone into the sunset with a deadly parthian shot...

Well, really, what's it to ya?

The Webb sisters, Charlie and Hattie, bowing

So,on that Wednesday, on my birthday, I stood before the Tower of Song, to listen about the conquest of Manhattan and a little viennese waltz on closing time...

There's a blaze of light in every word
It doesn't matter which you heard
the Holy or the broken
Hallelujah

Dino Soldo (winds) and Javier Mas (mandolin, uti, lute)

I found not only this but so much more: the nobility of a truly great artist shown in the courtesy with which he treated his supporting musicians (all of them significant artists in their own right) and the respect and humility he showed towards his audience, beginning with an impressive address in greek at the beginning of the show, a reminder of the time he spent in the island of Ydra.


For more than three hours, with about all requests fulfilled, the great Leonard Cohen delivered a mighty lesson of emotion and dignity, with lyrics and attitude laced with the acidity of experience, pain and the firmness of a man who knows what he wants, it's just that... he has always found the others lacking in the qualities that one would need to rise to the occasions.

I do not know if at the time I could survey the events of my life from such a point of view, but... when one is true to his emotions, well that is all one needs, no matter how the others respond to them.


And then the answer became quite clear: We found it with you, Leonard. We whispered it at first, murmured it as it went on and then we sang along: dee dum dum dum, da dee dum dum...

That simple.

Duet with Hattie Webb

I did my best but it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch
I've told the truth...
I didn't come to fool ya

Your songs stand up for us even in our defeat. You stood up for me even on my defeat. And it was on my birthday.
Unforgettable.


Thank you Leonard.

"Thank you friends"

And even though it all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my lips but
Hallelujah

PS: Ah, remember me, I used to live for music (baby)
Remember me, I brought your groceries in (ooh, baby yeah...)







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Kylie live @ TerraVibe, Athens, May 22, 2008 ("I love Kylie Minogue" post)

Yes!!! The definition of sexy was here for a live concert and I had tickets!! Why is she the definition of sexy? Well, with your help, she can prove it:

(That "No??" is probably the two sexiest letters ever uttered in human history)

Anyway, the concert ... it looked like a success from the very beginning when to the amusement of the gathering fans, several bimbos dragged the transmissions and tailpipes of their smarts and roadsters in the bumpy TerraVibe dirt, and it continued smoothly: the sound was crisp, the show was lush with colours, great choreography, themed costumes and a surprise performance of the 'Copacabana' ("Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl, with yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there..." :> ) and Kylie looked great (though she did not wear anything too revealing), danced and moved with gusto and all in all, she lived up to any expectation her fans might have had.

Some pics:

Golden bits and streamers fired above the crowd towards the end of the concert.

(OK, How could I wipe the stupid smile from my face?! )

And a video comment... How times change: observe the choreography in the "Locomotion" video (virtually non-existent and the girls are fat) and the "Can't get you out of my head" masterpiece:

1988:






and 2001 (2002 MTV Music Video Award for Best Choreography) :

PS: We did not do the "Locomotion" but ... "Lucky, lucky, lucky, I should be so lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky in love..." :)))



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Live report: Static @ Rodeo, 20/3/2008

Με τη βλάβη της DSL μου (η οποία δεν έχει αποκατασταθεί ακόμα) και το ταξίδι στη Μέση Ανατολή έμεινα για πολύ καιρό μακριά απο το blog. Επανέρχομαι σε πρώτη φάση με ένα σύντομο σχόλιο για την εμφάνιση των Static στο Rodeo (τη θρυλική live σκηνή όπου έκανε τα πρώτα του βήματα ο Παύλος Σιδηρόπουλος).


Θα μου επιτρέψετε πρώτα δυο λόγια για τη σημασία που έχει το να παρακολουθεί κανείς ζωντανές εμφανίσεις στην κατανόηση της ροκ μουσικής. Βεβαίως κάθε είδος μουσικής ιδανικά πρέπει να βιώνεται μέσω ζωντανών παραστάσεων ενώ κάποια είδη μουσικής - όπως η όπερα - χάνουν ουσιαστικά το νόημά τους σε μια απλή ηχογραφημένη ακρόαση, όμως στο ροκ, το live είναι κάτι εντελώς ξεχωριστό. Μπορεί κάποιος να απολάυσει μια ηχογράφηση, όμως για να καταλάβει τη δυναμική της μουσικής ΟΦΕΙΛΕΙ να παρακολουθεί ζωντανές παραστάσεις.


Η διαπίστωση αυτή επιβεβαιώθηκε στις 20/3 όταν οι Static για ακόμα μια φορά απέδειξαν πως μπορούν να έχουν στον ήχο τους τη φυσικότητα και το δέσιμο μιας επαγγελματικής μπάντας, στοιχεία που επιτρέπουν στον ακροατή να αφεθεί στη μουσική, σε αντίθεση με άλλα live συγκροτήματα τα οποία, ενώ έχουν αρτιότατη κατάρτιση στα οργανά τους, καθιστούν σαφές πως μια ροκ μπάντα δεν είναι μόνο κιθάρες, ντραμς και μπάσο.
























Πέρα απο το ότι ο χώρος ήταν σαφώς καταλληλότερος για Live σε σχέση με τον προηγούμενο (Lazy Club) και το συγκρότημα είχε ξεπεράσει τις παιδικές ασθένειες που έχει κάθε φρέσκια σύνθεση (οπότε ευτυχώς μετά δεν είχαμε γκρίνια για λάθη απο τον Τάσο) δεν έχω (ή δεν θυμάμαι...) να προσθέσω πολλά περισσότερα, πέρα απο κάποια σχόλια:

- Είναι πολύ σημαντικό να υπάρξουν περισσότερες αυθεντικές συνθέσεις, καθώς φαίνεται να υπάρχει σημαντικό δυναμικό προς αυτή την κατεύθυνση.





- Πολύ ενδιαφέρουσα η αντίθεση ανάμεσα στη μονολιθική εώς λόγια παρουσία της κιθάρας και το αεικίνητο μπάσο. Δίνει ιδιαίτερο χαρακτήρα στη σκηνική εμφάνιση της μπάντας πάνω στη σκηνή.

- Εύφημος μνεία στη φυσικότητα και την άνεση που εμφανίζεται να έχει ο ντράμερ σε αυτό το πρώιμο, σύμφωνα με τον ίδιο, στάδιο της μελέτης του.

Κλίκ στις φωτογραφίες για μεγέθυνση και θα επανέλθω όταν θα μπορώ να γράψω με μεγαλύτερη άνεση και εκτός net cafe.



Stay tuned. Stay heavy.


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Static live @ Rodeo, Thursday 20/3, 22:00

Οι Static, η μπάντα των Γιάννη Μαστρογιάννη και Χάρη Χατζηιωάννου, μια ευχάριστη έκπληξη στο χώρο της live μουσικής, με ιδαίτερα άνετο και "φυσικό" ήχο (κάτι που όπως έχω ξαναγράψει δύσκολα βρίσκεται σε συγκροτήματα που παίζουν κυρίως διασκευές) θα εμφανιστούν αύριο, Πέμπτη 20/3 στο Rodeo, Χέυδεν 34, κοντά στην πλατεία Βικτωριας, τηλ. 2108814702.

Μαζί τους και 2 άλλα συγκροτήματα, όλοι στον ήχο του garage rock και των περι αυτού ρευμάτων. Απο τις 22:00 το βράδυ.

BE THERE!

The Statics live @ Lazy Club Vrilissia - When music is mostly about fun...

Too many mistakes... that was all Tasos, (keyboards) had to say as Static completed their set and stepped down for the headliners of yesterday's live performance at Lazy Club, Diafygonta Kerdi.

Static are comprised of Lora Matthaiou (vocals), Haris Hadjiioannou (guitar), Yiannis Mastroyiannis (bass) (mom and dad, that is- or is it the other way around? ) with Tasos Grigoriadis at the keyboards and Dimitris Kouris behind the drum kit.

Garage and surf is mostly what they play and do they play it well? - Technically, I am not to say yet. The current lineup of the band is very fresh. They did not play a long set since they played support for the other group. The venue was not as small as other live performance venues but this turned out to be a disadvantage as the stage did not dominate the space and it failed to project the potential of the group (with special reference to the bass player! ).

This means that any discussion on technique and accuracy of execution has no meaning at this point.

Was it fun? Let me just say that it did not feel like a cover band. It did not feel like a small-venue gig. Not once did I get the impression that they were struggling to catch up with the original music. Not even when they played "The Letter" and "Human Fly". I knew they were having fun playing that music. And so did we.

For more definte conclusions I would like to see them in a gig fully on their own. Perhaps even in a more favourable venue. Stay tuned for future live dates. I will be following them. I strongly suggest you do the same.
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Πάρα πολλά λάθη...αυτό μονο είχε να μας πεί ο Τάσος (πλήκτρα) όταν οι Static ολοκλήρωσαν το σετ τους και κατέβηκαν για να ακολουθήσουν οι "Διαφυγόντα Κέρδη", headliners της χθεσινοβραδινής ζωντανής παράστασης στο Lazy Club .

Οι Static αποτελούνται απο τους: Λόρα Ματθαίου (φωνητικά), Χάρη Χατζηιωάννου (κιθάρα), Γιάννη Μαστρογιάννη (μπάσο) (η μαμά και ο μπαμπάς δηλαδή - ή μήπως το αντίστροφο; ) με τον Τάσο Γρηγοριάδη στα πλήκτρα και τον Δημήτρη Κουρη πίσω απο το drum kit.

Πάιζουν κυρίως garage και surf και παίζουν καλά; - Απο τεχνικής απόψεως δεν έχω άποψη ακόμα. Η παρούσα σύνθεση του συγκροτήματος είναι πολύ πρόσφατη. Δεν έπαιξαν μεγάλο σετ καθώς έπαιζαν support για άλλο συγκρότημα. Ο χώρος δεν ήταν τόσο μικρός όσο άλλοι χώροι για ζωντανές παραστάσεις αλλά αυτό αποδείχθηκε μάλλον μειονέκτημα, καθώς η σκηνή δεν κυριαρχούσε στο χώρο και αδυνατούσε να προβάλλει τη δυναμική του συγκροτήματος (με ιδαίτερη μνεία στον μπασίστα! )

Αυτό σημαίνει πως οποιαδήποτε συζήτηση για τεχνική και ακρίβεια εκτέλεσης δεν έχει κανένα νόημα αυτή τη στιγμή.

Ήταν διασκεδαστικά; Θα πώ απλώς ότι δεν έδιναν την αίσθηση "μπάντας διασκευών". Δεν έδινε την αίσθηση παράστασης σε κάποιο μικρό χώρο. Δεν μου δόθηκε η εντύπωση, ούτε για μία φορά, ότι αγωνίζονταν να μην υποσκελιστούν απο την "αρχική" μουσική. Ούτε όταν έπαιζαν το "The Letter" ή το "Human Fly". Καταλάβαινα ότι όταν έπαιζαν αυτή τη μουσική διασκέδαζαν. Κι εμείς το ίδιο.

Για πιο συγκεκριμένα συμπεράσματα, θα ήθελα να τους δώ σε μια παράσταση εξολοκλήρου δική τους. Ίσως και σε ένα πιο ευνοϊκό χώρο. Μέινετε συντονισμένοι για ημερομηνίες μελλοντικών ζωντανών εμφανίσεων. Θα τους παρακολουθώ. Σας προτείνω να κάνετε το ίδιο.

Prosit Neujahr!

Let there be joy and celebration, let jubilation rain!

The accursed year 2007 has spent its last fetid breath. I happily signed the death certificate and consigned its rotting carcass to the incinerators of memory.



To celebrate the coming of each New Year and of new hopes and beginnings along with it I always watch the broadcast of the Neujahrskonzert, live from the Großer Saal of the Wien Musikverein.


No matter how late (or how early in the morning...) I sleep after New Year's Eve partying, I always wake up on time to hear the Music of the Strauß family played by one of the World's finest orchestras.

You may object and say that the music is not exactly cutting - edge scholarly. It does not carry the weight of Beethoven, the flashing talent of Mozart or the thunder of Tchaikovsky.

It is however like the jolly sparkling of champagne in a proper flute glass. It IS the embodiment of New Year's Day and all it stands for.



This year's concert will be conducted by Georges Prêtre, so tune in to the Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF!!!), toast the maestro with flutes of champagne, wish the very best for him and all musicians and artists for this year and enjoy!





For my part, I would like to extend, with myself interposed, the wish:

Die Wiener Philharmoniker, der Dirigent (σαφώς) und Ich ( τρομάρα μου!) möchten wünschen Ihnen und Ihren Familien:

PROSIT NEUJAHR!!!

(Αρχίζει..με το καλό...!)

Nouvelle Vague live at Gagarin 205 14/12/2007: Too drunk to fuck...

A girl from Ipanema, swaying to bossa nova music, her eyes half closed, her body surrendered to the rhythm, singing "Love will tear us apart" by Joy Division...


More or less this was the concept behind Nouvelle Vague. Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux envisioned a band that would retain the basic harmony of new wave, punk and gothic songs, converting them to a bossa nova ( = new wave = nouvelle vague ) style, sung by performers who had never heard the original piece before.

The result was surprisingly beautiful to say the least. Sensuous female voices were caressing the words of punk & goth anthems like "Too drunk to fuck" by The Dead Kennedys, "The Guns of Brixton" by The Clash, "Bella Lugosi's Dead" by Bauhaus, "Love will tear us apart" by Joy Division etc., while the bossa nova minimality gave an entirely new perspective on each song's particular harmony and character.

Yesterday, they appeared live on stage at Gagarin 205, which is noted for its particularly interesting choices in live performances and theme festivals.



Mélanie Pain and Gerald Toto were the only vocal performers to appear (usually Mélanie Pain appears with Phoebe Killdeer), however they covered the whole range of songs exceptionally (since Gerald Toto's voice is particularly suited to the Nouvelle Vague style).


By the end the audience was ready to sing at the top of their lungs "Love will tear us apart" (as long as we were not "too drunk to fuck..." ).

All in all it was a wonderful night (still miffed about their not playing Bella Lugosi's dead" though) and what particularly remains is how sweet, vibrant and unique Mélanie is.


As long as we fall in love with the right persons, everything will be all right....

You spurn my natural emotions
You make me feel like dirt
and I'm hurt...
And if I start a commotion
I run the risk of losing you
and that's... worse...
Ever fallen in love with someone you shouldn't have fallen in love with?

(Ever fallen in Love, orig. by The Buzzcocks
cov. from Bande à Part, 2nd Nouvelle Vague album)


PS : And a note of the surreal: Sticker on a toilet water tank at the toilets of the club: "Against any kind of sexual self-management" (and the shadow of my finger..)