It’s a family affair at Grammes
Evanthia Reboutsika and Panayiotis Kalantzopoulos, a couple both in life and art who have penned some of Greece’s favorite modern songs together, have gathered a group of friends – singers Elli Paspala and Iota Nega, and the 10-member Aghia Paraskevi Municipal band – and booked the Grammes live music club for a series of concert/parties starting on October 26 and continuing every Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the winter season. The idea behind these happy get-togethers, explains Kalantzopoulos came when a friend of ours was describing a concert that really impressed him to our daughter Rachel. His exact words, ‘It was like a really successful party,’ stuck in my mind. And who better to organize such an event than a talented composer in cahoots with an exceptional singer? The idea of a party is for everyone to dance, to get up and shed the boredom of classic ‘art’ music. Most of the programs we see are like, ‘Come, have a drink and smoke a packet of cigarettes while we sing.’ Reboutsika follows the same line of thinking as her husband. We want to please and be pleased at Grammes, said the talented young singer. We don’t want to be a ‘hands-off’ display. Elli Paspala, a singer who is noted for lively stage appearances, fits into this family affair like a well-worn glove. We have a spiritual and emotional relationship that makes us feel like family, even though we are not, says Paspala. They [Reboutsika and Kalantzopoulos] are very different artists but through their relationship, their musical identity seems to flow together. The shows at Grammes will be, according to Paspala, much like a day at the couple’s house. Their house is always open with people constantly coming and going. That’s what their program will be like. Pleasant, open, full of people and with a sense of humor. You don’t always need a famous name, even though producers seek them in order to fill up the theaters. When a star is on stage, the audience’s attention might drift from the play and rest entirely on the star. That could be out of tune with the rest of the performance.
