Older boys merge for might
Merging various acts for common shows has become a common strategy for clubs seeking to expand the appeal of their offerings during these tougher times for the local circuit. Highlighting the current crisis, there used to be a time, not long ago, when most venues would offer live music in the form of residencies, virtually every night of the week. Nowadays, the majority of clubs keep it to two or three nights, at most. Considering the entertainment sector’s unfavorable conditions – for young and old acts – it comes as no surprise that some of the local rock scene’s older boys have joined forces to maximize their reach. Seasoned rock musicians Lavrentis Macheritsas and Dionysis Tsaknis, both around 50, joined by a younger colleague, Philippos Pliatsikas, formerly of the recent Athens-based hitmakers Pyx Lax, will be following up on a recent domestic tour for an extended series of Friday-to-Sunday runs beginning this Friday until mid-April at the Zygos club in the capital’s Plaka district. Various guests will be joining the headline trio throughout the series. Dubbed «25 Years of our own Rock Music,» the series should offer a fair picture of pop-rock activity here over the past couple of decades. Just recently, another bunch of older rock musicians collaborated for a one-off show illustrating the domestic rock scene’s past, especially its more notorious side with hard-living figures such as Dimitris Poulikakos and George Pilali included on the bill. This series at the Plaka venue brings together mostly cleaner-cut and far more commercial acts. Macheritsas, for example, now just under 50, first emerged in the early 1980s as frontman of the the top-selling Greek rock band Termites. The group scored huge hits and some of their work was covered by mainstream artists, including perennial star George Dalaras. Since going solo in the early ’90s, Macheritsas has remained popular. The headline trio’s first round of guests, for Friday-to-Sunday shows beginning this Friday through February 19, includes Vassilis Kazoulis, whose infectious blend of Dylanesque type folk and Greek island folk music has rendered several hits for the artist since the late ’80s. Also guesting during the same period will be another enduring pop-rocker, Nikos Ziogalas. Next up, from February 24 to March 12, the standard trio of Macheritsas, Tsaknis and Pliatsikas will be joined by Yiannis Koutras, a prolific record-maker who first emerged in the late ’70s. He should have plenty of material to choose from for his appearances. Koutras’s discography, a diverse one, includes collaborations with all sorts of local performers, from stately to scraggy musical figures, in a wide stylistic range. The trio will then be joined by all-round entertainer Sakis Boulas and veteran local pop-rocker Yiannis Yiokarinis, between March 17 and April 2. Boulas, essentially a comedy film and series actor, has put out several of his own albums, and also contributed to a number of others as a guest since first emerging in the ’70s. His musical activity has been sided by acting roles, including one presently on a popular TV series. Yiokarinis, also on the bill as a guest with Boulas, surfaced back in the late ’60s as a keyboardist for various bands that have included Skorpios, 2002 Gr, and Agapanthos. His recording debut, however, came years later, in 1984. For the series’ final round of shows, the trio of Macheritsas, Pliatsikas and Tsaknis will be joining forces with two younger acts, Onar and Kitrina Podilata, both of which have made an impact on the local pop circuit in recent years. Begins this Friday for Friday-to-Sunday runs through April 16. 10.30 p.m. (8.30 p.m. on Sundays). Zygos club, 22 Kydathinaion, Plaka (tel 210.324.1610).
