Maryo back for winter
The brief lazy spell is over for rembetika revivalist Maryo, one of the country’s hardest-working, and more entertaining, acts. An unanticipated hit on world music charts in recent times, Maryo is set to begin her fourth successive season at her usual haunt, the pleasant Perivoli t’Ouranou venue in Plaka this Thursday. The vocalist, renowned for her spark, spirit and wit on stage, and, more crucially, heartfelt renditions of rembetika and old-school laika (popular Greek) songs, spent over three decades working the stage in hometown Thessaloniki before she decided to introduce herself to Athenian audiences, at the Plaka venue, four years ago. Besides acquiring a new following in the capital, Maryo also began enjoying considerable foreign exposure at the time, which has generated a number of shows abroad. Just days ago, Maryo returned from a trip to the USA, where she performed at Santa Barbara’s University of California, with Maria Farandouri, as part of a focus by the institution on Greek urban music of the 20th century. Now she’s back for another winter at Perivoli t’Ouranou, where Maryo has recorded two albums – one live, the other, makeshift-studio. Perivoli t’Ouranou: 19 Lysicratous St, tel 210.322.2048 (closed Sundays and Mondays). GEORGE KOLYVAS
