Burgundy Grapes is an instrumental act led by George Kolyvas and Alexandros Miaoulis, who create ‘esoteric’ soundscapes. Their 3rd and most recent album ‘Short Stories, Lasting Shadows’ (Inner Ear Records, 2017) was one of those great 2017’s albums that the listener should invest some time on it. This Saturday, March 24th, is a good occasion to meet Burgundy Grapes at Cabaret Voltaire. Athenian readers, don’t you miss this one!
Hi Burgundy Grapes! Feel free to introduce the band to Last Day Deaf ‘audience’…
Hello all! We recently put out a new album so we thought it would be a good idea to do a show [March 24, 9.30pm, Cabaret Voltaire, 30 Marathonos, Metaxourgeio, Athens]. It’s been a while since we last played, so we’re looking forward to it. We’ll be performing as a trio with our old friend and accomplished musician Giorgos Tsiatsoulis, mostly on organ and accordion, who has supported our work since the very beginning, in the mid-1990s, long before the release of our first album.
Are you satisfied by the reception of your 3rd and most recent album ‘Short Stories, Lasting Shadows‘?
This is not something we’ve ever really followed since we began releasing music back in 2005. We don’t really know what kind of a following our music has attracted. It’s vitally important to remain focused on your musical pursuits regardless of what is said and written about your work – or not said and not written. We would be the first to acknowledge that our music does not command a wider interest. But, having made a note of that, the feedback, so far, for ‘Short Stories, Lasting Shadows‘ appears to be quite favourable, even though this album probably represents a heavy and demanding listen for most listeners.
Hope we’ll not have to wait for another 8 years for your 4th album, since 1st and 2nd have a 6-year gap and the latter with your latest 7 years! Just wondering why so long intervals?
These delays essentially have to do with the fact that, over the past decade or so, Alexandros [Miaoulis], my music partner, and I have been spending no more than 3-4 months a year together as a result of work obligations in separate locations. We both work on songwriting ideas when we’re apart and try to bring it all together during our annual reunions. It’s a slower-moving work arrangement but, fortunately, our interest in the music we aim to make together has not waned over the years. We’ve never thought about our music as a professional concern, so there’s no pressure. We just put the music out whenever we feel it’s ready and worthy of release.
Would you consider adding lyrics to your compositions?
Probably not. We enjoy the freedom offered by the boundless reaches of instrumental music, even though keeping the material interesting without the use of lyrics can be a challenge. From day one, we just fell into the habit of making instrumental music, without any planning or discussion, and have never felt an urge to move away from this.
Which 3 movies would you choose to undertake the soundtrack, and why?
This is a tough question, one neither of us has ever contemplated, despite often being told that our music carries cinematic qualities. If any filmmakers were to approach us believing our material could work for them, we would consider the prospect.
How did you manage to have some really cool names among your collaborators, such as Nikos Veliotis, Fotis Siotas, & multi-instrumentalist George Katsanos?
While working on our first album, which was released in early 2005, we often hung out at the now-defunct Small Music Theatre in Koukaki, Athens, where most of these gifted musicians performed with various outfits. It was an intimate little music hub that brought devoted music enthusiasts together. We met many of our future collaborators there, believed they could enhance our material, and it just developed.
From the short-lived Outlandish Recordings you moved to one of the most significant Greek labels, Inner Ear Records. How did you cope up with this change?
Our main concern was to try and make a worthwhile follow-up album. That’s about all we needed to cope with. Once we were done, Periklis Pilavas, the head at Inner Ear Records, who had become aware of our debut album, expressed an interest to release the second one [‘Man In The Lighthouse‘]. At the time, Inner Ear Records was at a relatively nascent stage with a catalogue of about twenty releases.
What are you going to present on March 24th at Cabaret Voltaire?
We intend to perform material from the new album, selections from the previous two, and may also include an unreleased track or two.
Photo credits: Marialena Kougia (2nd one)
Christos Doukakis