Dead Sidewalkers consist of music veterans who got out in the streets and follow the steps and sounds of artists from US and Australian punk and garage rock scenes. They (still) avoid a particular label though. They are: Spyros Doulgeridis (drums/vocals, ex-Rockin’ Bones, The Earthbound, False Alarm), Harry Gelestathis (lead vocals, ex-Rockin’ Bones, Widow Pit), Konstantinos Kopanakis (guitar, ex-False Alarm), and Theodoros Stavrianos (bass, ex-Sugah Galore, Mama Sings Fire, Off).
They are playing live on November 10th at ILION Plus in Athens, Greece, so we found the opportunity to ask them a few questions.
Dead Sidewalkers consist of, allow me the expression, “restless and wild” musicians. What was the motive to form this band?
Rock ’n’ roll has always lived inside us. After a certain period that most of us were not playing with a group, we decided to get the chance and express ourselves through the music we love. Our first motive was to let some energy out which slowly started growing into a creative vision to make good music.
Is there a particular story behind the name you chose for the band?
If you try to take a walk in the Athenian streets, it won’t take long to realize that we surely have some sidewalk issues. It’s rare for someone to get killed but not impossible! Moving around the city can sometimes be a real adventure and this is where the Dead Sidewalkers came out from. Of course, everyday living in Greece itself is often the true adventure.
Which are your main musical influences?
There are numerous bands and musicians that have made an impact on our style and serve as musical inspiration but if we had to name some of the bands that truly inspire us and have done so for many years now, these are The Sonics, MC-5, The Stooges, Radio Birdman, The Saints, Wipers, Social Distortion, The Last Drive, Villa 21.
Do you listen the new releases from either old or new bands you like, with the same enthusiasm as you did in the past?
Maybe not with the same enthusiasm but you always have to keep track of the progress and changes in music, we believe this is part of the game.
Do you play and create music just because you love to do it, or do you feel you want to keep it alive and spread it to new audience?
Well, playing music is surely cheaper than a psychiatrist! There is no better feeling than creating something that cannot be recreated and playing with musically like-minded friends who are willing to give up their free time to create something together. So first of all we create music for ourselves but also we sometimes feel the need to pass our music to other people, to see how far our music can go.
Being in the music scene for a long time, how do you evaluate things today? Have you met musicians of younger age who could take things one step further?
Maybe today things in the music scene seem to be a bit stuck. It’s not that there are not new bands and music creators in the music industry – there are a lot and they do give hope to the global music scene. It is that it’s kinda rare for us to get the goosebumps while listening to something new. Maybe it’s the age, who knows?!
You haven’t got any official release yet. When can we expect an album from Dead Sidewalkers?
We are currently working on new material and we hope that during 2018 it will be released. Stay tuned!
You are about to play live on November 10th at ILION Plus in Athens along with Maximum High. What will the audience expect to listen from you?
Certainly something that will get you off your chair!
Thank you for your time! Close this interview as you will.
Thank you for the interview. Long live Rock ’n’ roll!
Photo credits: Milo (Dimitris Milonas)
Mary Kalaitzidou