Melbourne Musician Releases Rebetiko Album Paying Homage to Genre Pioneers
written by Darden Livesay September 22, 2021
Inspired by early 20th century composers from Greece, a Melbourne-based musician has released an album which pays tribute to rebetiko pioneers of yesteryear while incorporating modern Australian influences.Amidst more than a year of COVID-19 lockdowns and a devastating family loss, Con Kalamaras could only cope in the best way he knows how — creating music.
The result is a work called “The Lokridos Project,” which he describes as a “collection of rare obscurities” that stemmed from being mostly isolated in a rural area during the dead of winter.
“This album features a pallet of songs which aren’t usual for Greeks in the diaspora,” Kalamaras tells The Pappas Post. “The warmth of Greek songs kept me going on dark misty winter nights.”
“Lokridos” includes a few of Kalamaras’ original works in addition to cover songs. But the album is still a clear nod to rebetiko’s golden era with inspiration from artists such as Kostas Skarvelis, Kostas Bezos and Giorgos Katsaros — widely considered the “patriarch” of the genre.
“By default there is an Australian influence which is unavoidable,” Kalamaras says. “But overall the style of the album and song choices are intentionally simple and reminiscent of true gramophone recordings.”
