Xylina Spathia
| Xylina Spathia | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Thessaloniki, Greece |
| Genres | Greek rock, Alternative rock, Electronic rock |
| Years active | 1993 – 2003 |
| Labels | Ano Kato, Virgin Records |
Xylina Spathia (Greek: Τα Ξύλινα Σπαθιά, English: The Wooden Swords) were one of the most popular Greek bands, coming from Thessaloniki, that were distinguished for their special and personal sound, which was unprecedented for the Greek music of the era. Along with Trypes, they are considered to be the most popular band in Greece, which became very popular in the 90's.
Their music combines elements from pop, rock and electronic music, maintaining a Greek melodic "colour" at the same time.The personal and experiential lyrics of Pavlos Pavlidis are distinguished for their poetry and the pictures that they give.Generally the band's songs develop an emotional atmosphere, that is sometimes expressed with extroversion and bold rhythms and some others with a calm innerness.
From 1993 until their break-up, in 2003, the band released 5 albums (4 studio, 1 live) and 1 CD single. Although they had a big commercial success from early on, the group avoided to get exposed to the media and maintained their artistic autonomy, seeking to evolve their sound from album to album and during their live performances, where they used to experiment and improvise with their songs.
The original line-up of the group consisted of: Pavlos Pavlidis (vocals, guitar), Vasilis Gountaroulis (keyboards, samplers), Christos Tsaprazis (bass) and Panos Tolios (drums, percussion 1993-1997). Members of the band had also been: Stavros Rossopoulos (guitar 1993-1994), Takis Kanellos (drums 1997), Giannis Mitsis (drums 1998-2003), Kostas Pantelis (guitar 2000-2003) and Nikos Kyriakopoulos (percussion, backing vocals 2001-2003). Session musicians that appeared in the band's albums are: Dimos Gountaroulis (cello), Giorgos Tolios (percussion), Giorgos Papazoglou (percussion), Rita Hatzinikoli (percussion), Fotis Siotas (violin) and Aristeidis Hatzistavrou (classical guitar).
Xylina Spathia are one of the best-selling Greek bands, along with Pyx Lax and Trypes.
In 1989, after his participation in the Greek rock band Mora sti Fotia (Greek: Μωρά στη Φωτιά, English: Babies on Fire), Pavlos Pavlidis travelled to France and stayed with Nikos Kantaris in Mériel, a commune near Paris. They created the Brancaleone studio and Pavlidis recorded the first demos of his songs.The first two albums of the band were dedicated to Nikos Kantaris.While in Paris, Pavlidis also met Giannis Mitsis, who became a band member in 1998.
...
Wikipedia