Greek band with roots in Portland’s Sister City, Mytilene

“Skordalia” in concert
Zesty Greek music of the Aegean islands and Asia Minor
8 p.m. Friday, May 1, 2009 – Corthell Concert Hall, USM Gorham campus -- $15/$10/$5

This Boston- based band has performed all over New England, bringing its lively music to concert and dance halls alike. Influenced by one of the band member’s Mytilenean roots, Skordalia features the sound of the sandouri (Greek hammered dulcimer) as well as outi, guitar, and percussion (darbouka). Band members include Dean Lampros, Joe Teja, and Mike Davis. Several local musicans will sit in with the band, including Julie Goell on the baglama, and Dimitiri Gribizis on violin, and others.

Since Portland, Maine, and Mytilene, Lesvos, are official Sister Cities, this concert has a special significance here. While much of the music the band plays belongs to the musical tradition of Mytilene, it constitutes only one portion of their repertoire. They also perform “dimotika,” “rembetika,” and traditional dance tunes from throughout the Aegean and Greek mainland and the Aegean region, including Asia Minor (western Turkey).

Music will include lively syrtos dance tunes from Mytilene, such as “Ta Xyla,” “Geragotikos,” “Sylivrianos,” and “Potirakia”; along with zeimbekika dances, such as the “Aivaliotiko,” “Tsandarmas,” and “Tsesmes”; and several karsilamas dance tunes, aptalikos dance tunes, and hassapikos dance tunes from Mytilene and Asia Minor. Additionally, they also will be playing some well-known Rembetika melodies, such as “Georgitsa,” “Proussa,” and “Tsakitzis.”

The band promises to play a final dance set so there'll be a change to dance at the end. Plus, following the concert, there will be a fun “skordalia” tasting contest! Skordalia is a famously delicious and zesty garlic/potato spread traditionally eaten with beets, or certain fried fish, or with bread. Bring your best recipe (with bread or crackers) and join the fun! (The award-winning restaurant, Emilitsa, has generously “entered” the fray!) The three recipes that garner the most votes win special prizes.

The USM School of Music and USM Hellenic Initiatives will host the band, with support from the USM Cultural Affairs Committee, and the community based Hellenic Society of Maine, Inc.

Bios of artists:

Dean Lampros studied sandouri (Greek hammered dulcimer) with Aristides Moschos at the Folk School of Traditional Music in Athens and privately with Nikos Kalaidzis (a.k.a. Bidayalas). His maternal grandparents came from the Greek island of Mytilene before the First World War and brought with them to America a love of both the sandouri and the songs and dances of Mytilene and Smyrna. His mother can remember drifting off to sleep as a child to the sounds of the sandouri coming from the downstairs parlor during the frequent Saturday night parties thrown by her parents.

Joe Teja has been playing Greek folk music since 1997. Although he is an accomplished jazz pianist, his interests have shifted to the music of the Aegean and Asia Minor. Joe's formal training in jazz performance and his knowledge of music theory have helped him navigate the waters of Greece's richly varied musical tradition. He plays outi (short-necked fretless Middle Eastern lute) and guitar.

Mike Davis (a.k.a. Benan Simsek) has been playing drums since 2000. Initially self-taught, he later studied with Mike Gregian in 2001 and Karim Nagi Mohammed in 2003. Mike plays various hand drums including doumbek, Armenian dhol, tar, bendir, and riqq; and plays rhythms from various cultures, including Greek, Turkish, Arabic, North African, and Uyghur. He has been playing with Skordalia since January 2006. Mike also works closely with bellydancer and girlfriend Aslahan

Julie Goell plays bass with the Casco Bay Tummlers, and tours with her one-woman show, “Carmen the Mopera,” recently seen at festivals and theaters in Andorra, Rome, Barcelona, London, New York, Brazil, and Japan. She earned a BFA in Theater at Emerson College and, years later, a BS in Music performance (Bass) at USM, minoring in voice. She has attended the annual Rembetica Conference on the island of Hydra in Greece for three years, and taught herself how to play the baglama.

Dimitri Gibizis is a classically trained violinist and has been teaching violin for 25 years. He recently founded the Apollon Music Studio in Portland. He has performed a wide range of styles – as a principal violinist in his native city’s symphony orchestra, to playing in folk groups there. In Portland he founded the Greek band, “Opa, Opa,” and has performed at different festivals, fund-raisers and other events, playing violin and singing. Since 2000 he has been performing with the 30-piece orchestra, "The Hellenic and Near Eastern Musical Society Orchestra" which has appeared throughout New England, and in Florida. He believes that playing an instrument is not merely learning technique or doing faithful reproductions of pieces -- it can be a diving board for a deeper and exciting journey into the world of all the arts.