THE BANDS

 

Friday, 08 June

THE JACKS (Pop / Volos, GR)

The Jacks are a five piece party, a cocktail of influences and music experiences that exist since October 2006. The ingredients of this cocktail are:

  • Alex Klimentopoulos, on drums, of the mighty garagemen Frantic V,
  • Jim Lefakis, on guitar, of the popsters My Own Devices,
  • Themistoklis Kyriazis, on bass, of the electronicateers Eko-Tiger,
  • Thoula D, on vocals and tambourine, coming from a Mod group whose traces is lost,
  • Miss Beatrice, on vocals and maracas, a favourite vocalist of Eko-Tiger.
Having obvious 60's influences and an 80's revival feeling, they insist on doing classic covers on groups like The Kinks, The Who, The Sonics and at the same time creating a buzz with covers at songs that only the 'inn crowd' knows.

THE FRANTIC V (Garage / Thessaloniki, GR)

The Frantic V were formed in early summer 1994. The boys then decided it was time for Thessalonica to see some real garage raunch, so they went off for summer vacation. As soon as they returned, they immediately became active and started performing their music in front of stunned crowds, sometimes endangering their lives. Imagine in the grunge and techno era, 5 guys in white shirts and black ties performing real unadulterated 60s garage and euro beat!!! In 1995, Jens Lindberg came to visit the boys and on a starless night they recorded properly 2 tracks lost in oblivion (but if you dig deep in our site, something is to be found) and 10 tracks as a rehearsal the night before.
Time passed and the band started to have a following, some e.p.s published in and out of Greek border , and doing wild and fun gigs was the permanent winter agenda for the cold north Greek nights. Sometimes mistaken for undertakers while carrying the farfisa, sometimes frustrated by people mocking at them, but always in a party, party party mood. It was May, 1999, and ? And the Mysterians chose the band to open for them, performing in front of a stunned crowd who could not stop dancing.
Later on the same thing happened with the notorious Fuzztones.
During 2000, after finishing with all the military obligations bull, they came back full force, devoting themselves to the band. The Fuzztones demanded the boys again and again, they participated in Gagarins 205 battle of the bands showing Athenian crowd what Thessalonicas garage is all about, and their 10 on Misty Lane Records was reviewed various times in magazines , zines, played in radio stations and television and all that crappy things that were of no interest!
A superb gig was in order supporting The Fuzztones and Mark Lindsay during the Psychorama Festival, and the boys presented the L.P. to be recorded to their loyal fans and new friends.

 

An invitation to Italys Festival Beat rushed the boys over Adriatic Sea where they performed their music together with bands such as Los Banditos, Sick Rose, Curlee Wurlee establishing their sound abroad.
In 2003, the boys went in the studio to record their first 12 of sonic pleasure! "A Long Play With the Frantic V" was what came out on ON STAGE RECORDS and is being reprinted even as you go across these lines.

Next year, an invasion in Germany was in the agenda and it happened in late October, late enough for the boys to miss Oktoberfest, but just in time for Germans to enjoy some frantic tracks in full volume, screams, farfisa and fuzz!

For the time being, the boys record their second long player, again for ON STAGE RECORDS for you to dig. As for future plans, who knows? The frantic gang might invade your town any moment now, so beware!

RELEASES:

"The Frantic V A Go Go At A Cave Near You"
Live Recordings at Various Caves, Crypts and Cellars
Live CD on INKA (UK), 2006
"A Nite Out With The Frantic Five"
7'' EP on BELLE VUE 45's Series (GR), 2006
"I 'm Asking Why"
7'' Split Single with The Fanman (DE)
SWAMP ROOM (DE), 2004
"A Long Play With..."
LP, ON STAGE (GR), 2004
"Good Lovin' / Hang Up"
7'' Single, LOSER (UK), 2003
"It's Frantic Time"
10'' MINI LP, TEEN SOUND (ITA), 2001
"Why Did You Lie? / Feeling Sad"
7'' Single, CORDUROY (AUS), 1999
"Play At The Quinta"
7'' EP, TEEN SOUND (ITA), 1998
"In The Bradford Mist"
7'' EP, GOLBIN (GRE), 1997
"Play Zoe's Stomp"
7'' EP, UGH (GRE), 1996
"Play The Fugitive"
7'' EP, CORDUROY (AUS), 1996

 

 

Saturday, 09 June

THE BARBARA FARMERS (Psychedelic-Garage / Aidypsos, GR)

The Barbara Farmers were formed at the beginning of 2006 in Barbara, a small farming village of refuges, near Aidypsos of Euvoia island!
The members' admiration for the mid 60's garage, surf, groovie'n'soul, psychedelia as well as the garage revival motivation of 80's and punk, with great respect to the performances of bands and artists such as the teens of psychedelic garage from the sixties have played an important role to their final wedding of sounds.
The Barbara Farmers is a new comers with few appearances, most of them without the full line up, at high schools and parties. They also took part at "The Modernground Express", supporting the Sick Rose, the Cavemen from Italy and the Frantic V from Salonica. Currently, they are working on their first e.p. release!

 

THE HIPSTAIRS (Hammond Groove / Athens, GR)

Based in Athens, Greece, the Hipstairs were formed with a view to delivering their passion for sixties sounds, both on stage and through their forthcoming releases. Mainly influenced by soul, mod jazz, hammond grooves, latin boogaloo and bossa nova, they present a diverse sound, shaped by the distinctive presence of the hammond organ, and the prevalence of eclectic guitar licks. The Hipstairs’ debut release will capture their musical style in four original compositions, as this is already known to the local in crowd.

The Hipstairs first appeared in early 2004 at the historic Rodeo club (Athens), making a milestone performance. Until the present time, mainly known through their many live performances, the Hipstairs have appeared at Club 22 (now Fuzz club, Athens), Mylos (Thessaloniki) – opening for the legendary Seeds – and at Stathmos club (Larisa). Undoubtedly, first among their appearances stand their performances at both Belle Vue Weekenders (Platamonas) and Soul Stereo (Athens).
The Hipstairs are: Stelios Askoxylakis (hammond, wurlitzer, rhodes), Lefteris Petrakis (drums), Manolis Chatzidakis (bass), and Thodoris Dimaras (guitar). They are often accompanied by female vocalists.

 

Sunday, 10 June

FRANK POPP ENSEMBLE (Pop / Dusserdorf, DE)


The sound of The Frank Popp Ensemble is special. It is a combination of modern music production and pop-appeal with music styles from the time between 1960 to 1972, like Northern Soul, RnB, Garage, Beat and Soundtracks. The passion for exactly this kind of sound has followed Mr. Popp for more than half his life. Sonce many years he moves around almost every weekend through the clubs of the world and plays his rare vinyl records. During the week he dedicates himself to studio work for the Frank Popp Ensemble, which takes place mostly in small circles. During his performances however… it is a grand show. In concerts the live-band puts the predominantly computer-generated recordings into live music.

History:
Frank Popp, originally a graphic designer, designs all the flyers, posters, record covers etc. for Unique records and the Unique club during and after his studies. After the purchase of his first computer in 1999 he starts the experimentation with sequencers and the first piece, "High Voltage" is created, which the label bosses of Unique promptly like. Shortly afterwards the first sixties soul song for the Frank Popp is produced, "The Catwalk". For the first time Popp lets sample and computer collide with horns, Hammond organ and vocals. The Catwalk e.p. is released in January 2000 on Unique records and generates first sales successes straight away especially in Japan, England and Italy.

Popps first song, "High Voltage" is discovered soon afterwards by Warner Bros., Los Angeles and rwquested for the US-box office hit, "Password Swordfish" starring John Travolta and Halle Berry. Later on, the song finds a place in, "Operation Swordfish" for 90 full seconds, as the movie immediately shoots to number one in the US cinema charts. In 2001 the second single, "Hip Teens Don't Wear Blue Jeans" follows, which reaches out to good radio airplay nationwide after a massive acceptance in the DJ/Club charts (No. 1 on the DCC). A short time afterwards Unique records releases the album, "Ride On" for the first time, a colourful mix of exceptional songs, with ideas that Frank Popp creates party single-handedly, party in complex studio session with different musicians out of the Unique surroundings, for example, J?rgen Dahmen (Harald Schmidt Show Band), Dave Anderson or the singer Sam Leigh-Brown, who co composes nearly all vocal pieces with Frank Popp.
When, "Hip Teens…" due to inexplicable reasons, reaches the heaviest rotation on MTV Italy after detours through radios and then lasts for several weeks, a first request reaches from Italy for a live performance. Frank Popp then forms his live band in 2001 out of well-know musicians. For the first time the Frank Popp Ensemble performs in Italy in front of a hysterical crowd of up to 15.000 people. Shortly afterwards Unique records releases, "You've been gone too long" as second single from the album. The song is a cover from a northern soul classic by Ann Sexton.
In 2002 Coca-Cola picks the song, "Hip Teens…" as musical base for a three-month long campaign of the energy drink, "Burn" through all t.v. station. Due to massive t.v. presence many several major labels take notice of the band and eventually The Frank Popp Ensemble is sidned by East West records. "Hip Teens…" is re-released on 07.04.2003 a year and a half after the initial release on Unique records. The song works its way up from rank 62 into the Top 20 of the single charts in the course of ten weeks and climbs into the Top 10 of the radio charts as well. Several t.v. appearances and concerts follow. Frank Popps' very own highlight is the performance in the Harald Schmidt Show.
Based on the success of ‚ "Hip Teens…" on East West/ Warner they decide to re-release the album, "Ride On" as well, which takes place on 01.09.2003. The original version is worked on again, songs like‚ "Catwalk" or‚ "You've been gone too long" are improved and 4 new songs are added. "Breakaway", "Goo Goo Muck", "Robbie, Tobbie" und das Fliewat?t (which is a new edition of a t.v.-melody from the sixties) as well as the new single, "Love Is On Our Side".
In October 2003 Frank Popp plays 30 gigs throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland with his band, simultaneously a new Coca-Cola spot called, "No Limits" is on air, containing again a song from the album, "Ride On", this time "Mullet King". The advertising business has found a liking in The Frank Popp Ensemble and songs are continuously used in t.v. spots for among others: BMW, Audi, Baileys, T-Mobile, Lux, Pringles or Bisc and which strongly increase the fame of the band and help the Frank Popp Ensemble in obtaining a new record deal with Universal records UK. In May of 2005 the first six tracks e.p. will be released there, followed by further singles (incl. "Hip Teens…") and a revised version of the "Ride On" album. February 2005 sees Frank Popp finish work on the second album which is estimated for a mid-year release on the German market.

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