Laat ik mijn vakantie beginnen met wat dark country, een genre dat zijn origine heeft rond Denver, Colorado en ergens rond de eeuwwisseling is ontstaan. Een smeltkroes van country, jazz, rock, gothic rock en post punk met focus op macabere en grimmige thema's. The Circus van Redeye Caravan past helemaal in dit plaatje. Verrassend? Toch een beetje gezien de muziek is geschreven door ene Akis Kosmidis, de lyrics door ene Valantis Dafkos en de orchestratie voorzien door ene Panos Makoulis. De band situeert zich dus best ver van Denver, m.n. in Livadia City (Griekenland).
Geslaagd? Absoluut! The Circus is een erg entertainend nummer dat zo uit een cabaret of circus (natuurlijk) ontsnapt lijkt. Ik krijg meteen de indruk dat een optreden van deze bende pure fun moet zijn.
Snake Oil & Lullabies (EP) verschijnt op 20 juli 2023 in eigen beheer (digitaal op Bandcamp).
Lees
Welcome to the Caravan, stranger! Come, take a seat by the fire, warm yourself up and listen to this story…
…We’ re gonna take you back to 2019’s autumn, back when Akis Kosmidis was sitting by a fire - much like this one - fed by cheap whiskey. While he was singing and playing his guitar, he felt through the smoke the presence of long lost souls, dancing and feasting. One of them whispered in Valantis Dafkos’ ear secret words of all those things they lived through and that no one has ever known.
And that is when they knew what they had to do.
At the break of dawn, having almost lost their sanity, they set out for the nearest settlement. It was there that they heard rumors about a local alchemist, Panos Makoulis, who collects melodies and gives them shape and form. They met with him and he decided to travel with them so they could gather the missing elements needed to recount the stories of the dead. The carriage’s arrival was foretold by the oracle Eleni Paraskevopoulou who, after following the signs, decided to grace the alchemist with her melodic voice. Thanos Giamarelos’ entrancing violin and Stefanos Stroggylis’ captivating harmonica were the two missing key elements. But something was missing… the beat that would set the pace for the dance of the dead. The tarot cards revealed Paris Gatsios, the last element completing the collection. Everything fell into place…
Our carriages are full of stories and otherworldly places shrouded in mystery, haunted by dark creatures, awoken by melodies and invoked to sing!
And so it was that the lone carriage turned into a Caravan… do you dare to join us?
the Caravan:
Akis Kosmidis (vocals, acoustic guitar, banjo - music),
Valantis Dafkos (vocals, bass - lyrics),
Panos Makoulis(electric, slide, acoustic guitars, keys, percussion, vocals - orchestration), Eleni Paraskevopoulou (vocals),
Stefanos Strogylis (harmonica),
Thanos Giamarelos (violin)
