Vodka Juniors (GR). Kostis Jr.

The Vodka Juniors formed in the spring of 2000 and started as a skatepunk/hardcore band. Since then they have released: 2 EPs, 1 LP and a double LP on their own Cannonball Records label and have toured extensively throughout Greece and Europe. The band got really well known for their highly energetic live shows that turn into endless parties and their ability to sell out the biggest venues in Greece without any mainstream media coverage and still rejecting radio, TV and major label offers.

The 2009 Pirate Tour was an extensive 24-day tour of the islands of Greece.

Vodka Juniors (PHOTO 1) plays a mix of genres from dub to punk and acoustic to hardcore, and considers each new record as a complete new project rather than being dedicated to a specific style. A new album that will be recorded by the end of the year.

CZB talked with Kostis (PHOTO 2) about The GREEK MUSIC INDUSTRY.

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CZB: What is the commercial music in Greece like?

Kostis: It’s a really bad mixture of pop and stolen riffs from eastern music. The name in Greek is “Laika” which translates as “the people’s songs”. There are also a lot of pop/rock/rap mainstream groups which sound exactly like every MTV band but with Greek lyrics. I guess commercial music is the same in every country… Shit.

Traditional music on the other hand is amazing. I urge everyone to try and explore the music of different regions and cultures in Greece (my favorites being “Ipirotika”, “Kritika”, “Rebetika” and “Pontiaka”).

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CZB: What is the club circuit like in Greece for the style of music you promote?

Kostis: There are small bars in smaller cities but it is difficult to setup shows there. We are lucky enough to have a very organized network of universities where shows take place. Universities have an asylum so students or people outside the university involved in cultural events can setup everything they want by themselves, like parties and festivals inside the university campuses. This is something that is really important and in our opinion is the heart of everything real that happens in the Greek underground scene.

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CZB: Do you play more hardcore in Germany and more reggae/acoustic at home in Greece?

Kostis: No, it all depends on the show. Actually the first time we’ll be playing the dub/reggae stuff abroad is this Saturday in Cluj. We only started playing live the dub/reggae stuff this summer on the “Pirate Tour” which was a 3 week tour of the Greek islands playing beach bars and camping sites. Now the last 5-10 shows we’ve been playing both in a 3 hour set. It works really well. We start with the slow dub stuff and people drink and dance until we reach the hardcore stuff that chaos sets in. This is cool because there are people that didn’t listen to hardcore and before they know it, they’re in the pit, having fun.

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CZB: Is Greece a centralized form of government and does Athens have too much power over the rest of Greece?

Kostis: Every region has its own representation so it is kind of decentralized in terms of authority. However in reality all the money is invested in Athens so the outcome is to have a city of 5 million and the other cities are a lot smaller in size and wealth. The countryside is of unbelievable beauty, full of culture and traditions. In this sense I am happy that the money has not transformed them into malls and corporations. On the other hand these areas are poor and sometimes are completely neglected. Kids are migrating to the large cities and these places are becoming ghost towns.

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CZB: Is there a Greek Music TV station promoting local bands and local music?

Kostis: There are two music channels. One is MAD TV and the other is the Greek MTV. We’re completely unrelated with those. They are part of something that has nothing to do with what we are doing.

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CZB: What is the Greek music scene like for international acts? How many international rock festivals are there in Greece during the summer season?

Kostis: Well Greece is a bit out of the way of big international acts. Usually they come when they have burned out and not in their prime. I think the last 5 years there has been some change but still we have a long way to go before we can actually say we have a festival that even closely resembles the big festivals in Europe. Thessaloniki, Patra and Heraklion also have some festivals but the lineup is mostly made up of Greek bands. In general there are about 10 festivals all summer long… very expensive, with poor lineups and mediocre production. I think the electronic festivals are a bit better organized. We’ve been invited to a couple of them but for the time we prefer small shows cause we like the interaction with the people and we like setting them up the way we want… Maybe this year or some other time in the future we’ll play some just for the experience…

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CZB: Is it true YOU got the DIY scene going in Greece about 10 years ago, through Cannonball 666 Records?

Kostis: No, this is not true! The DIY scene has been present in Greece since early 80s, and is being supported by a punk/hardcore network of people. In the last years my belief is there is not so much cooperation and the network has split up into many smaller cliques. This is a bad thing but maybe it’s also a transitional period to something new, we must wait and see. We started Cannonball in 1997 to help establish a scene mostly with regard to bands of the second wave of punk. So it was mostly about a wave of bands playing skatepunk, melodic hardcore, ska-punk etc. It was not a proper label but simply some friends putting the same logo on the back of the CDs.

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CZB: You also organize shows. What do you consider the most interesting artist you have brought to Greece for the first time and why is that artist interesting for you?

Kostis: Propagandhi were really cool… and Snuff were amazing people…! Well the truth is we don’t setup shows regularly cause there’s no time anymore. We use most of it for our daily jobs, universities and the touring. However every once in a while we bring some bands that we grew up with and really want to see play in Athens.

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CZB: Is it true you live in different parts of Greece? Could you tell me who lives where? You mail tapes and lyrics and get together to rehearse and record on holidays … Have you reached the point where you can just do the music to make ends meet?

Kostis: We all live in Athens now, and actually in the same suburb, 4-5 minutes from each other… So there’s no need for tapes anymore. This was happening for our first records up to “Dark Poetry”. Those days some of us where at the university abroad, some in Athens and some in the army which is something most kids cannot avoid. We used to work that way in the beginning because there was no internet. Actually I think when the odds are against you this is when you do your best. You get stubborn and put all your heart and effort into your music. Being together all day in the beginning maybe you’ll get bored or lose interest. So my opinion is those were good years, we made the most of the difficulties and never gave up on our dreams …as for making a living? No, we’re not even close. We actually pay for this. It’s like paying for your holidays, but our holidays are cheaper and full of unbelievable experiences.

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CZB: How long has this line-up been together and who are the newest players in the band?

Kostis: The main band is made up of 4 people and we started playing in 2000-2001. Now it has become a situation where there are also about 5 more members and they show up depending on the show and just jam with us. These people are mostly percussion, congas and a trumpet. They’re all not real musicians but long time friends that have been touring with the band. Now they are also playing sometimes live. Now and then at live shows maybe we’ll jam a dub song and people will come on stage and play, or rappers will freestyle. There’s nothing better than having a family transformed into a band. We’ve all been friends and grown up together a long way before forming the band. I guess now the band is transforming into a collective that creates live projects, live experiences and project albums instead of doing the normal stuff a band does. The latest one was “The Dark Show”. We won’t have the opportunity to do this in Romania because we won’t have enough time but we’ll have different set-lists depending on the show. We’ll do the “Pirate” set-list in the first show in Cluj though! Any Romanian rappers? Come down to Booha Bar to Jam!

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CZB: Is this your first time in Romania? How did you get the 8 dates confirmed?

Kostis: Paul from BHCB invited us to do this and he said he could arrange a number of shows. He also got us in touch with some other people organizing shows. I think it was the easiet tour we have organized. Actually, the Romanian people did everything. Most of the times it takes months to organize a tour and you have to do everything yourself. This time we got invited and within a couple of weeks Paul was just confirming show after show. Now we need to give back all this love and friendship so we’ll do our best to transform these shows into parties! Some of us came last month with Despite Everything, for the rest it’s the first time in Romania…

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CZB: What will you be merchandising on the Romania Tour?

Kostis: Special edition CDs, t-shirts, posters & buttons have been print. They are all free and we have a “box” that whoever wants can donate something! But most of all we plan to perform our best and play with all our heart in every single show. We want to make people dance, party and have a great night out… We’re not a band that tours every day of the year (although this would be a dream come true) and sells “merch” to survive. We prefer not to sell our stuff. We tour on vacation and our goal is to have great interacting experiences with people from all over the world… this year we’re having our spring vacation in Romania and we’re thrilled about it.

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CZB: Why have you called it The Vampire Tour?

Kostis: Well Romania and especially Transylvania is known in Greece for the vampire fiction stories in comic books, etc. We hope to find some and drink some Tzuika with them. The previous tour was called Pirate Tour so there is a tendency towards comic-like figures!

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CZB: Do you especially like Vodka and are you prepared to taste Romanian Tzuika *(a traditional local kind of plum brandy)?

Kostis: We don’t really drink vodka. The name started as a joke and we can’t wait to taste Tzuika. Actually trying weird substances in other countries is our main hobby. We hope it’s something lethal! We’ll bring some Greek “Raki” for you to try as well… Be prepared!

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Interview: RiCo

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The 2010 Vampire Tour. Romania

• Apr 24 Cluj Napoca – Pirate Set     Booha Bar
• Apr 25 Bucharest w/ Dekadens, 2FaceNation     Club Control
• Apr 26 Sibiu w/ Stuck in a Rut     Propaganda Club
• Apr 27 Timisoara w/ Drip of Lies     Atelier DIY
• Apr 28 Cluj Napoca Multicultural Ways Fest 4 w/ No Turning Back, Drip of Lies, Stuck in a Rut, Rock Norris     Irish Pub
• Apr 29 Iasi w/ Ska Fara Trompete     Hand Club
• Apr 30 Craiova     Keops Bar

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www.vodkajuniors.com

www.darkpoetry.gr

 

 

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