G(r)eekin' Out

Last night I went and saw Christos Govetas and Pasatempo at the Triple Door. It was some fantastic rebetika, and the Triple Door is an awesome venue. It brought to mind a few things: Firstly, that I really love Greek music and the Greek language. Next, Greeks love Greek culture, perhaps like no other peoples love their own cultures. Schedule some Greek music and they'll come together, all the old restauranteurs and their extended family. They get up on stage and dance, they shout "Opa!" and they generally have a great old time. It's an amazing thing to witness. I will also point out that the food at the Triple Door is excellent, and so is the wine.

The whole thing makes me want a bouzouki more than ever.

I will add lastly, for those who don't know, a note about rebetika. It generally seems to be the kind of music that most people associate with Greeks: bouzoukis/accordion/baglama, tremolo picking, harmonized vocals, etc. If you still don't know what I'm talking about, Monty Python's Cheese Shop Sketch features some. Rebetika has been called "Greek blues" by some because of its dark subject matter and who generally plays it, and is usually described as the music of the Greek underworld. This latter description rather makes me think of the story of Orpheus. I'm sure Hades played a mean joura.