Stathakula

If it takes a village to raise a child, George Stathakes must have had some really weird neighbors.

Raised in Gardendale, Alabama, a small conservative suburb of Birmingham, Stathakes was exposed at a young age to a blend of Cat Stevens and traditional Greek music by his mother and weaned on a steady diet of outlaw country singers like George Jones and Johnny Cash by his father. Stathakes has always had unique sensibilities, like his fascination with screen villains or his ability to recite the entire soundtrack of the "Phantom of the Opera" at age four which have combined and manifest themselves into his uniquely styled music.

George, a self-taught guitarist, began to arrange songs on acoustic guitar at age twelve and his sound has matured to meld influences from all ends of the spectrum, whether it be grinding Krautrock, weirdo Folk, or deep-fried Louisiana Zydeco and Jazz. Stathakes' voice is warbled and tread like if Tom Waits visited Crawfish bars and Shamans in New Orleans instead of billiard dives and midgets in Illinois.

His lyrical prowess reflects his biting sarcasm and wit, but there are still hints of something sinister lurking beneath, like the villains he idolized as a child, with the role-playing and theatrics of the Phantom of the Opera. However, his youth and curiosity still render his present songwriting form a constantly shape-shifting entity, a voracious beast that consumes anything tasty in its path. Be sure to hear him while he's at his hungriest.