Tori Amos, David Bowie, Billy Conolly, Celtic songs, George Gershwin, Neapolitan canzonetes, Queen, JohnJeffTouch , Luke Kelly, Nick Cave, The lord of the rings, Woody Allen, Bette Midler, Italian pop, U2, American country music.....
Michael Willow is a songwriter born in Greece in 1982. He is one of the most promising English singing Greek musicians living abroad. He is distinguished by an intense lyricism in his songs that cover a wide range of subjects like deep emotional feelings, the unknown, religion and spirituality, isolation etc. He has been influenced by various musicians, mainly David Bowie, Tori Amos, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Scorpions etc. He is also distinctive for his baritone voice which however has been commented as having an “Axl Rose vocal quality”.
Early years:
Michael was born in a middle class family in Thessaloniki.Thessaloniki. Around the age of 8 he showed an interest for the arts and music and he later started music lessons and classical guitar in Alexandrio Conservatory of Thessaloniki and later in Macedonian Conservatory of Northern Greece. During his school years he show interest in the anglo-rock music and the Greek folk, but the family was pushing him more to classical and after a while they decided to discontinue his lessons as his progress in the school was not enough good, because he was spending more of his time practicing with his guitar and singing. However he took up voice lessons secretly by various teachers such like John Jeff Touch singing in various metal bands. He joined the hard rock band “Mehegama” as a singer, organizing demo works and gigs, but the band split up, as the two other guitar players moved away from the city.
Working in a radio station
From May 2004 until November 2006 he broadcasted the radio show “Sound and Vision” on City International 106,1 FM, Thessaloniki, which broadcasts in Greece the program of Voice of America (VOA). The show was sponsored by the electronic music-promotion company www.music-city.gr whose purpose was to promote new bands. Special guest in his shows in City International was the British singer/songwriter Nikki Sudden (who had collaborated among others with R.E.M and the Rolling Stones) on the 15 and 22-11-2004 and 15 October 2005 promoting his live shows in Greece. More interviews followed with local groups (Big Sleep, I knew them).
Peter and the Wolf (2002-2005).
At 2002 he formed an acoustic band named “Peter and the Wolf”. He was playing the guitars and was singing together with singer and school mate Angel Live whose voice was distinguished for his high falsetto notes. The duet was more a tribute rather than an under promotion band, dedicated to David Bowie and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. They completed a cd album with covers of famous Bowie and Hedwig songs and some of Tori Amos and Lou Reed. During this period, they got a suggestion from the music producer George Pentzikis (Magnanimous Recording Studios) to sing Greek songs in order to have a succesfull career in the Greek music scene. The suggestion was rejected by Angel Live and after a while the band called it a day when Michael moved to Verona (Italy) for a short while and he was influenced a lot from the Italian music.
Later career
He has collaborated with the second best seller famous Greek band “The Olympians Live” (known also as “The Olympians”) doing demo songs. He also helped them in some demo works using his own studio equipment. There are a few songs of him in Greek language.
From the summer of 2005 he collaborated as a composer and singer with the publishing house «Idrogios» and the Non-Governmental Cultural Organization «Argonautes», setting poems to music and performing them at the Poetry Festivals organized by «Argonautes» and the «Music Company of Northern Greece». He has performed live in the 1st poetry festival of Thessaloniki (15 of October 2005), in the Poetry Festival May of Love (24 of May 2006),in the 2nd Poetry Festival of Thessaloniki (3 November 2006) that was dedicated to the worldwide famous Greek poet and translator Takis Varvitsiotes. He also undertook the presentation of the festival in Greek, Italian and English.
Since November 2006 he has moved to Dublin (Ireland) where he has his own home studio. He works as a music teacher (Higher D. in Music and Arts 60 Credits Hetac Griffith College) (guitar and voice) in Dun Laoghaire Music School. He has worked with the Ozanam House community resources for the summer project doing choir arrangements and other music organizations in Ireland.
In Dublin he has performed supporting Eimear Quinn in Pavillion theater Dun Laoghaire, in the open mic show “Naked Launch” in the festival for arts Art In Action giving classical guitar recital co Meath (Ireland).
DISCOGRAPHY:
1)”Olive”: Published 13 of November 2006 (3.000 pieces) in the view of the second Poetry Festival of Thessaloniki (setting poems to music). It includes 5 compositions of Michael Willow. Label: «Argonautes»
2)”Keep me on rhythm” (Kratise me ston rythmo) 25 May 2007: Participation in the full album of the Greek rock band “Bemol” in the song “Why you are not silence” (Giati den ise siopi). Words from Vasilis Barlakas.
3)“Limits”: 1st solo album. Independent release, available on 18 July 2008.
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SOPHIE.
Born in Thessaloniki – Greece 1981.
She studied Piano, singing, theory and history of music (Macedonian Conservatory, Greece).
1) Collaboration with the famous greek groups PIX LAX and ONAR (lyrics writer). Some of her lyrics set to music in the albums “Are ther goldfish here?”(Pix Lax) and “From the edge of the earth” (Onar).
2) Member of the greek company of copyright (AEPI) since 1999.
3) Participation in the Poetic Festivals of Thessaloniki (1st and 2nd POETRY FESTIVAL OF THESSALONIKI 2005 – 2006). Backing vocals in the cd “Olive” of the 2nd Poetry Festival.
4) Member of the “CHOIR OF THESSALONIKI” (2004 – 1 year) with participations in concerts in the Music Hall of Thessaloniki and Athens. Most important concerts: ‘MADAMA BATTERFLY’ Puccini, ‘Requiem’ Mozart.
OTHER ARTISTIC ACTIVITIES:
1)Participation in the 12th Biennale of Young Artists of Europe and the Mediterranean – Naples 2005, as a poet.
Joe Echo is playing this Thursday the 25th of June in Bewleys Cafe Theatre on Grafton Street in Dublin as an Oxegen warm up gig for all you good people!!!
This is such a cosey venue, so its gonna be a special evening!! :-)
Doors are at 8.30pm!! hopefully u can make it down!!
Hi there! Black Bile Extempore, an album with our deconstruction of John Dowland’s galliard Can She Excuse will be released on August 20 during the Happy Nordic Music Days in Oslo. The CD release will be celebrated with a duo performance on guitars and electronics at Sound of Mu at 20:00 on August 20. This performance is organized by NoTAM, the studio in Oslo where the album was recorded. All best!/The Black Bile Galliards
Well if you closed your youtube then i might as well close mine too. I only joined to be able to leave you comments on your videos. Oh well. Just keep sending me your wonderful music videos as you make them please. Thanks! Hope ya'll are doing well!!
