Xylouris White – Tuning Fork March 8, 2017

 

An Australian and a Greek walked into a bar…

This is no joke. Australian drummer Jim White, of The Dirty Three, and Greek lute player George Xylouris got down to the serious business of making music at Auckland’s Tuning Fork last night, taking the audience on a wild musical ride.

The Tuning Fork was filling up early on this Wednesday night as Hollie Fullbrook, aka Tiny Ruins, was the opening act. Hollie and her bandmates have been busy working on a new album, and tonight, Hollie performed quite a few of those songs solo.

The new material sounds, on first listen, on par with her/their previous album, 2014’s Brightly Painted One. What was evident, was that Hollie has become a much more accomplished guitarist. I look forward to hearing these new songs with the full band.

What was also evident at The Tuning Fork was a rather significant contingent of Greek music fans. George Xylouris’ father, known as Psarantonis, is an iconic Greek musician, and George seems determined to follow in his father’s footsteps.

Jim White is simply one of the most exciting and adventurous drummers around. His work with Warren Ellis and The Dirty Three speaks for itself and it was a thrill to be able to watch such a master percussionist up close.

With White’s musical history rooted in rock & roll and Xylouris’ in Greek traditional, this was always going to be a fascinating coupling.

For myself the most enjoyable moments were those that reminded me of The Velvet Underground or early Modern Lovers, had they been abducted by gypsies.

For many of those in the audience of Greek descent, the more traditional sounds generated the biggest response. George sang primarily in Greek and spoke to the audience in English, trying to convey the stories behind those traditional songs to the Kiwi crowd as best as he could.

Meanwhile Jim White’s drumming was always phenomenal. The two musicians were constantly communicating with eye contact and body language as they improvised and celebrated their way through about two hours’ worth of music.

I’ll admit some of the more traditional Greek music wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, but much of what Xylouris White conjured up during their performance was nothing short of thrilling.

Marty Duda

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Michael Flynn: