
Helladelics, a Bay Area band specializing in traditional Greek roots music, will perform in concert at 7 p.m. Sunday, July 24, at the Village Homes Community Center, 2661 Portage Bay Ave. East. Tickets are $13 in advance, $15 at the door. For tickets or information, call (530) 867-1032 or email [email protected]
An evening of traditional Greek music with The Helladelics, a Bay Area band specializing in traditional Greek roots music, is planned Sunday at the Village Homes Community Center, 2661 Portage Bay Ave. East. The show starts at 7 p.m.
While the band has a special fondness for the hypnotic, bluesy material from the Epirus region of northwestern Greece, The Helladelics’ repertoire also spans the region: from the upbeat dance tunes of Thrace to the sweet vocal songs from the islands, as well as some jaunts to Asia Minor and Armenia as well.
Members of the group are:
* Mary Hofer Farris, a founding member of Bay Area Balkan bands Voluta Vox, Top Dog Run and Late Cift, she first delved into Bulgarian and Macedonian music, was temporarily sidetracked by West African music and finally finished a classical degree. She went on to play saxophone and clarinet with the popular Brass Menažeri for six years before leaving the band late in 2008 to study Turkish music and to devote her energy to The Helladelics.
* Michele Simon, who fell in love with Balkan folk music at age 15 and has never recovered. After a 20-year acting career, she has spent the past 20 years as a vocalist and drummer with a variety of Balkan music groups, including Kitka Women’s Vocal Ensemble, and the dance bands Anoush, Orkestar Sali and Zabava! Izvorno.
She is a founding and current member of Brass Menažeri and has studied with native-born musicians in the United States as well as in Bulgaria, where she has appeared on Bulgarian national television. She is a popular singing teacher at West Coast music workshops and camps.
* Gari Hegedus, who plays violin, viola and a variety of stringed instruments from Greece and Turkey including lauoto, oud, saz and hand drums. Hegedus also plays in the duo Teslim with violinist Kaila Flexer, and performs with world music group Stellamara and Persian vocalist Hamed Nikpay.
He has studied with oud master Naseer Shamma and has recorded and performed with Ross Daly. He has toured with the Mevlevi Dervish (Sufi) Order of America and continues to participate in Turkish ceremonial and devotional gatherings around the country.
* Tom Farris, who has been playing in Bay Area Balkan rhythm sections since 1994. He is a multi-instrumentalist and plays a variety of drums and stringed instruments. He was a longtime member of Anoush, Brass Menažeri and Top Dog Run. Currently, he plays with The Black Olive Babes and Izvorno Icepick.
In addition to Balkan music, Farris also writes and records his own folk-rock songs.
Advance tickets are $13, available from Gil at (530) 867-1032 or [email protected] Tickets at the door will be $15. For more information, visithttp://www.timnatalmusic.com.