Mattheos Giannoulis of Naxos, the iconic performer of island songs, is once again returning to Australia where he’ll serenade his adoring fans.
Brought to Australia by Absolute Business Brokers, Giannoulis will be performing on Saturday, 11 February at Q Room, 371 Settlement Road, Thomastown.
He’ll be accompanied by clarinet maestro, Kostas Aristopoulos as well as associated acts Xenia Verra, Yiannis Sideris and Makis Aristopoulos.
One of the most well-known artistic personalities in the island song genre, known for his character, and a quadruple threat to boot, being a musician, singer, composer and lyricist all in one.
At the age of 13, he moved from his native Naxos to Athens with his mother; his father staying behind due to his work in the island’s now defunct emery mines.
Giannoulis attended Athens’ National Conservatory while at the same time taking bouzouki lessons with Christos Kesidis. A multi-instrumentalist, he was instructed in playing the lute by Dimitris Firogeni-Metoharis and Vassilis Hatzopoulos.
But singing was his greatest love.
His discography began when at 21, he demoed some of his songs to Stathis Koukoularis, the lyrics and composition his own, he was intent on entering the studio.
But costs ran high and he had little in the way of liquid cash; but his parents sold their estate on the home-isle Naxos and helped the young aspirant finance his dreams.
With songs recorded, he just needed to release them.
Giannoulis approached the Greek label Colombia with the intention of getting his songs on tape. But Colombia’s asking price was steep, with the caveat he’d have to pre-purchase 5,000 tapes.
In the end after seeking out parental advice, he bit the bullet, pre-purchased the cassettes and returned home.
From there he went all over Greece, door knocking and handing out tapes wholesale, he sought out local radio stations, begging at times even paying for just one of his songs to go on air.
His persistence paid off, after some time his songs could be heard in venues across the country, Giannoulis was beginning to stand out and most importantly, was starting to amass the adoration of loyal fans.
In his own words, his favourite collaborations have been with George Koros, Stathis Koukoularis, Haroula Lambrakis, Yiannis Parios, Stamatis Gonidis, Lefteris Pantazis, Angela Dimitriou and Maria Nomikou.
Giannoulis wrote a number of songs on Nomikou’s first album; his own discography becoming absolutely prolific with between 2,000 and 2,500 songs released.
To fans, the rest of his story is more or less known, after all he’s certainly got a passionate following.
For reservations and more information call the numbers 0422 472 006 and 0415 640 933.