Waiting outside Tsindos Restaurant on Lonsdale Street, were three rembetika musicians, Fotis Vergopoulos, Con Kalamaras and another fellow who didn’t look so Greek. When the owner of the restaurant warmly shook my hand, he asked “So what’s an Irishman doing working for a Greek newspaper?”
This was quite ironic when that third not-so-Greek muso turned out to be a guy called Wayne. Wayne Simmons to be exact. So, I left the irony to hover snugly under the owner’s grey Irish farmers cap to do the multicultural maths for me. This rembetika trio are known for their incredible talent and the rawness with which they play. All of their singing and playing is acoustic.
The performances have a raw edge to them and a refreshing, unstaged feel that respectfully reflects the roots of rembetika. Often, members of the audience are musicians with close ties to rembetika. If that’s the case, performances can turn into jam sessions when audience members join in, not only in song, but even going as far as to pick up instruments and play along.
What makes this trio stand out is their song choices. Mixed in with the more popular familiar songs are lesser known, more obscure songs that the trio seek out. They go to great effort to research uncommon rembetika songs, which is quite a task when you are based on the other side of the world from the history of the music being played. When asked how long he had been playing rembetika, Simmons said, “Comparatively recently… three years ago, when I first met Fotis [Vergopoulos]. He’s the main guy in the band. He’s an amazing singer and bouzouki player. His ability is up there with those who play this music in Greece.”
Simmons explained that it’s really a niche crowd here in Melbourne that like rembetika, and most of those people know of Vergopoulos’ talent. This great talent, it should be noted, is housed in a man only 22 years of age, who started playing when he was seven. “But it’s not just as about starting early, Fotis also has an exceptional passion for the music,” said Simmons, “and that’s what has taken him far beyond most of us mortals.” Vergopoulos, you could see was a little reluctant to speak, not because English is his second language, but more for the reason most accomplished musicians have in that they prefer their music speak for itself.
But when pushed about why he loves rembetika, he said quite simply, “It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.” While Vergopoulos hails from Greece, Kalamaras is Melbourne-born.
Before meeting Vergopoulos, Kalamaras enjoyed playing the baglama, but hadn’t pursued playing extensively in public. In fact, he didn’t speak or read Greek at the time. It was Vergopoulos’ influence that ignited Kalamaras’ passion for rembetika, inspiring him to not only commit himself to rebetika, but also learn to sing in Greek, and read the lyrics in Greek. Simmons got his taste for Greek music when he was living in a Greek neighbourhood having resided in Brunswick for thirty years.
But things really took off when he was a music teacher during the mid nineties at Alphington Grammar.
“I was kind of surprised why no one was teaching Greek music to the kids since the majority of the students are of a Greek background. So I started exploring it with the support from some the other teachers there, particularly the teachers from Greece who were there to teach the Greek language” he said. This trio or the band that has no name other than ‘Fotis and the boys’ can be seen every Wednesday night at Tsindos and enjoyed while you eat. It gets busy though, so it’s wise to book.
Tsindos Restaurant, 197 Lonsdale St, Melbourne. Telephone: (03) 9663 3194.