>>PREVIEW
REMBETIKA HIPSTERS
Sunday, December 17
Engineered Air Theatre
Keeping a band together for 10 years is a pretty spectacular feat. It’s even more incredible in the case of Calgary’s Rembetika Hipsters, because they had never really planned on being a band in the first place.
It started when a Greek restaurant was looking for a house band. Through a chance meeting, bouzouki player Nick Diochnos got the call to play, but with only a year of practice under his belt, he wasn’t sure if he was ready to make his debut. Luckily his friend, guitar player Allan Baekeland was there to convince him to take the gig.
The two spent a month working up a handful of traditional Greek songs, and played their first show. The crowd was into it and much to Diochnos’s surprise, they even got paid. It was a humble start for a band that would become a staple of the Calgary scene.
"The evolution of the band has been very organic," says Diochnos. "There was never a structure (like) we have to be purveyors of Rembetika music or Greek music. Let’s do this because we enjoy it. But as we went along, we started acquiring musicians."
Over time the Hipsters’s roster swelled from two to a family of eight. To bring what many refer to as the Greek blues to life, the Hipsters employ several percussionists, two violin players and a pair of multi-instrumentalists who specialize in out of the ordinary instruments. Using slinky riffs, hypnotic grooves and off-kilter time signatures, they have added their own spin on traditional melodies, and over time their knowledge of Rembetika has grown with their ranks.
"Initially the band existed around my kitchen table. We sat around with our acoustic instruments and we all sort of traded licks," says Diochnos. "There wasn’t an agenda. It was more a sense of community. We would learn together."
"When we first started, I think we were pretty awful," says Baekeland. "We gradually added better musicians. Surrounding yourself with really good musicians certainly picks up your own playing ability."
As the two full-lengths from the Hipsters prove, there is no reason to question their playing ability. A weekly Wednesday night residency at Pegasus Restaurant has honed their chops and a pair of band retreats to Greece has given the group a chance to immerse themselves in the culture that spawned the music they play.
Now the Hipsters have the luxury of commemorating their accomplishments by throwing 10-year anniversary party. According to Baekeland, this birthday bash is as much about the players as it is about the music.
"This is a band that really gets along. We’re really good friends. We take vacations together for God’s sake.
"We embarked on this crazy musical adventure, Nick and I, 10 years ago and it just started with one gig at a restaurant that was a total taking a fly at our playing this music and it’s pretty amazing the way that it has grown. So that is what we wanted to celebrate." |
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