Blues.Gr
elias zaikos
Male
Greece
Profile Information:
- Relation to Blues music:
- Blues Band Member
- I play or do:
- Guitars, Vocals
- About Me:
- ELIAS ZAIKOS Elias Zaikos was born in 1960 in Thessaloniki, Greece, where he is permanently based. During his early teen years, he showed relatively little interest in music and listened mainly to Greek traditional and popular songs. Sometime around 1976, he was introduced to soul and to rock and roll music. Little by little he got so involved with music that being a listener just wasn't enough. A friend of local rock musicians, he followed them on to their gigs and got a first hand knowledge of the pleasures - but also the difficulties - that are all part of a musician's lifestyle. He soon found out what it really means to express oneself through an instrument. As he turned twenty, he picked up the guitar for the first time. The six strings became his constant companion and he devoted his time to practicing and playing. Around the same time he discovered the blues, the musical genre that had such a powerful and profound effect on him that he dedicated himself to it completely. A self-taught musician, Elias Zaikos developed a particular technique on the guitar, using a thumbpick together with the bare fingers of his right hand - something he saw for the first time on a live Muddy Waters video. In the early eighties, Elias Zaikos founded Blues Wire (or Blues Gang, as they were initially named). In 1983 the band recorded the first blues album in Greece, which paved the way for a long series of successful albums that followed. Performing an average of two hundred nights every year in a small country like Greece is an achievement indeed, but Blues Wire have done just that, confirming thus the band's hard work and also its enduring popularity. All these years, Blues Wire have been constantly active in countless jam sessions, backing and supporting famed bluespeople, like Katie Webster, John Hammond, Albert King, Otis Rush, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Larry Garner, Carey Bell and many others: They were all amazed by the authority and style of these Greek blues players. Europe was the obvious next step for E.Z. and Blues Wire. The band has played in clubs and festivals in most European countries and received a well-deserved enthusiastic response from audiences everywhere. Renowned guitar players such as Buddy Guy, Louisiana Red and Gypie Mayo have been impressed by E.Z.'s chops and style, and so were the diverse audiences throughout Europe while E.Z. was handing them his fiery and passionate solos: from the singing crowd of Athens to the dancing gig-goers in Trieste and the standing ovation in Austria. Over the last fifteen years Elias Zaikos has worked together with a great number of artists and earned the respect and admiration of his fellow musicians and peers. Nowadays he is considered to be the most important blues musician in Greece - a guitarist of rare talent and expressiveness, a strong and passionate singer and a charismatic performer. The elements that prevail in his live and recorded work are his complete love for the guitar and an endless quest for the spirit behind the music at all times away from ego trips and other pretensions. In early 1997, E.Z.’s first solo album, the critically acclaimed Off The Box, was released. It is an instrumental effort, which occasionally breaks away from the standard blues format and adds an emphasis on melody and composition. Between Spirit and Time, his second solo album was released in late 2000. An eclectic collection, Between Spirit and Time features recordings from three different periods in styles ranging from traditional acoustic blues to contemporary electric rock/blues ballads. This was followed by a recent live recording, Jimi Jam (2003), which is a tribute to the music of Jimi Hendrix. Additionaly, Elias Zaikos performed as an actor (the leading role of Socrates) in a theatrical adaptation of Aristofanis' classic "Nefeles" and also had a small role as a monk in the movie film "Doxombus". Around 2000, inspired and organized a show intitled "Story of the blues", a musical trip to the many sounds and styles of the blues through time, starting from the raw rural acoustic songs of late 19th century to the electrifying stages of today's scene. The show was filmed for Greek national TV and recorded in Athens, waiting to be released as a double album sometime in the near future. 2005 found the band recording and filming their first DVD (out on Smile records) while E.Z. began to teach blues guitar at NAKAS conservatory of music, Greece’s biggest and most famous organisation for studying and practicing musicians. In 2007 released "Take my hand to the sky" which is a collection of all original songs and featuring many unreleased tracks. 2008 saw the release of Acoustik Wire's debut album entitled "Assorted blues, ballads and other hippy related songs". These days Elias Zaikos continues to be the leader and the driving force of Blues Wire, keeping his weekly radio show for more than 10 years now and planning to record another solo album as well as the new Blues Wire album. http://www.blueswire.gr Info: info@blueswire.gr
- Website:
- http://blueswire.gr myspace.com/eliaszaikos
Petros Matsakos
Eyxaristo poly gia to add.
Na eisai kala kai tha ta poume syntoma.
Apr 16, 2008
Marios Spiliotopoulos
Και βέβαια θα συμπορευτούμε!
Apr 16, 2008
bluezlick
λεπον την ιδεα σσου για τον δισκο με μελοι απο το blues.gr
την βρηκα φοβερη! μακαρι να γινει κατι τετοιο(σιγουρα να βοηθησουμε ολοι μας για αυτο)
τα λεμεεεεεε!
Apr 17, 2008
Big Mo
Apr 18, 2008
TexasFlood
Apr 18, 2008
TUBESCREAMERS
Apr 24, 2008
TUBESCREAMERS
Apr 30, 2008
Yannis Pavezas
hahahaha
Na'sai kala Ilia kai elpizw na ta poume syntoma!
May 7, 2008
MALIAS
May 31, 2008
MALIAS
May 31, 2008
Manolis Thessaloniki
ανανεώστε λίγο την ιστοσελίδα σας, απο live μέχρι αρχές Απριλίου και μετά τίποτα. Ελπίζω να είσαι καλά αν και μαθαίνω νέα απο τον Παναγιώτη. Γειά χαρά...
Jun 2, 2008
T-Bone
I,m T-Bone and I would like to be one of your friends.
Jun 5, 2008
T-Bone
Jun 6, 2008
Narkiles
Thanks for inviting me. I am a great admirer of you and of the Blues Wire so I want to ask you when are you gonna have your next concert.
Jun 6, 2008
Narkiles
Jun 7, 2008
yiannis
Jun 8, 2008
Narkiles
Jun 8, 2008
Yannis Rousochatzakis
Έχουμε καιρό να τα πούμε. Χάθηκα κι εγώ λίγο λόγω απίστευτου φόρτου στη δουλειά μου με το κτηματολόγιο αυτή την περίοδο.
Είδα μόλις στο http://www.BluesWire.Gr τις εμφνίσεις που έχετε προγραμματίσει για το καλοκαίρι. Θά ήθελα να τις βάζαμε και στο Blues.Gr αν δεν έχεις αντίρηση. Αν δεν έχεις χρόνο να το κάνεις εσύ δώσε μου στοιχεία να το κάνω έγω.
Ελπίζω όλα να βαίνουν καλώς. Αν και δεν δουλεύω στα χωράφια, δουλέυω σκληρά για τα χωράφια, οπότε μπορώ να στείλω τους "Blues" χαιρετισμούς μου με ένα αρκετά Bluesy Feeling αυτό τον καιρό.
Περιμένω νέα σου.
Χαιρετισμούς σε όλη την μπάντα!
Γιάννης.
Jun 27, 2008
TUBESCREAMERS
Jul 8, 2008
Yannis Pavezas
Sou stelnw to link apo ena review gia tin tele pou eftiaksa...mexri na pioume kanan kafe kai na tin dokimaseis autoproswpws,rikse mia matia gia na sximatiseis mia idea
http://www.noiz.gr/index.php?topic=162335.new#new
Sep 29, 2008
Tasos Dritsos
Oct 6, 2008
george
Oct 13, 2008
Μαρία
Θα χαρώ να μάθω που μπορεί να σας δει κάποιος τον χειμώνα που μας έρχεται.
Καλή συνέχεια
Oct 13, 2008
Μαρία
Τα λόγια είναι πολύ φτωχά για να περιγράψω τι σημαίνει η μουσική σας για μένα.
Θα τα πούμε στην Αθήνα σίγουρα , και μπορεί και σε κανένα live εκτός Αθηνών. Τα συνηθίζω κάτι τέτοια.
Ευχαριστω.
Oct 13, 2008
george
Oct 14, 2008
Dimitris Ioannou
Tha ime Thessaloniki 18 Savavto Oktovri.
Ore mipos varoute pouthena?
Oct 14, 2008
bluesman
..den mporei...kapote tha paixoume ena tragoudi mazi:)
GOD BLESS U
filika bluesman
Oct 18, 2008
Dimitris Ioannou
Gamoto to ithela poly.
Vre Helia akouga paly tis proales to Fence.
Ti fovero CD pragmatika poly empneysmeno fovera komatia kai paiximo pou se pianei stin psihi.
Pote tha vgalete kati kainourgio?
Oct 20, 2008
Texas Brothers
Oct 20, 2008
Elias Papadimas
Oct 21, 2008
BLACKPEPER
Bravo gia xtes gia simera ke gia avrio.
"Who's Calling"
Nov 3, 2008
barboutis yiannis
Nov 8, 2008
Panos
Το βιβλιαράκι παρεπιπτώντος είναι τέλειο και εγω θα το πρότεινα σε όλους. (το διάβασα σε ένα βράδυ, χωρίς ανάσα)
Για το live...blues wire...τί να περιμένουμε. Ότι καλύτερο.
Nov 8, 2008
no-blues
Great rythm, love it....
Dec 14, 2008
Johnny B.
Feb 2, 2009
Nick Dounoussis
Feb 4, 2009
Kordas Dimitris
pliktrologio.blues Wire ine oti kalitero echo akousi apo Ellada oson afora ti
blues skini.To cd Fence ine fantastiko,the quiet man ke to Tell me why ta
kalitera prosopika jia mena kommatia.Prin ena chrono peripou milousame olo to bradi jia sena me to tragoudisti ton Blues Company,mou elege gia blues festivals pou pezatai mazi.cheromai pou toulachiston me afto to tropo
epikinonisa mazi sou. the Bulldog boogie Dimi
Feb 5, 2009
TUBESCREAMERS
Mar 25, 2009
SPYROS BARLAS
Apr 1, 2009
A.Patronis
Ειμαι και εγω μελος του blues.gr και αγαπω πολυ τα blues τα οποια ακουω εδω και 35 χρονια. Επισης εχω την δικη μου μουσικη εκπομπη στο Δημοτικο Ραδιοφωνο Πολυγυρου με τιτλο story teller και ακουγεται καθε Δευτερα και Πεμπτη 9-11 το βραδυ.Blues,jazz,classic rocks....Στην σελιδα μου εχω ανεβασει δειγματα της μουσικης που παρουσιαζω. Βεβαια εχω δει αρκετες φορες την band σας στην Θεσσαλονικη αλλα και την τελευταια φορα που ησασταν στον Πολυγυρο (τοτε δεν ημουν μελος του blues.gr)με τα ακουστικα blues.....Ετοιμαζω λοιπον μια 2ωρη εκπομπη αφιερωμενη στις blues bands του blues.gr και μεζευω υλικο μεσω των μελων.Η αληθεια ειναι οτι σου γραφω καπως διστακτικα για να σε ρωτησω εαν μπορω να βρω καποια τραγουδια σας μεσω του blues.gr γιατι θεωρω οτι χωρις την παρουσια σας η εκπομπη μου θα ειναι .....μιση.(παλαιοτερα ειχα ενα -δυο cds των blues wire αλλα το πιθανοτερο να τα εχει τωραο γιος μου).Εαν υπαρχει η δυνατοτητα θα ηθελα μερικα.
Οταν ετοιμασω την εκπομπη στην οποια παρεπιπτοντως θα παρουσιασω και το βιβλιο του Δημητρη Επικουρη,Θα αναρτησω event στο blues.gr
Ευχαριστω πολυ.
Τα λεμε
Α.Πατρωνης(blues radio)
Apr 1, 2009
TUBESCREAMERS
Ωραίες στιγμές !!
Apr 1, 2009
SPYROS BARLAS
'' FUNNY BOY '' SPYROS
Apr 2, 2009
Tsiamtsikas Nikolaos
Sep 9, 2009
Popi Dragoumi
Sep 26, 2009
Tsiamtsikas Nikolaos
Oct 12, 2009
TUBESCREAMERS
E.ZNov 8, 2009
Bill Markos
Dec 23, 2009
Yannis Rousochatzakis
Jan 8, 2010
Tsiamtsikas Nikolaos
Feb 27, 2010
Tsiamtsikas Nikolaos
Mar 1, 2010