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L
oucas Metaxas, however, was against Dimitris’ idea, never really disclosing the real reason why he preferred not to use this name. “I played the role of Thodoris in the Loxandra TV series 20 to 30 years ago. I was nine years old and therefore I didn’t want the group to be called Loxandra, because I was hiding my background in acting from the age of four to 16. The truth is I had no better name to come up with myself.”
Loucas arrived in Thessaloniki 17 years ago. The plan was to stay and work for a month but “when I arrived here, I said this is where I am staying. I just returned to Athens to collect my things. What I liked about Thessaloniki was that the people were closer to the tradition. You could do more research and look for things more easily over here than in Athens, about the Anastenarides [fire walking rituals] and about music from Thrace that I was also interested in. Here you have lots of immi- grants and here I could also be closer to Constantinople. And I was looking for musicians to cooperate with, because on your own you can’t do anything. The first person I met, and we still work together, was Dimitris Vasiliadis who shared with me how this music should be played today. And he saw that I had the same spirit and immediately we got on well.”
“Both of us also have an education in western music and this helps you have a clearer picture about both types of music,” Dim- itris says. “You’re less of a fanatic about the how and what. For instance there are many who only have the Byzantine education and don’t want to change anything. I’m not saying not to save anything but things are best kept in museums. Since these songs are still used to party and dance with I don’t see the reason why they don’t have a double bass which is missing in the frequencies,” Loucas suggests. They also use traditional percussion instruments from all over the world if they fit the feeling they want to give to the songs they play.
Loxandra have been around for about 16 years, but with only a couple of albums recorded so far. They handed me their latest one, Meyhane – Kafe Aman, and very proudly they both say “It’s just been delivered to us today, you’re getting our first copy, we don’t even have the sleevenotes ready or the cover yet.”
Meyhane – Kafe Aman has a strong link to the music of
Turkey. Interestingly enough, many of these are songs that Greek composers wrote. Very often Greek church cantors wrote the songs played in the tavernas, the Meyhane (wine houses) and the Cafe Aman venues. There were no rules saying that church singers were not supposed or allowed to play and compose music for recreational purposes.
Loucas explains that Greeks, Armenians or other Christians mainly composed the Meyhane music, because at these restau- rants and bars alcohol was served and thus they were more fre- quented by Christians who were drinking raki or wine, but Mus- lims would visit as well and occasionally have a drink. In those days everybody from rich families to sailors would visit these music venues and Dimitris adds “the tavernas were essential for socialis- ing… In Smyrna and Istanbul anyone and everyone was going to the tavernas.”
However, after the Asia Minor catastrophe and the influx of Greek refugees with the population exchange between Greece and Turkey in the early 1920s, the songs that were played in the
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