Vassilikos

Vassilikos (full name: Vassilikos Sakkas) is best known as the frontman and singer of the Greek indie/pop-rock band Raining Pleasure. Vassilikos has released seven albums with Raining Pleasure of which he is the composer, singer, bassist/guitarist and lyricist.[1] Two of the band's three albums that were released by a major label (EMI Greece) achieved gold sales, and Vassilikos and his band have toured not only Greece but also Germany, Turkey and Romania, participating in European festivals such as Rock'n Coke and the Hurricane Festival and sharing the stage with many bands and artists such as the Pixies, The Cure, Pearl Jam, Kasabian and Arcade Fire.

For the village on the island of Zakynthos in Greece, see Vasilikos, Zakynthos.

Solo career

In 2009 Vassilikos signed with Sony Music Greece to publish his first solo album, a compilation of several songs he had chosen from the 1930s to the 1960s. The Greek songwriter added his own perspective to songs that have become classic over time, and made them sound as if they were written today. In this album, called Vintage (Songs I Wish I'd Written Vol.1), Vassilikos’ duties, apart from singing, included arranging, performing all musical instruments, and producing together with the English producer Clive Martin, who has worked with many bands and artists such as Queen, Peter Gabriel, Terrorvision, Reef, Puressence, Stereophonics and Les Négresses Vertes. Vintage was certified gold only a few weeks after its release.[2]

The next step, during the summer of 2011, was a successful tour with Dimitra Galani that started from the Little Theatre of Ancient Epidaurus as part of the Athens and Epidaurus Festival 2011 [3] and led to the release of a live album by Sony Music Greece consisting of some of the best moments from Vassilikos’ and Dimitra's shared time onstage.[4]

In September 2012 he re-introduced to the public the work of Vassilis Tsitsanis, one of the major figures of Greek popular music. In a concert at the Athens Concert Hall, Vassilikos redefined the songs of the famous "rebetiko" composer by presenting them with contemporary instrumentations, in a way that they had never been heard before. More recently Vassilikos was chosen by the acclaimed composer, Yiannis Markopoulos, to take part in a series of concerts with the composer's songs and symphonic works at the Athens Concert Hall as well as at the Odeum of Herodes Atticus [5][6]

In the spring of 2013 Vassilikos interrupted the recording of his own compositions in order to prepare an album dedicated to the work of Vasilis Tsitsanis. The adaptation of Tsitsanis’ work which had been performed at the Athens Concert Hall a few months earlier was recorded in the studio and released by Minos EMI-Universal in July of the same year. In this EP called Sunday Cloudy Sunday, which Vassilikos also produced, he once again undertook the orchestration and played all instruments.[7] Sunday Cloudy Sunday was performed live at the Little Theatre of Ancient Epidaurus in July 2014, a production of the Athens and Epidaurus Festival.[8]

Discography

Studio and live albums with Raining Pleasure:

  • Memory Comes Back (1996)
  • Nostalgia (1998)
  • Capricorn EP (2000)
  • Flood (2001)
  • Forwards & Backwards (2003)
  • Reflections (2005)
  • Who's Gonna Tell Juliet (2007)
  • Live in Athens (2009)

Solo albums:

  • Vintage - Songs I wish I'd written (2009)
  • Vintage vinyl - More songs I wish I'd written (2010)
  • Live at Gazarte - with Dimitra Galani (2011)
  • Sunday Cloudy Sunday (2013)

References
  1. , Vassilikos Last.fm page.
  2. , Vassilikos Official Website.
  3. , Greek Festival event page.
  4. , Vassilikos Greek Festival.
  5. , Athens Concert Hall.
  6. , Yiannis Markopoulos Odeon of Herodes Atticus.
  7. , Sunday Cloudy Sunday
  8. , Sunday Cloudy Sunday Little Theatre of Ancient Epidaurus.
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