Xylina Spathia / Wooden Swords - Pera apo tis poleis tis asfaltou (1995)
Xylina Spathia (Greek: Τα Ξύλινα Σπαθιά, English: The Wooden Swords) were one of the most popular Greek bands, coming from Thessaloniki, that were distinguished for their special and personal sound, which was unprecedented for the Greek music of the era. Along with Trypes, they are considered to be the most popular band in Greece, which became very popular in the 90's.
Their music combines elements from pop, rock and electronic music, maintaining a Greek melodic "colour" at the same time. The personal and experimental lyrics of Pavlos Pavlidis are distinguished for their poetry and the pictures that they give. Generally the band's songs develop an emotional atmosphere, that is sometimes expressed with extroversion and bold rhythms and else with a calm innerness.
From 1993 until their break-up, in 2003, the band released 5 albums (4 studio, 1 live) and 1 CD single. Although they had a big commercial success from early on, the group avoided media exposure and maintained their artistic autonomy, seeking to develop their sound from album to album and during their live performances, where they used to experiment and improvise with their songs.
The original line-up of the group consisted of: Pavlos Pavlidis (vocals, guitar), Vasilis Gountaroulis (keyboards, samplers), Christos Tsaprazis (bass) and Panos Tolios (drums, percussion 1993-1997). Members of the band had also been: Stavros Rossopoulos (guitar 1993-1994), Takis Kanellos (drums 1997), Giannis Mitsis (drums 1998-2003), Kostas Pantelis (guitar 2000-2003) and Nikos Kyriakopoulos (percussion, backing vocals 2001-2003). Session musicians that appeared in the band's albums are: Dimos Gountaroulis (cello), Giorgos Tolios (percussion), Giorgos Papazoglou (percussion), Rita Hatzinikoli (percussion), Fotis Siotas (violin) and Aristeidis Hatzistavrou (classical guitar).
Xylina Spathia are one of the best-selling Greek bands, along with Pyx Lax and Trypes.
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