ATHENS, GREECE (Top40 Charts) Athens based quartet The Callas is a noise-pop band/art collective formed by the artists and brothers Lakis and Aris Ionas. Through the past years they have mixed different genres (pop/punk/garage) and disciplines including music, art, performance and film, always delivering extremely interesting and powerful projects.
In 2014 they released their first feature film "LustLands" and transformed their warehouse studio on the fourth floor of an industrial building in Athens into a venue for underground music and art events.
The last two years they have performed live with bands/artists such as Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Ty Segall, Grinderman and they have played all over
Europe including The Liverpool Psych Fest ... 2015.
The Callas will release their new album "Half Kiss Half Pain" on January 29 via Inner Ear Records. It follows critically acclaimed 2013's "Am I Vertical?" with blossoming production from Jim Sclavunos (Sonic Youth, The Cramps, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Grinderman).
"Half Kiss Half Pain" is a unique kaleidoscopic music cosmos made of sharp guitars, post punk bass lines, no wave outbursts, bold lyrics, oriental exoticism and Mediterranean aromas.
10 tracks with references and influences that are just as varied and paranoid, as they include elements from: Syd Barrett, "Night of The Hunter", Mike Kelley and Sonic Youth, eggs, pasta and hot dogs, fairy tales with speaking plants, the erotism of Bataille and the sensuality of Balthus, Nouveau Roman and oriental exoticism.
At the moment The Callas are working with guitarist Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth) for the soundtrack of their new feature film 'The Great Eastern'.
The band The Callas consists of Aris (guitar, vocals) and Lakis (bass, vocals) Ionas, Chrysanthi Tsoukala (guitar, vocals) and Marilena Petridou (Drums).
"As multi-media artists and filmmakers, they approach music making from a very different perspective than the average musician and come up with some quite unexpected results. The sonic palette of the new album is diverse and exploratory, with songs that range in style from dreamy subversive pop to brutal post-punk skronk to deconstructed rebetiko." 2015, Jim Sclavunos
"Rock 'n' Roll thick and heavy with a strong motorik backbone" - BrooklynVegan
"Disaster! Disaster! Disaster! It happens! So goes The Callas' riotous chant over the dirgy, life-affirming garage rock stomp that is "Disaster." - Noisey
"Sound Dense and deeply idiosyncratic with pronounced, Sonic youth / pixies - edged boy-girl vocal mood swings and propulsive guitars" - Mojo (****)
"An amazing performance by The Callas that was a cross between punk rock and Andy, Warhol's Factory scene" Yinka Shonibare - THE INDEPENDENT
"The Callas spend the next 30 minutes pressing the reset button for your mind with the most significant contributions coming from a flawless drummer/bassist combo." -
Liverpool Psych Fest. - GetInToThis
01. IT'S SUNDAY I'M BLEEDING
02. SAD ERECTION
03. CUT
04. HALF KISS HALF PAIN
05. THE GREAT EASTERN
06. COULD YOU?
07. LA JALOUSIE
08. BLUE
09. SO SWEET
10. RIVER. DROOL. EAR. ROPE.
Tour Dates:
Fri 22 Jan Six Dogs Athens Greece
Fri 04 Mar La Carène Brest France
Sat 05 Mar La Mécanique Ondulatoire Paris France
Fri 18 Mar TBA Zurich Switzerland
