Rounding up a long week, it’s time to get on The Magic Bus and vanish into the weekend. See what I did there?
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
Greetings from Livadia city, Greece! We’re a four-piece rock band and we’re delighted to have this interview!
How did you meet?
We actually knew each other for a couple of years before we formed our band, since we shared the stage with our other music projects and we’ve been friends ever since.
How long have you been playing as a band?
We boarded “The Magic Bus” in 2017 and we keep on rocking!
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
Haha, no worries! We’re glad to answer that question, because it shows that our band’s name is something to talk about and that’s good news! Our name is a reference inside a reference – “inception” style, haha! It’s mentioned on a beloved song from “Tripes” (one of the most well-known rock bands in Greece) and on its turn it’s a reference to the greek brunch of the Greg Williams’ travel agency of the same name, back from the ‘60s!
What are your influences?
As four different personalities you can understand that we have a lot of different influences in general. Of course, regarding our band’s style specifically, there are many influences and inspirations coming from our country’s rock scene of the ‘90s.
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Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Although scents of other genres and styles are present too, the answer is one and simple: we play rock! Originality is hard to find these times, but still there’s room for uniqueness, hopefully! We use our native language, value every detail musically and lyrically, use our own equipment and sound… If all these make us unique, it’s on you to decide!
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
The lyrics, depending on the theme, may it be a social phenomenon, a comic or a literature interpretation etc, we wanted them to be interesting and well-written, to become a motive that makes the listener to look further into them, understand them and maybe even learn something new along the way, if he or she chooses to unravel the references!
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
The fact that we all have our day jobs and don’t rely on music to live from, gives us the opportunity to experience each and every live like a celebration! Whether it’s a small gig with a few people, or a crowded festival, we all give our best and feel like the first time we set foot on stage! Since 2017 we must have played over 50 times and hopefully we’ll continue to!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Not so much of a wild, rather than a funny one: Once we played in a beautiful village’s local pub. Right next to it, there was a tavern with the best lamb chops around and we made a poor decision to eat (like a lot of it!) right before the show… well, that was a really hard and sweaty show, hahaha! Still, no regrets there!
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
For our album recordings, the electric guitar was a Fender American Standard Stratocaster, HSS Shawbucker. The electric bass was a Squier Vintage Modified V, modded with Delano JMVC 5 FE/M2 pickups and CTS pots. The drums were Sonor f2007 (snare: Black Panther, drumheads: Remo Emperor & Powerstroke 3, cymbals: Paiste 2002, Signature & Giant Beat).
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
We just released our first single from our album, so that’s what we’re promoting right now! The song is called “Ταξίδι Εντός” which reads “Taksidi Entos” and means “Inner Journey”. The lyrics are about introspection and it’s up to the listener to decide if it’s a metaphorical or a literal one!
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What are your plans for the next 6 months or so?
Well, if we learned something from 2020, then it’s that we shouldn’t make big plans ahead, haha! All jokes aside and hoping that we’ll get over with the pandemic sometime soon, we’re looking forward to play as many lives as possible and share our music with all of you!
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be ing and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
Ah, there are a lot of bands that we’d like to share the stage with! It would be a real pleasure to open for an rock band like “Villagers of Ioannina City” and we’d love to share the experience with one of our city’s many bands, in which are playing great fellow musicians!
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