Burgundy Grapes

Burgundy Grapes started playing instrumental music together a little over a decade ago, at their homes in Athens, Greece. From the very beginning, the act never really discussed the music it was interested in making, but the process felt focused in an inexplicable way. The act, driven by its two-member nucleus, Melbourne born-and-raised George Kolyvas, and Alexandros Miaoulis, released a home-recorded, self-financed, self-titled debut album early in 2005 through a now-defunct label, Ektopia/Outlandish.

The act, driven by its two-member nucleus, Melbourne born-and-raised George Kolyvas, and Alexandros Miaoulis, released a home-recorded, self-financed, self-titled debut album early in 2005 through a now-defunct label, Ektopia/Outlandish. Even so, Burgundy Grapes have continued to make available this release through their official website, www.burgundygrapes.com. The self-titled debut release, featuring gifted accordionist Giorgos Tsiatsoulis, a key partner until this very day, as well as accomplished cellist Nikos Veliotis, was very well received amid Greece's independent circuit. It also managed to draw the attention of small musical communities located in various parts of the world.

The debut release was followed by a limited-edition and sparser-than-usual sounding EP, "Lagero", on the Triple Bath label in February, 2009 (www.triplebath.gr or www.archive.org/details/BurgundyGrapes-Lagero for listening and free downloads). Recorded over just a limited number of sessions, the EP was recorded by Kolyvas and Miaoulis with the help of Tsiatsoulis.

The act returned with a second album, "Man In The Lighthouse", in mid-2010. Released on Inner Ear Records, one of Greece's most active labels - and most daring, considering the industry's adverse conditions - the album, a lush melodic-experimental effort driven by a range of emotions, features a sizeable crew comprised of renowned Greek indie-scene musicians. Besides Tsiatsoulis and Veliotis, other musicians on board for "Man In The Lighthouse" include multi-instrumentalist George Katsanos, cellist Stavros Parginos, viola/violin ace Fotis Siotas, and pianist Kostas Kakouris.

To date, Burgundy Grapes have been performing a limited number of shows each year, mostly domestic. The act's line-up in most recent times has featured Kolyvas, Miaoulis, Tsiatsoulis and Parginos, all on various instruments.