Georgios Papadapalous Part 1

Friday night of the Synch festival was a smashing success. First of all, this music festival in Athens was tiny compared the concerts like Coachella and Bonnaroo. There was only a few thousand people in total for both nights and even then - there was always space to dance and an easy, hassle free way to get front row center.

For night one - here are some highlights:

Puppetmastaz- These 4 guys are from Berlin and they're making English hip hop delievered through furry hand puppets. With characters like a rhino, a turtle and a chainsaw wheelding teddy bear -- this act was talented, hilarious and very dadist. We spoke to the band after and they're huge in France - sellling out shows and festivals all summer. One member who's originally from Vietnam but now lives in Berlin told me if I want to go to summer afterhours spots in Berlin to go now --- there's a conversation with the city to close down all the best riverside dance spots and to build condos. BOOO.

Friendly Fires - Sounds kind of like U2- you can tell these guys will be huge in a few months. They're live show is awesome, very high energy electro rock. Couldn't even get close when I saw them at Coachella but here I was front row - dancing right next to members of the French band The Teenagers!!!

But to be honest - everything was amazing.

The line up:

Jazzanova Live feat Paul Randolph
Florence and the Machine - weird wacky costumes, big blond afro, disco electro
Tortoise - I forgot how beautiful this music is and how much I enjoy listening to it in bed

Ebony Bones - great new act I'd never heard of
Fujiya Miyagi - Really a highlight too - this British band's live show has only gotten better and better since I saw them in 07
Friendly Fires

Evripidis & his tragedies
Cluster
Tasman
Family Battle Snake

Mari.Cha
3 Chairs

Puppetmastaz
Disateradio
Joe Goddard (Hot Chip DJ set)
New Young Pony Club DJs

A festivus for the rest of us

Festival season is upon us! Bonnaroo kicked off in Manchester, TN yesterday and I'm reminded of my journey to the great fields a few years back - screaming "BONAGOOO" in the muddy puddles by the clogged porter potties, seeing single shoes abandoned in the dirt and filth and hippies twirling fire sticks and throwing frisbees happily rolling on hallucenigenic mushrooms.

But I'm in Greece now and out of pure luck there are some amazing music festivals while I'm in town. This weekend I will be going to the Synch Festival at the Technolopolis - there's four stages of music promising the best of innovative electronica, new media and technology. The line up is sick and includes the Matthew Herbert Orchestra, The Bug, Squarepusher, Friendly Fires, a DJ set from a member of Hot Chip, New Young Pony Club and much much more!!! I thought i would only want to be in Athens for a day but with this festival we're here for 4!

And maybe coming back on the 19th for this: The Ejekt Festival comes to the Elliniko Exhibition Centre from June 18 and 19 and features the Pixies, Editors, Starsailor, White Lies, Lauryn Hill, Royksopp, Jarvis Cocker, Klaxons, The Subways, 2ManyDjs and James Lavelle. -- That shit speaks for itself!!!

Videos and updates to come...Oh, and since I'm in Europe it's all I can do to try to get to Glastonbury next week but really I'm traveling on a dime so that's a pipe dream!

Surfing in Athens

Couch surfing that is!! Wow - what an amazing community around the globe of people who offer their couch or apartment to travelers. But it's usually much more than just a resting place - these people become ambassadors for their cities and step up to show other travelers around.

Talia and I arrived in Athens yesterday and stayed at a hostel in Syntagma Square. This bustling area is filled with tourists and restaurants that trap wandering germans, australians and americans into spending $10 on souvlaki (we were paying 1 Euro for street food.)

So yesterday we decided to couch surf and emailed about 20 different people in the city who said they could host two people. It turned out this man Demitris Tolis was a first time user of the site and he had no friends or references for his profile. We'd been warned with the service to stay w/ people that usually have both but the man had huge dreadlocks and a big friendly smile and his profession listed him as an editor.

Since we're traveling together both of us figure we have nothing to worry about with safety issues against one man so today we met D and are currently staying in his beautiful apartment in the Aghais Ionnis section of the city - 4 metro stops away.

He has kitchen space, a nice bathroom but the best part is the BALCONY! - complete w/ a unique Greek BBQ pit and a view of the acropolis at night that is just stunning and memorable for sure. Talia and I cooked all afternoon - Israeli salad, guacamole, ate Babaganoosh, olives, pastries from the corner bakery.... Y U M.

Then we sat outside because the one downside is D doesn't have a fan or air conditioning and this city is as hot as ball basically until the sun sets around 9:00pm - drinking wine, smoking cigs and taking photos.

It turns out when D comes home from work that he edits movies and commercials and lived in Prague for a year in 2006. He was in the cinema dance workshop from FAMU and acted in a movie that Talia saw at a screening of the films back in June of that year!!!!! What a tiny tiny tiny world this is!!!!

If you want to see D he showed us his band on Youtube. Check out "the koolians the spot story anti art." This band reminds me of the Spazmatics from San Francisco, in that they wear wigs, sometimes make up, crowd surf and cause general calamity!

Couchsurfing - you rock my world.