If you are heading to a Greek wedding or private function and Iho Nyx band is the main entertainment, you know you are in for a fun night. The dynamic Greek band can play multiple instruments and styles of music, ensuring they are able to cater for the broad range of Greece’s musical heritage.
In fact, that’s exactly what they did when they performed live on The Greek Herald’s Facebook page to entertain our readers during lockdown. Their performance was so well received we just had to find out more about them from band member, Adoni Petrandonakis.
1. Tell us a little bit about Iho Nyx band.
Iho Nyx (Sound of the Night in ancient Greek) was formed by Angelo Goutzios and I in 2008, initially focusing on traditional Cretan music and entehna. We quickly broadened our repertoire to include most genres of Greek music including contemporary, traditional music from the islands and mainland Greece.
We perform at festivals all over Australia and New Zealand, weddings, private functions, events at restaurants, tribute shows and support international artists. A number of us in the band can play multiple instruments and this allows us to really cater for the broad range of our rich musical heritage.
As a group, we’re very good friends and share common vision in music. We perceive our role in maintaining and evolving our cultural heritage as a duty and take pride in always presenting a quality and refined product.
In its present form, Iho Nyx comprises of the following members:
- Adoni Petrandonakis: Cretan heritage. 42 and a father of 3, Airline Pilot / Mortgage Broker (Bachelor and Master’s degrees in Aviation Management). Vocalist, Lyra, Guitar, Lute, Mandolin, Baglama and Tzoura and music teaching experience. Trained to play the Lyra in Crete from the age of 9, Adoni performed in Crete and Cyprus up to the age of 20 when he moved back to Sydney.
- Angelo Goutzios: Heritage from Crete and Halkidiki, 35 and a father of 2, Real Estate agent, Vocals, Lute, Bouzouki with music teaching experience and DJ. Started playing the bouzouki at the age of 7 and inspired by his cousin, Manos Pyrovolakis, progressed onto the Cretan Lute after the age of 13.
- Andrew Kalogeropoulos: Heritage from the Peloponese and Cyprus, 39, father of 2, Physiotherapist (Bachelor of Physiotherapy) and owner of Midas Touch Physiotherapy. Vocalist, Keyboards (classically trained starting at the age of 8) with recording and production experience for television shows and aspiring artists.
- George Ganakas: Karya, Ellasonas (Mt Olympus), 57yo, father of 2, owner of Bass Gear Direct. Bass guitarist with over 45 years experience performing with local and overseas artists. George’s grandfather played flamenco guitar and his father, the bouzouki. George thrives on the energy and intensity of Cretan music and enjoys the versatility and wide range of genre’s covered by Iho Nyx.
- Themi Ioakimidis: Pontian heritage, 33yo, a music tutor at St. Spyridon College (Bachelor of Business and Commerce & a Bachelor of Music). Vocalist, Guitarist, Bouzouki & Bass guitar. Themi started playing at the age of 10 and has been active in the Greek scene for over 10 years supporting famous Greek artists such as Dimitris Basis, Nikos Kourkoulis and Stathis Aggelopoulos. Themi is also an integral member of the resident band at Steki Taverna.
- Foti Lambis: Rhodes and Cretan heritage. 42 and father of 1, Café Manager with undergraduate studies in Electrical/Computer Technology. Inspired by his father who was also a drummer, Foti enrolled into music theory and drum lessons at the age of 8. Experienced in studio session recordings and supporting former Australian Idol contestants.
We’re also routinely joined by George Paradisis (bouzouki), Nathan Pylarinos (bouzouki), Matina Kokkalis (vocalist), Jim Tsolakis (clarinet) and Savvas Iordanou (drums).
2. Do you have any musical highlights or performances which made an impact on you?
We’ve supported numerous Greek artists (amongst others: Glykeria, Hatziyianni, Lekkas, Pyrovolakis) which is always a novelty. However, our most memorable performances include:
- Our 2018 Pyx Lax tribute show at the Factory Theatre that was part of the 2018 Greek Festival of Sydney – a sell-out event which meant a lot to us as it was a Sydney-first.
- Our NYE event in Darwin last year which, due to the absence of all restrictions in the NT, was the largest Greek NYE event in the world.
- We have also performed at events in the Sydney Opera House which is always awe-inspiring experience.
3. What do you love the most about performing?
We cover music from most parts of Greece from all eras. This allows us to reproduce all our favourite songs and provides opportunities for us to discover new combinations of instruments and sounds, creating a fusion that makes our “feel” as a group so unique.
A Cretan syrto can be followed by a Tsamiko, a Zeimbekiko, a Nisiotiko or a modern Greek song. We thrive on regularly renewing our repertoire and connecting as best we can with our audience.
4. Is there anything else you’d like to say?
In days gone by, there were a number of live Greek bands in Australia. This isn’t the case anymore and we all feel the need to ensure that our music industry stays alive and to preserve our musical heritage.
Australia has excellent Greek musicians that are willing to pass on their knowledge and I encourage everyone with an interest in music to reach out and start exploring their hidden talent.
For up-to-date information on where we’re performing next, follow us online at ihonyx.com or search for “Iho Nyx Band” on most social media platforms. We have a number of shows leading up to this year’s NYE event to welcome 2022.
