Interview by: Veilgr.com 2007-05-17
Hey everyone, there’s lots of wonderful things going on here at "Niko" headquarters! *smile* Today’s morsel of bloggy goodness is an online interview with Behind The Veil which just posted today (www.veilgr.com). Also, I wanted to let you know and two Desktop Wallpaper images that are now available at www.nikoonline.com/media/wallpapers
Interview with Niko by Christine Parastatidou of Behind The Veil in Greece. http://www.veilgr.com
NIKO Well, we usually present you interviews with heavy metal bands, however here we have an alternative proposal for you that answers to the name Niko. This band’s reason for existence is to create and to transubstantiate feelings, images and experiences into notes. If you like melodic rock sounds, then I think you will find in this band what you were looking for!
1. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IF YOU WERE ASKED TO COMMENT ON YOUR SONGS AND ADVERTISE THEM IN A FEW WORDS?
Most of my songs are born out of my life’s experiences; because of this, my songs are heartfelt and sung with passion and conviction. My dream is to bring a message of hope and love to the world through my art of music thus my songs tend to focus on encouraging people, giving them hope for a brighter day. My style varies from song to song and that’s why I have resolved to simply call it “World Soup”.
2. YOU’VE GOT A COMPLETE WORK AND IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY 3 MORE WHICH ARE STILL UNFINISHED. WHICH ARE THE DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES AMONGST THEM?
Yes, I have a completed album titled “Love” (a CD / DVD set). I would describe it as a modern day love story told in a very creative way with interesting twists in the story line. It is less produced and has a charming rawness to it that leaves most listeners desiring more. In some songs I am in tears while in others I am laughing. As for the other albums I am working on, they are "Voice", "Heart Of A Warrior" and "Journey Within". "Voice" will be the first official release of these three. It is a very produced album, many of the songs are filled with lush vocalscapes, something I did not do in my "Love" project. The themes of "Voice" revolve around are friendship, faith, hope, love. It is a very uplifting album! "Heart Of A Warrior" is much darker, it has a strong defiance in its sound and message. "Journey Within" is very introspective, this album will be calm and parts of it will be perfect for meditating.
3. HOW COME YOU’VE GOT SO MANY UNFINISHED WORKS? I MEAN HOW COME YOU WORK ON MORE THAN ONE ALBUMS AT THE SAME TIME? AREN’T YOU “AFRAID” YOU MIGHT START REPEATING YOURSELF?
I follow my heart. I admit, I work in a very unorthodox way. But I’m an independent artist right now without the backing of a major record label and sometimes you’ve gotta bend and break traditional rules if want to see your dreams come to pass. I am a man who looks to God for direction and then I follow my heart with absolute passion and conviction. I have no regrets for living this way. On top of all this, it’s the new millennium and the ways of an artist getting his music into the ears of the public has completely changed. It’s no longer necessary to have a completed physical CD package in order to release your music. The internet has completely changed our approach in just about everything we do and music is no exception. People are now downloading mp3’s from sites like iTunes and often times they will only download the songs they want and not the whole album. So I am going with the flow and releasing my songs as I complete them. It’s cool though because I actually see each of my songs as a sort of completed project in itself. Because I do things with the utmost excellence and because it takes much money to do that, it can take me years to complete a project. When money isn’t an issue, I will perhaps release a project in one go and not in parts. But then again, I might just wanna throw that rule out the window and follow my heart and release a song the night it’s born and not wait until the whole album is complete. How cool would it be to get to hear the song of an artist you enjoy the very night they complete it!? I love that idea! Am I afraid I might repeat myself? Not the least bit, I’m far too creative and multifaceted to ever do that.
4. WHAT’S THE BEST AND WHAT’S THE WORST PART OF YOUR MUSIC, ACCORDING TO YOU?
I love all of my songs but I’ll admit, not equally. The best parts are the parts I love most, the worst are the parts I love least.
5. WHY DO YOU THINK THE ROCK AND POP FANS SHOULD CHECK YOU OUT? WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO OFFER TO THE SCENE? IS THERE SOMETHING YOU FEEL THAT SETS YOU APART?
I go deeper than the soul, into my spirit, and I sing from that place. I believe that we all have the capacity to go there, it’s just that few ever do. It’s both glorious and frightening at the same time. Dangerous and fragile. I am simply myself and people are drawn to me because of this. It is humanity calling out to humanity.
6. YOU PLAY ROCK MUSIC WITH A FEW POP AND TRADITIONAL GREEK ELEMENTS. HOW DID THIS COMBINATION OCCUR?
Ahh, simply because I am Greek and grew up listening to traditional Greek music! I LOVE the bouzouki!
7. YOU ARE A GREEK AND APPARENTLY YOU LOVE YOUR MOTHER COUNTRY A LOT. YOU USE THE BOUZOUKI IN MANY OF YOUR SONGS AND YOU HAVE SOME GREEK LYRICS IN YOUR SONGS AS WELL. WHAT IS THIS THAT BONDS YOU SO MUCH WITH GREECE? WOULD YOU EVER CONSIDER MOVING TO GREECE PERMANENTLY?
I love Greece and I embrace my Greek roots. Greece is very sacred to me. I feel connected to the land, the people, the culture, the food, the history, everything! Greece is in my blood and I can feel it. My phone dials Greece at least once a week, my cabinet always has ouzo, my refrigerator never lacks feta cheese, and my mp3 player seems to always have a bouzouki playing! I am more and more in touch with Greece. I speak the language a little and have a desire to learn more! One day, I plan to have a home in Greece, most likely on an island.
8. ARE THERE ANY ELEMENTS YOU’D LIKE TO ADD OR EXPERIMENT WITH IN THE FUTURE?
Oh yeah! Many! Only time will tell but I can assure you that I will never stop trying different things! I am a very creative, experimental and curious person. And I am very spiritual, I mention this because in the spirit realm I find many amazing things that I bring back.
9. WHICH ARE YOUR MAIN INFLUENCES AND WHO ARE THOSE MUSICIANS THAT MADE YOU REALIZE THIS IS THE KIND OF MUSIC YOU LOVE AND WANT TO FOLLOW?
Vangelis has been a tremendous influence in my life. He is not only my favorite Greek composer but my favorite composer in all of the world! Bands such as The Moody Blues, U2, Sting and many more…I have been influenced by many friends who are not known by the world.
10. I’D LIKE YOU TO COMMENT A BIT ON THE LYRICS… WHICH ARE YOUR SOURCES OF INSPIRATION? My source of inspiration?
Life! It might be the laughter of a child, a friend in need, pleasant or painful memories, dreams, happiness, frustrations. Nature. The other day, I took a walk with my dog Magic and by the end of the road I had written a song for him. Traveling and being in other places far away stirs things up in me - the sights, the smells, the sounds of another culture and land. Sound inspires me. I will hear something like a car engine cranking up or the horn of a train or the wind blowing through the trees and it will actually inspire a melody or lyric or chord progression in me. Also, just sitting down at my piano inspires me. Most every time I sit to play, something fresh and new comes out. Sometimes it’s a song while other times it’s an idea or a melody that later becomes a song. Lastly, I must say that the hope of my music touching the world inspires me deeply. It is important that we as humans always have hope in our heart for through hope we find inspiration to fulfill our destinies. Lyrics? My lyrics are often inspired by the sound of a musical progression, I’ll do something on the piano or guitar and I will actually hear words or a certain phrase. The content of my lyrics tend to focus on positive things, I like knowing that my songs are helping people and helping to bring light into this world. If I can do this then when I breathe my last breath I will have peace knowing I fulfilled my purpose on this earth.
11. IF YOU HAD A BIG BUDGET TO SHOOT A VIDEO CLIP, WHICH SONG OF YOURS WOULD YOU CHOOSE AND HOW DO YOU IMAGINE IT TO BE?
"The Sun The Moon The Stars". We are actually in the process of planning this out even now. It will be very romantic, with a dreaminess to it. There are lots of details already decided for this video but I won’t share them because then it would spoil the surprise! *smile*
12. HOW DO YOU PLAN TO PROMOTE YOUR WORK? HAVE YOU GOT ANY PLANS FOR LIVE SHOWS?
Well, myspace has certainly been the most dynamic way that I have promoted my work, I am grateful for such a tool. Plans? I have many but it will take some time to bring them to fruition. I plan to tour the world, all in due time. (Click on "More…" to read the rest of the interview)
