Band Members
Giorgos Demellos
Guitar, lute, vocalsGeorge Demellos was born in Monemvassia, a small town situated in the south east Peloponnese prefecture of Laconia where he took his first guitar lessons and developed his interest in the Greek alternative, mainstream popular music (Laika) and the sounds of Rebetika which originate from the 1920’s era.
He moved to Thessaloniki while still in his teens to persue a deeper understanding of Rebetika and further studied the guitar. It is in this northern Greek city that he performed on stage with various Rebetika groups and in the alternative Greek music scene and continued the same later on in Athens.
George has worked with various artists over the years including Panagiotis Lalezas, Nadia Karagianni, Marios, Tasos Sarbanis, Gerasimos Andreatos, Zacharias Karounis, Giorgos Marinakis , Giannis Vassiliou, Manolis Kottoros, Alexandros Arkadopoulos and Sotiris Margonis among others.
Apart from various television appearances and live radio shows, George has also performed in various cities in Greece as well as concert in Cyprus (2004) Mexico (2004), Romania (2006, 2007) Argentina (2010, 2011) and Italy (2010, 2011, 2012).
As chairman of the Association Folk, Traditional, and Rebetika Music of Laconia, George has played an important role in organizing concert tributes to important figures of Greek music including Stelios Kazantzidis (2008), Akis Panos (2009), George Koros (2010), Yannis Papaioannou (2011), 5 ) and Vassilis Tsitsanis (2012).
George Demellos teaches the guitar to students developing their repertoire in Laiki and alternative Greek music, the three stringed Bouzouki and the Tzoura.
He is currently studying byzantine music, sings and plays the guitar, the lute, the bouzouki, the zoura and the baglama. As a member of Odiporoi ensemble he performs at festivals, dance events, weddings, baptisms and concerts.
Danai Giannisi
Vocals, percussionDanae Giannisi was born and raised in Athens and began her music education with classical musical instruments including the piano and violin and later folk instruments such as the tambouras and traditional percussion among others.
As a student at the Music High School of Pallini she studied vocals as well as Byzantine and traditional music. Her teachers include well respected Greek folk musicians Kostas Sideris, Thomas Constantinou and Stratis Psaradellis.
Since then Danae has collaborated in numerous ensembles as a lead vocalist and choir member, is a recorded folk artist and has toured both abroad including Istanbul and at various cultural and music venues including the Athens Concert Hall among others.
To date she has performed alongside Haris Alexiou, Panagiotis Lalezas, Tasos Sarbanis, Gerasimos Andreatos, Zacharias Karounis Giorgos Marinakis, Giannis Vassiliou, Manolis Kottoros, Sotiris Margonis, Vassilis Gianniss, Pericles Papapetropoulos, Stratis Psaradellis and Emmanuel Pappas.
Danae has also participated in concerts abroad including Istanbul (2005, 2007, 2010), Argentina (2011), Italy (2011, 201) and has appeared on television and live radio shows in Greece and abroad.
As a member of the Association Folk, Traditional, and Rebetika Music of Laconia has helped organise tributes to important figures of Greek music including Stelios Kazantzidis (2008), Akis Panos (2009), George Koros (2010), Yannis Papaioannou (2011) and Vassilis Tsitsanis (2012).
Danae is based in southern Peloponnese since 2011 and performs as a leading vocalist for the Odiporoi ensemble at festivals, dance events, weddings, baptisms and concerts.
Giorgos Kokkoris
Bouzouki, baglama, vocalsGeorge was born in Australia to immigrant parents Nick and Kyriaki Kokkori. He was introduced to popular and traditional songs as a young boy when his father played the bouzouki at home. At the age of 13 he began formally studying the Bouzouki with Tassos Polikandriotis in Piraeus.
That same year he first performed on stage with brothers Nicholas and Tasos Andromidas at festivals in the Zaraka region, situated in the south east Peloponnese and continued to do so until his early 20’s, after which he moved to Athens where he played in Rebetika music scene of the 1980’s.
As a founding member of the band “Paliria” George settled in a small village of Elia in the prefecture of Laconia performing at weddings, festivals, concerts, taverns and began teaching the bouzouki.
Since 2001 he has been teaching the bouzouki and the taboura at the Music School Sparta. Some of his students include Nicos Grapsas, Spiros Goumas, V. Trigas and S. Liossis. It was through his acquaintance with Notis Lafkas, son of Rebetika composer George Lafkas, that George was introduced to a number of “old school” bouzouki players. This enriched his rebetika repertoire and provided a deeper understanding of this genre that finds its origins in the 1920’s.
Through the band “Paliria” he has worked with G. Koros, G. Marinakis S. Margonis, A. Arkadopoulos, N. Anemodouriotis, N. Angelakos, M. Kottoros, T. Tasoulas, G. Ntounias, H. Klonaridis, N. Karagiannis, Marios, P. Lalezas, G. Karounis, G. Andreou, G. Demellos S. Daliani, B. Giannisis, D. Giannisis and Danae Giannisi among others.
George has also performed at various events for the Greek diaspora in Argentina, Mexico and Italy.
George Kokkoris is a member of the Association Folk, Traditional, and Rebetika Music of Laconia and composes music for the Odiporoi ensamble.