folk

Stavroula Thomopoulou and Kostas Kalamaras are Erinaki, Melbourne's new Greek duet. Apart from their dynamic presence in Melbourne's music scene the duo has undertaken to record their original creations in a new alboum.

Stavroula Thomopoulou spoke to SBS Greek about the duet and project that share the name "Erinaki". The duo has written original songs in Greek and the music draws inspiration from the sounds of Greek music, mostly folk and rebetika, but with a more contemporary twist:

Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, and his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.

Cooder's solo work draws upon many genres. He has played with John Lee Hooker, Captain Beefheart, Taj Mahal, Gordon Lightfoot, Ali Farka Touré, Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Randy Newman, Linda Ronstadt, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, David Lindley, The Chieftains, The Doobie Brothers, and Carla Olson and The Textones (on record and film). He formed the band Little Village, and produced the album Buena Vista Social Club (1997), which became a worldwide hit; Wim Wenders directed the documentary film of the same name (1999), which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2000.

Cooder was ranked at No. 8 on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time",[2] while a 2010 list by Gibson Guitar Corporation placed him at No. 32.[3] In 2011, he published a collection of short stories called Los Angeles Stories.

People stop Rob Caudill in airports for autographs. They stare at him in restaurants. And when he struts on stage, women scream themselves hoarse. Why? Because Caudill is a dead-on Rod Stewart Impersonator. He's got the high-definition jawline, the shock of spiky blonde hair, but most importantly, he has the nose. Vocally, his distinctive, naturally-raspy voice sounds like the legendary Stewart, and his range easily nails every high note from Stewart's younger days. So, it's no surprise this singer has carved out a career 'recreating' Rod Stewart. From kicking out soccer balls to spinning mic stands, to belting out all of Rod's greatest hits - Caudill's high energy show is a must-see event for people of all ages. When Rob was just seventeen, people started telling him that he looked like Rod Stewart - a phrase Rob would hear repeatedly from almost everyone he met for the rest of his life. He began his musical career after graduating high school and moving to Memphis, TN to study music at MSU. "I've got the greatest job in the world, making a living doing something I love." While in Memphis, Rob began playing bass for local bands around town and doing session work. As bass player for a band called "The Breaks" Caudill got his first major opportunity when they signed to RCA Records. The Breaks' first single, "She Wants You", was played in heavy rotation on MTV music television which caught the attention of Bugle Boy Clothing, who used The Breaks for their first commercial on MTV. After a few years, The Breaks disbanded, so Rob put together a group called "The Willys" that included legendary guitarist Shawn Lane. They quickly became one of Memphis' hottest bands. Rob also began doing session work with Joe Walsh of the Eagles and jammed with many others such as John Entwhistle of the Who, along with members of Cheap Trick, Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Survivor and Red Hot Chili Peppers just to name a few. In 1996, he realized he couldn't escape the remarkable natural resemblance to Rod Stewart so he heeded the advice of Joe Walsh and began his tribute career. Rob put down his bass, bought some wild clothing and diligently studied lots of Rod's videos, vocals and mannerisms.Now, more than a 15 years later, he is still spinning his mic stand and kicking soccer balls out to audiences everywhere. When he leaves town he is armed with his "Tonight's the Night Band," a repertoire of more than 100 Stewart songs (covering everything from the beginning years of The Faces to the Great American Songbooks), and a wardrobe of loud, mostly custom made suits that match Rod Stewart's attire to a tee. He has been working with the world famous Legends in Concert show out of Las Vegas for the past 15 years. He also works independently doing a high energy two hour show and claims "I've got the greatest job in the world, making a living doing something I love." A true international sensation, Rob has performed:•For The Sultan of Malaysia•At a wedding for a Malaysian Princess•At the Miss World Philippines Beauty Pageant•At Autoracing's MotoGP event in Sepang Malaysia•At the AFF Suzuki Cup Football (Soccer) Matches between Malaysia and Indonesia in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta Rob’s performed his Tribute to Rod Stewart all over the world including: Australia, Cambodia, Canada, China, Finland, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, and theUnited States