The Magic of Greek Music

Last Sunday we were fortunate enough to hear the riveting music of Orestis Koletsos and Athena Labiri, at the Greek Food Imports on Fulton Avenue (near Fair Oaks Blvd.) Athena sings and plays the guitar; Orestis plays the bouzouki and sometimes joins her in song. Together, they are a perfectly synchronized team, and for three hours Rajan and I were mesmerized. You may (or may not) be able to hear a few strains in this short video.

We first heard Orestis Koletsos play the bouzouki last September at the Greek Festival, which for years has been at the Community Center on J Street at 14th, each Labor Day week-end. (This year it will be at the Greek Orthodox Church on Alhambra Blvd., across from McKinley Park in October, instead.) Since we enjoyed the music so much, we were delighted to learn of last Sunday's concert. We enjoy Greek food, so the Greek Food Imports was a great find for us. They have a deli, as well as imports from Greece. Being vegetarians, we were able to enjoy delicious snacks while we listened to the music (and the retsina was pretty good, too.) We also met some lovely people at our table. (Good music and food have a way of doing that.) I'm uploading a couple more videos, and I hope they will play well on this post. 

Meanwhile, if you enjoy Greek food, definitely check out the Greek Food Imports. (They have a page on Facebook, too, so you can learn of coming events as well as check out their menu.)

If you enjoy Greek music, definitely check out the Facebook Page for Orestis so you can learn of other performances, both in the Sacramento area and other towns.

And if you like both Greek food and Greek music, watch for the Greek Festival the first week-end in October. Opa!

Do you know of other festivals that offer good music and food? What are your favorites?