Filed under: Diaries | Tags: Bianca, CityFM, Cyanna, free download, Guru, Jason, Just A Crash, Like Fire, live, Louie, Nick Sid, Panousis, Paranoid GF, Provis, Serafeim, Spyreas, Stelios Vlachakis, Sygkatikos, Teo Zefkilis, Wanna Be Your Dog, Zavara
It was a Sunday afternoon earlier this year, February 8th. We parked the cars with our gear outside the Guru Bar in Psyrri, downtown Athens. Five minutes later, our hosts for the gig and radio show broadcast Serafeim, Stelios (Provis) and Vasilis (Sigkatikos) arrived in their soccer outfits (tres sportif garcons) and helped us carry all the stuff up. The live stage of the club was set up on the third floor and the radio installation was set on a small attic right above the live stage floor. We spent the entire afternoon setting up everything, drinking anything we could find in the closed bar, eating junk food and discussing how we would fit our 14 lines into the 8-track console available for the live broadcast. The PA system of the club was no problem the only tricky part was the radio broadcast for CityFM 99,5.. but as you can hear in these 4 songs we have available for you to download, I think we did ok in the end after all! (more…)
Filed under: Diaries, Just A Crash | Tags: American Beauty, Cyanna, Electron, Fairytale of One, Faith No More, JAC, James, Just A Crash, Kevin Spacey, Lil Story, Midlife Crisis, On And On, Sam Mendes, Say Something, Shine, TV Nation
In the first part of this blog about the Just A Crash album facts and trivia, I mentioned a few films that were in our heads when we wrote the songs. One more song that is somehow related to a movie is the album’s second song, ‘Electron’. In the first few seconds of the track a female voice speaks the words “I wanna live a real life”. 
This is a line taken from American Beauty by Sam Mendes (leading actor Kevin Spacey’s line in particular), an incredible script with a strong statement about contemporary America and the Western -decaying- society in general. The soundtrack was magnificient too. Another fact about ‘Electron’ is that it was originally written in greek back in 2006. Maybe someday we will release that version too. Or maybe not.
Enough with the films. Some more non-film trivia about the songs of JAC: (more…)
Filed under: Diaries, Just A Crash | Tags: Dimitris Sylvestros, JAC, Just A Crash, Like Fire
‘Like Fire’, originally by The Dubrovniks, is the first song we have ever covered as a band. We have been playing it since 2002 and it has been a constant part of our live setlists for 7 years, usually the last song of the show. We recorded it in 2005 for the first time (for a promo cd we gave out in gigs back then) and it was the last song to be included in the ‘Just A Crash’ album last year.
Finally we chose this song to become the last single for JAC, thus completing the symmetry, with a strong taste video by Dimitris Sylvestros.
It’s the best way to prepare for our next album.
Filed under: Diaries, Just A Crash | Tags: Cyanna, Dimitris Sylvestros, George Mouzis, Intrepid Fox, Jason, Jason Megoulas, Johnny, Just A Crash, Like Fire, Louie, Morfe, Nick Sid, Spyreas, video shoot
Watch the “Like Fire” video on MySpace
Watch the “Like Fire” video on Facebook
Thursday, March 19th 2009. At 1 p.m we were at the bar of Intrepid Fox at Gazi, Athens waiting for director Dimitris Sylvestros’ crew to set up the lights and everything. By 8 p.m we had everything packed again and had the last beer of the day. We shot the video for “Like Fire” in less than 7 hours, with long long breaks of beer, tequila, and pool. After the 30th consequent playback of the song everybody had a crazy look in their eyes but what can you do… These are the photos of the day that our manager mister George Mouzis took while running around making sure everything’s in place. A fun day making the video for the last single out of JAC..
A glorius sunny day outside and we were shooting pool with Ms Victoria, our hostess for the day. She kicked my ass. (more…)
Filed under: Diaries, Just A Crash | Tags: AC/DC, Better Not, Chasing Amy, concept, crash, Cyanna, Done Be, Fear and Loathing, Highway Exit, Hunter Thompson, influences, JAC, Just A Crash, Kevin Smith, Paul Haggis, Terry Gilliam, The Road to Perdition, trivia
People have been asking about the films that inspired the Just A Crash album, and I guess we never tried to hide the fact that we love the cinematic way of approaching a story, as well as drawing inspiration from scenes or just the feel of a film to write a song.
So since this blog is supposed to be the diary of Cyanna, I guess that listing some further facts about this album -where some ideas came from, the sources etc- would be an interesting article -or a series of articles-, especially for those wondering what this band’s actual influences are. After all it’s almost a year now since the album’s official release, so here goes..
It’s no secret that the basic concept of the album was conceived during a talk we had about “Crash“, the 2004 film written and directed by Paul Haggis. Self-absorbed characters, prejudice, stereotypes, guilt and the hell of facing one’s inner self, the fact that everyone and everything is connected with that invisible substance of randomness. The title of the album itself is actually not about the romantic sense of the word ‘crash’, but rather the urge of humans to collide, violently enough to feel something and exit, even for a moment, that numbness of modern life in a big city, in a bigger world. ‘Done Be’, the opening track of the album (as well as the hidden closing track), is a story, a sequence of moments, thoughts and memories of a character trapped in such a scenario.
Another film that proved a great (more…)
Filed under: Just A Crash | Tags: Cyanna, Just A Crash, electro rock, JAC, reviews, LIFO, ATHENS VOICE, POP & ROCK, PASS TO PORT, MUSIC CORNER, AVOPOLIS, Groovy, pop, electronica, rock
LIFO
Καλοδουλεμένες συνθέσεις, άψογη παραγωγή, η φωνή του Spyrea ιδανικά δεμένη με το ρυθμό, ποπ πρώτης κατηγορίας που θα μπορούσε να τους βάλει με αξιώσεις στον παγκόσμιο χάρτη. Εξαιρετικό. [link]
AVOPOLIS
Πρώτον, πρόκειται για ένα album με τόσο άρτια παραγωγή, ώστε δεν παρουσιάζει καθόλου τη γνώριμη ελληνική φτώχια στον ήχο. Δεύτερον, υπηρετεί με εμπνευσμένο τρόπο ένα είδος πολύ φρέσκο, το οποίο βρίσκεται σε άνοδο. Και, τρίτον, είναι ένας δίσκος που ακούγεται από την αρχή ως τέλος απνευστί και που σε κάνει να θες να χορέψεις. [link]
ATHENS VOICE
Hλεκτροπόπ που ξύνει αναμνήσεις από το ένδοξο παρελθόν του είδους, groovy διάθεση, καλή ενέργεια και τραγούδια φιλικά προς το χρήστη. [link]
MUSIC CORNER
Μουσικά εξελίσσονται αρκετά, προσθέτοντας στη κατά κόρον ηλεκτρονική μουσική τους στοιχεία από rock και disco της δεκαετίας του ‘80. Οι στίχοι, στα αγγλικά όλοι, είναι σύγχρονοι, ενδιαφέροντες και αρκετά πλούσιοι λεξιλογικά, σε αντίθεση με τα περισσότερα τραγούδια του είδους. [link]
POP & ROCK
Το Just A Crash και οι Cyanna μοιάζουν να έχουν ‘παντρέψει’ όλα τα στοιχεία σε ισόποσες δόσεις και με περίσσιο ταλέντο, με αποτέλεσμα αυτό το άλμπουμ να είναι τόσο εκρηκτικό και δουλεμένο, που κάλλιστα θα αποτελέσει μία από τις καλύτερες δουλειές του 2008, τουλάχιστον στην εγχώρια σκηνή. [link]
PASS TO PORT
Σούπερ παραγωγή, ήχος με πολλές αναφορές στα eighties, αλλά χωρίς να ακούγεται παρωχημένος, ένα άλμπουμ που στην αρχή ακούγεται ως καθαρή electro αλλά στη συνέχεια φλερτάρει έντονα με το rock. [link]
Filed under: Just A Crash, Lyrics | Tags: Better Not, Chinese Dress, Cyanna, Done Be, Electron, Highway Exit, JAC, Just A Crash, Limiter, Liquid, Lyrics, On And On, Paranoid GF, Shine, TV Nation
DONE BE
Sigh – packing my things
Head to the door – grabbing my keys
You lie on the floor where I left you
Don’t wanna wake you – I gotta go I gotta go
Nothing ever changes and we both know well
We’ve already sold – all that we had to sell
Nothing lasts forever but the fires of hell
At least I’ve tasted life – I got stories to tell
Still I’m breaking – don’t wanna wake yet
Inside there’s always this feeling
that I hope I can remember not to stare at the ceiling when I…
If you remember the last time
I was falling to my knees every time you ran faster and I…
Still I’m breaking – don’t wanna wake yet
Still I’m breaking
We crash into each other all night and all day
Abusing heart and touch till there’s not much to say
Crossing every phase with a new way to feel
Adopting every dream ‘til we’re crashed by the wheel
Sigh – still at the door
Watching you breathe – that’s when I leave
Wonder if I ever regret this
Wonder if I ever feel like I’m home..
We crash into each other all night and all day
Abusing heart and touch till there’s not much to say
Crossing every phase with a new way to feel
Adopting every dream ‘til we’re crashed by the wheel
With a new way to feel
Still we’re crashed by the wheel
Filed under: Diaries, Making Music | Tags: Cyanna, Done Be, Epihirisis Apollon, Greek Cinema Revisited, Just A Crash, Kyttaro, Planet Of Zeus, Stab Me, Zavara, Zavarakatranemia
Last month the “Just A Crash” album finally hit the stores all around Greece and Cyprus. For those who still can’t find it at the local record store let us know please. Its also on digital sale via the iTunes store and some other e-shops.
Since the album’s completion in December 07 we haven’t actually taken a break. We did a remix for Planet of Zeus -”Stab Me”- which is available for everyone to download from our myspace profile (myspace.com/cyannamercury). Then we recorded a new track -“Zavara”- to be released this month in a compilation by SonyBMG under the conceptual title “Greek Cinema Revisited”. This track was inspired by the classic “Zavarakatranemia” original theme song of the film “Epihirisis Apollon”. You can listen to this track here.
During the last months we also created a video, a short film actually for the opening track of the album – “Done Be”. Directed by Grigoris Panopoulos and shot in numerous locations in Athens, this video will soon be uploaded on YouTube for you all to see.
We also have a gig coming up this Sunday 18th of May at the Kyttaro Club downtown Athens. Apart from the new album we will perform the new track “Zavara” as well.
Stay tuned – more live dates to be announced soon.
Filed under: Diaries | Tags: Cyanna, download, free, free download, Giannis Christodoulatos, JAC, Just A Crash, Myspace, Planet Of Zeus, Remix, SCA studio, Stab Me, Studio 37
PLANET OF ZEUS – STAB ME (CYANNA remix)
Written and Recorded by Planet of Zeus.
Remixed and Produced by Cyanna.
Mastered by Giannis Christodoulatos @ Studio 37.
Planet of Zeus – Stab Me.. this song is a killer. We remember listening to it during our breaks while recording the “JUST A CRASH” album at the SCA Studio and all you could feel was heads banging. So it was more than a pleasure to us when the guys of Planet of Zeus suggested we remixed one of their songs. We somehow consider this remix as a b-side to the JAC recordings and a souvenir of the good times during those long sessions. It’s also a chance for us to pay tribute to the music that brought us up, pure rock n’ roll and we wanna thank Planet of Zeus for the opportunity to do that in the best way possible with such a song.
This is a good chance for everybody to download the track exclusively from our official website and get to listen to how electronica and heavy southern rock sound together in a mix. Enjoy and don’t forget to check Planet of Zeus’ own myspace site and new album!
