BACK TO THE TAVERNA

TRACKLIST A1 The Sound Of Baglama A2 Mia Dekara A3 Aman Kuzum A4 Rampi Rampi (feat. Baris Öner) B1 Benimde Canim Var B2 Dimitroula Mou B3 Mine Konda Mou B4 Den Se Lismono INFO There™s a connection between the musical history of the Mediterranean that can™t be explained through academia alone. It™s an expression of simultaneous grief and celebration that trespasses cultures and generations; and demands to be felt, or even better, danced, to be understood. The same spirit weaves Rebetiko from the ashes of the Ottoman empire to the heavy Hafla soundtracks on the Koliphone label in ˜70s Jaffa, or rebellious Turkish psychedelic music to the first generation of surf guitarist migrants in America. It's an infectious feeling that travelled and evolved wherever it was called, and that passion is embodied in šBack to the Taverna›, the new album by Berlin based bouzouki quintet, Cherry Bandora. On the milestone of their third release, original members Liad Vanounou (Bouzouki) and Lorena Atrakci (Vocals) have bolstered their sound with longtime friends and collaborators Moshe ˜Moosh™ Lahav on Keyboards and flute, Tamir ˜Hassan™ Chen on Bass and Nimrod Lieberman on Drums to create an album celebrating the ecstasy of being able to drink and perform together again, freed from the anathema of the last years. The band has evolved considerably since their beginnings ten years ago as an Agean-influenced part of the local Balkan Swing scene; the most significant addition being the deployment of šThe Hardest Working Man in Tropical Music› Alex Figueira as musical director for this album. His scorched fingerprints are unmissable throughout the extended psychedelic breakdowns and percussive overdubs that make šBack to the Taverna› such a dynamic offering. Cherry Bandora have always been a very personal band; collecting songs from nearby cultures and history and blending them into their own experience by developing new arrangements or lyrics, just as musicians from those times would have. Lorena delights in expressing herself away from her mother tongue or providing modern lyrics for an updated feeling, as she does to the beloved Turkish standard, šRampi Rampi›. In this interpretation she uses her native Hebrew in a saucy lockdown-delivery-guy romance... This track also features Baris Öner from local Turkish rock band Kara Delik on his signature flanging Saz. Singing in Greek, English, Turkish and Hebrew was also a natural choice on the album, representing the šmultikulti› area of Berlin that the band lives and records in. These languages would all be heard on the street as they walked to record in the analog Studio Wong in Kreuzberg. šAs descendants of Mizrahi Jews (Jewish migrants from non-European countries), growing up listening both to Beatles and Umm Kulthum, playing in jazz music departments in high school, and now living in Kruezkölln, we basically pay tribute and revive this shared heritage in the context of the global music scene of today› says Lorena. The opening track, The Sound Of Baglama, is an interpretation of the anthemic Tsitsanis homage to the tavernas and sweethearts of Thessaloniki. It lays the ground for what to expect from Cherry Bandora™s exceptional live performances, featuring effortless switch-ups between surf rock choruses and laid-back verses dipping into Persian disco funk. This song will be accompanied by a tour-collage šfound footage› style film clip in production at this time. Cherry Bandoras show their dedication to the bit with a rousing English version of the canonical rembetiko tune Dimitroula Mou. This amour song, popular with generations of female singers, is accompanied by real studio plate smashing, a ritual which sealed their final session for the album. 2 bonus tracks are included on the digital release, both a little more raw from the band™s home studio: the reeling dervish Rubi Rubi (which will be released as a second single with a video clip) and the emotionally dense and hypnotic slow burner EsÕ. The album will be released digitally and on vinyl as a collaboration between Rebel Up Records (Belgium) and Rumi Sounds (Berlin) on Friday 3 november 2023 and is a prime example of what a raunchy, open minded and tireless bouzouki band can do as they hit their prime. An extensive highlighted review will appear in Songlines magazine #135 December issue and the track ˜Benimde Canim Var™ will be featured on their free compilation. Also radioplay on Radio Campus France playlist (allover) during November and December. Cherry Bandora are: Lorena Atrakci - Vocals Liad Vanounou - Bouzouki Moshe 'Moosh' Lahav - Keys, Flute Tamir 'Hassan' Chen - Bass, Sitar Nimrod Lieberman  Drums Recorded, Mixed and Mastered at Studio Wong* Recording Engineers Olli Wong, Dennis Kern Mix: Andi Bukelini Mastering: Dennis Kern Musical director, Percussion**: Alex Figueira Cover Artwork: Regina Teichs (Photos), Anna Dotan (Design) Liner notes by Jimmy Trash *Except for tracks 9 & 10, recorded at Solarium Studio EsÕ mixed by Alex Figueira, Rubi Rubi mixed by Liad Vanounou at Sabot Studio **Recorded at Heat Too Hot Studio Available as 180gr black vinyl and limited edition 180gr red cherry vinyl via our Bandcamp or your better record shop. Videoclip of the single ˜The Sound Of Baglama™ to be released on Cherry™s YouTube on 29 september and more clips to discover„. https://www.youtube.com/@cherrybandoraband Socials: https://www.instagram.com/cherrybandora/ https://www.instagram.com/rebelup_/ https://www.instagram.com/rumisounds/ https://www.facebook.com/hopacherrybandora https://www.facebook.com/RebelUpSound https://www.facebook.com/RumiSounds Links: https://www.cherrybandora.com/ https://cherrybandora.bandcamp.com https://www.rebelup.org/ https://rumisounds.wordpress.com