OCTOBER 2009 SINCE AUGUST 2007 PAGE 1 www.theagiot.net Tel: (0030) 26610 58177 AgiotThe 24th Edition This Month Bill, Can You Give Me a Little Bit More On The Floor? Page 1-2 Agiotfest 09 Review. Page 3 Andy, Man of the Year. Page 3 Agiotfest 09 Raffle Winners. Page 4 Aunty Lula’s Love Bites. Page 4 Corfu Weather. Page 4 Village News. Bill, Can You Give Me a Little Bit More On Page 5 The Floor? An Appeal. Page 5 By Paul McGovern ning streak across the sky the darkening sky. ‘Oh, it is Editor and rain plummet down. here’, says the caller. ‘Where News from the North. The 12th was a busy day. are you ringing from?’ Page 6-7 The months of pulling The phone never stopped ‘Town’. As town is only five things together, the anguish Obituary. ringing in the hours leading miles away this was a bit Page 7 over the rain, the uncer- up to ‘open doors’. Janet worrying. Somebody rang tainty for a long time of the was in to work for her first from Gouvia. It was raining Scherzando Says - venue, were all put to bed as Fun Page. Saturday shift, after nearly there too. A few prayers Page the Agiotfest happened on two years of working at later and the clouds drifted th the night of the 12 Sep- Ocay Services. She was go- on, unmolesting us. I just A Home from Home. tember, in the plateia of ing to be on the gate tonight began to relax when the Page 9-11 Agios Ioannis, Corfu. and was sorting tickets and sound of a crash came from Featured Property I’d dreamt, literally, of answering the phone and the square below. The ro- Page 11 possible scenarios in the giving me sedatives simulta- bust eight by five metre many nights leading up to neously. stage had been erected over the event. One scenario had Several callers were ask- the last couple of days. us all huddled together un- ing ‘is it raining? ‘No', I an- der shelter, watching light- swered, looking anxiously at Continued on Page 2 OCTOBER 2009 SINCE AUGUST 2007 PAGE 2 Bill, Can You Give Me a Little Bit of the island. Their music is raw, conducted the raffle, the numbers More On The Floor. atmospheric. Steve has a gravel being picked by local children. Continued from Page 1 voice perfectly suited for their The Dylans come back for their brand of rock. Paul Stenton wows final set. They are obviously enjoy- The builder was crossing the square the audience with his lead guitar, ing themselves, as they go way past in his truck. Crash! He drives ably backed up by solid rhythm and ‘closing time and then beyond one straight into a stack of monitors. vocal from Barry Packman. Steve is o’ clock, before wrapping up with They lay in several pieces on the also compere for the night, and is a ‘Like A Rolling Stone’, during ground. And I had just finished total natural with charm and infec- which they invite all artists up onto thanking God for the weather. tious enthusiasm. Elegant Natasha stage for a grand finale.’More, more’ The technicians got to work, re- ably assists him with a Greek trans- is being shrieked at the end. assembled their equipment, and lation of events. There is a tribute It is over, like a dream. The during the afternoon it was fired up to old Agiot Dave Smith, who sadly crowd disperses, all smiles. for testing. The groups came along passed away in England earlier in Such a kaleidoscope of happen- for their sound checks. Miracu- the year. ings, it is hard to single out an out- lously, there seemed no noticeable Darkness descends and the standing memory of the night. It impairment of the sound quality. crowd swells to near-full, the night was all so good. Andy and Karen were busy dur- is on. All those worrying dreams are But I must mention a few high- ing this carnage, decorating the changing into a pleasant but unreal lights; Steve Gibbons calling for ‘a stage with various buntings. And a reality. Russ is back on stage, this little more on the floor’ to Bill, who fine job they did too. Dave and time with his pretty daughter was highly-commended by the Dy- Trevor were shopping and Barry Jemma. Shy at first, singing along- lans for his proficiency on the mix- and Stella and Cecilia and Rich side her Dad, it is swiftly evident ing desk. Brendan Day, late replace- were preparing the ‘hut’ (Municipal that she has a great voice; audience ment for Gerry Conway on drums. Building) for the catering which bowled over again. He was playing to a group of young would feed and water the crowd on East Of Memphis are on. They village boys in the wings. They were the night. have a mellowness and strength agog. In ten years from now Agios Chairs were delivered Friday and will produce a rock drummer or about them, Richie’s strong guitar laid out on the Saturday .Food and two. P.J. Wright gave me his slide and vocals complementing the drink in, barbecue firing, last- guitar; nothing can be added from sweet powerful voice of Sheila minute appointment of toilets as me to that kindness. McWhirter. the taverna was not opening to- I want to thank everybody who Richie is a stalwart of Agiotfest; night. Three waiters prove to be played, helped, witnessed or spon- again he delivers. great workers as the evening un- sored this great, great night. If they The Dylan Project are delayed by folds. Giorgos the Mayor and Gior- are not mentioned in name above previous sets, but finally they are gos (Rika’s son) volunteer as bbq they know who they are and will away. I’d never seen them live be- chefs. surely forgive the omission. fore, so was hopeful but slightly ap- Jackie was schmoozing the art- Three people deserve a special prehensive for them, following such ists, Martin and Doug appear to mention here.. Firstly, Jackie Dickin- a strong supporting cast. I needn’t run the gates with Janet, Lakis son for her great efforts in commu- have worried. Consummate profes- brings ‘security’, four young Greek nicating with the Dylan Project in sionals, they had the audience in lads lean on years, but diligent in the months leading up to the Agiot- their palms and people up and their duty. fest. Secondly to Dave Pegg, who dancing on the improvised dance- Suddenly it is six o’clock and ‘kept the faith’ and came over to the floor below the stage. What per- people are turning up. The Good time that land forgot. And last but formers, what a tight sound. Yes Old Boys start proceedings to warm not least to Lula, without whom they played Dylan, but not exclu- up the audience. Numbers are low none of this would have been possi- sively. Numbers tumbled out effort- to start, but soon more and more ble. Her sometimes chaotic methods lessly, some of which were probably music enthusiasts are drifting in. may befuddle the casual British ob- unfamiliar to the appreciative listen- The Good Old Boys [Russ and server, but like a magician she al- ers. Frank] alternate on stage with ways pulls things successfully from In the midst of this Lucy Steele Omega Five, down from the north her hat. OCTOBER 2009 SINCE AUGUST 2007 PAGE 3 Agiotfest 09 Review Contributed by Flack’s The First Time Ever I Saw teenage years a happy period to re- Spyros Hytiris Your Face will linger for quite a member, and his other band Fair- while in my ears. More covers by port Convention made me start It just happened. Almost no-one the band included the classic Super- investigating the roots of British being aware of the event except for stition and one Duffy’s number. folk when I first heard the tremen- the local English-speaking popula- Omega 5 came up with more 70’s dous Liege & Lief LP of folk cov- tion. A wonderful evening at the and 80’s stuff, namely Dire Strait’s ers), P.J. Wright, Steve Gibbons’ family-friendly plateia of Agios Ioan- Money For Nothing, Deep Purple’s guitarist (you should definitely nis, where you had the once-in-a- Smoke on the Water, Lynyrd check out his excellent collabora- lifetime chance to see quite a few Skynyrd’s Free Bird, Hendrix’s Pur- tion with Dave Pegg titled Galileo’s legendary figures from mainly sev- ple Haze, Steppenwolf’s Born to Be Apology) and an astounding Phil enties folk-rock and blues bands. Wild and Guns’n’Roses’ Sweet Bond on keyboards. This bunch of The Good Old Boys, aka Frank Child Of Mine before concluding old mates is responsible for what is Bloomfield and Russ Bartlett with a frenetic Johnny B. Good. known as the Dylan Project, who opened the festival with a short set Well played, with a lot of electric cover Dylan better than Dylan him- of soft, American-friendly acoustic and acoustic guitar work but how self now that the latter’s voice has balladry, the pedal steel guitar play- about some original stuff guys? become hoarser than the old blues- ing a prominent role in the duo’s East of Memphis, the Scottish men and folk singers of his roots. I sound. Sweet renditions of Bread duo of Richie Henderson and wouldn’t really have to recite all the and Eagles tunes warmed up the Sheila Mc Whirter brought quality great numbers we heard on their atmosphere, “Make It With You” trad folk to the stage, covering stan- well-focused, brilliantly worked out being the nicest moment of the set dard folk numbers as well as mod- set, but one thing is for certain; to these ears.