Pyx Lax (Πυξ Λαξ, meaning "punching and kicking") is a Greek rock band. Originally formed in 1989, they released their first recording in 1990, and had a critical and commercial success in the Greek music industry for fifteen years, before being dissolved in 2004. They reunited in 2011 for a tour in honor of Manos Xydous who died in 2010. In 2018, they reunited permanently.
They are considered as the most successful, commercially, group in the history of Greek discography with three gold and five platinum albums (among which: ''
Gia Tous Prinkipes Tis Dytikis Ochthis'', ''Stilvi'', ''Yparchoun Chrysopsara Edo?''). Some of their greatest hits were: "De Tha Dakryso Pia Gia Sena", "Ti Ine Afto Pou Mas Enoni?", "I Palies Agapes Pane Ston Paradeiso", "Mia Synousia Mystiki", "Epapses Agapi na thymizeis", "Poula me", and "Monaxia mou ola.
Pyx Lax recorded the great majority of their songs in Greek, with an exception of a few recordings. In 1999 they released the platinum cd-single "Let The Picture Do The Talking" (As "tin Ikona Na Milai") along with
Sting and the Corsican group
I Muvrini
I Muvrini is a Corsican folk music group, who sing traditional Corsican music in their native Corsican language.
History
The group was formed in the early 1980s by the brothers Jean-François Bernardini and Alain Bernardini both born in the v ...
. Most of their English-language songs were included in their last album ''Charoumeni Stin Poli ton Trelon'' (2003), in which they collaborated with
Eric Burdon
Eric Victor Burdon (born 11 May 1941) is an English singer. He was previously the lead vocalist of R&B and rock band the Animals and funk band War. He is regarded as one of the British Invasion's most distinctive singers with his deep, pow ...
,
Gordon Gano
Gordon James Gano (born June 7, 1963) is an American musician widely known as the singer, guitarist and songwriter of American folk punk band Violent Femmes.
Early life
Gano was born in New York City to actor parents Norman and Faye Gano, and gr ...
,
Marc Almond
Peter Mark Sinclair "Marc" Almond, (born 9 July 1957) is an English singer. Almond first began performing and recording in the synthpop/ new wave duo Soft Cell where he became known for his distinctive soulful voice and androgynous image. ...
and
Steve Wynn
Stephen Alan Wynn (''né'' Weinberg; born January 27, 1942) is an American real estate developer and art collector. He is known for his involvement in the American luxury casino and hotel industry. Early in his career he oversaw the construction ...
.
Name
The name "Pyx Lax" (Greek: Πυξ Λαξ) derives from ancient Greek, meaning "
Punching and Kicking", and was inspired by the title of a theatrical play which was taking place in Athens at the period in which the band was formed in 1989.
Their name is officially spelled as ''Pyx Lax'' in the English language
t appears this way in all three of their international recordings: ''Let the picture do the talking'' (1999), ''Panic! The Remixes'' (2000) and ''Haroumeni stin Poli ton Trelon'' (2003) However, a Latinised spelling of the band's name is also given: "Pix Lax" on ''Zoriki Kairi'' (1991).
History
Band formation: early years (1989–1992)
Initially the members of the band were
Filippos Pliatsikas
Filippos Pliatsikas (Greek: Φίλιππος Πλιάτσικας) is a musician, composer and lyricist. He was the main composer, lyricist, and lead singer of the Entekhno rock group Pyx Lax (Πυξ Λαξ) and now a solo artist.
Career
F ...
,
Babis Stokas
Babis Stokas (Greek: Μπάμπης Στόκας) is a Greek singer and songwriter. He was a founding member of the Entekhno/Rock group Pyx Lax (Πυξ Λαξ), in which he was lead singer, lyricist, and composer from 1989 until the dissolution ...
, Sakis Stamoulis, and Panayiotis Spyropoulos. Their professional recording career began with a demo cassette which they delivered to
Minos EMI in Athens. According to Vasilis Konstantoulakis:
''It was the beginning of the summer of 1989. We were gathered in the office of the producer Secundus Buchayer and his then secretary Maria Parousi, when the group that later became Pyx Lax appeared.... The three who came were Bambis, Sakis "Kounoupis" (Stamoulis his surname) and Panayiotis Spyropoulos. Filippos was absent. I accepted the emo
Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...
cassette, and having greeted us politely, they left. Morning coffee was an opportunity for us to listen to it and I went to Manos and Secundus... I was working in Foreign Repertoire, Maria didn’t listen to Greek music, so superior criticism and nitpicking were a given... But it didn’t happen like that. We liked it; and I always remember from that first cassette an early performance of "Γιατί" Why" which much later appeared on their third album. Naturally Manos liked the cassette even more!''
Marketing Director of
Minos EMI at the time,
Manos Xydous, liked their recordings so much, that he later joined the band. Another member of staff, Dimitris Fergadis, the head of Sales, proposed their name ''Pyx Lax''.
[Vasilis Konstantoulakis in the booklet which accompanies ''Best of Pyx Lax'', 2009.] Of the four initial members of the band, mentioned by Konstantoulakis in his account of the submission of the demo tape, two left the band in its early days: Panayiotis for unknown reasons, and Sakis "probably because he was bored". Informally
Manos Xydous was a member of the band from early in its recording career, he contributed songs to all of their albums, including the first, and he is pictured on the cover of the second album along with
Babis Stokas
Babis Stokas (Greek: Μπάμπης Στόκας) is a Greek singer and songwriter. He was a founding member of the Entekhno/Rock group Pyx Lax (Πυξ Λαξ), in which he was lead singer, lyricist, and composer from 1989 until the dissolution ...
and
Filippos Pliatsikas
Filippos Pliatsikas (Greek: Φίλιππος Πλιάτσικας) is a musician, composer and lyricist. He was the main composer, lyricist, and lead singer of the Entekhno rock group Pyx Lax (Πυξ Λαξ) and now a solo artist.
Career
F ...
. At some point he gave up his job at EMI Greece and formally became a member of Pyx Lax. It can be deduced, from what Konstantoulakis says, that this must have happened sometime after the recording of ''Asti na Lei'' (1993) for the third album ("We all knew that informally Manos was already a member".) and before the band went to Oxford to record "Monaxia Mou Ola".
Their first promotional performance was at Laleousa on Ethniki Odos, a club known not for rock but for "laika" (popular song style based on traditional forms). This was followed by an appearance for the media at ''Rodon'' in November. The band returned there three years later, performing for three sold-out concerts.
First success – establishment in Greek musical industry (1993–1997)
It was their third album, 1993's ''
O Ilios tou Chimona me Melancholi'' (The Winter Sun Makes Me Melancholic) which firmly established their reputation in Greece. It included their first big hit, ''Asti Na Lei'', a song written by Manos Xydous which was performed on the album by the popular singer
Vasilis Karras
Vasilis Karras ( el, Βασίλης Καρράς; born Vasilis Kesoglidis on 12 November 1953) is a Greek folk singer.
Biography
Karras was born in Kokkinohori, near Kavala, Greece. At the age of 10, his family moved to Thessaloniki. Also aro ...
.
Their next album, ''
Yia Tous Prigkipes tis Dytikis Ohthis'' (1994) was certified gold. Big hits were included in the album, such as ''De Tha Dakryso Pia Gia Sena'', ''Anites Agapes'' (along with Haris & Panos Katsimihas) and ''Ti Ine Afto Pou Mas Chorizi'', written by the Serbian composer Sasa Dragic. After the album's release, Pyx Lax were often referred to as the "Princes of the West Bank". (The West Bank of
Kifissos river in western
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
.) According to
Pliatsikas:
''In 1994 we released the record "Gia tous Prinkipes tis Dytikis Ochthis" dedicated to the people of western Athens, where we lived—people who laboured and were wage earners, and whom we saw as princes because they returned to their homes rom workand had the heart to smile. They kept up their friendships and were civil to one another. That’s how we got stuck with the title "princes of the west bank".''
In 1996, the band's first platinum album followed: ''O Baboulas Tragoudai Monos tis Nychtes'' (The Boogeyman Sings Alone at Nights), including the hits ''I Palies Agapes Pane Ston Paradiso'' and ''Na Me Thymithis''.
In 1997, Pyx Lax released a live album, ''Zontani Ichografisi stin Iera Odo'' (Live Recording at the
Sacred Way
The Sacred Way ( grc, Ἱερὰ Ὁδός, ''Hierá Hodós''), in ancient Greece, was the road from Athens to Eleusis. It was so called because it was the route taken by a procession celebrating the Eleusinian Mysteries. The procession to Eleus ...
) and a cd-single, "Nychterinos Peripatos stin Iera Odo" (Evening Stroll on the Sacred Way) in collaboration with one of Greece's long established top singers
George Dalaras
George Dalaras ( Γιώργος Νταλάρας, 29 September 1949) is a Greek musician and singer. He is one of the most prominent figures of Greek musical culture. In October 2006, he was selected as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Ag ...
. Both records were certified platinum sales. The same year the band released another live album, ''Pixe Paliatso ta Tragoudia Sou Telionoun'', including live recordings from its performances during the period 1991–1997.
Final period: Commercial and critical achievements (1998–2003)
Their biggest selling record was the album ''Stilvi'' (Shine, 1998),
made up mostly of music and songs from the film by Dimitris Panagiotatos ''Monaxia Mou Ola'' (My Loneliness Everything, 1998).
It includes a fine version in Greek of
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
's "Señor (Tales of Yankee Power)" from his album
Street-Legal, as long as the big hits: ''Monaxia Mou Ola'', ''Epapses Agapi Na Thymizis'' and ''Mia Synousia Mystiki''.
''Stilvi'' was followed in 1999 by another commercially successful release: the double album ''Yparchoun Chrysopsara Edo?'' (Are There Any Goldfish Here?), which over passed 80,000 sales and received triple platinum certification. Half of the album included new songs and the other half live recordings.
In 2002, the first year of the ''Arion Music Awards'', Pyx Lax won the best ''Rock/Alternative'' Album award for ''Ta Dokaria sto Grasidi Perimenoun ta Pedia'' (The Climbing Frames on the Grass Are Waiting For the Children, 2001). The album also earned Pyx Lax the award for best group in the ''Entechno'' category. The album was a notable critical and commercial success, although rumors before its release were pointing out the dissolve of the band. It achieved platinum status and included hits like ''Pyxida'' and ''Mono Gia Kini Mi Mou Les''.
The last studio album of Pyx Lax, ''Charoumeni Stin Poli Ton Trelon'' (Happy in the City of Fools, 2003) included important collaborations with worldwide famous artists, new songs, as long as the adaptation of some of the band's biggest hits in English. In spite of the important names and the experimental sound, their last album was poorly received by fans and critics. Despite that fact, in 2004 the album earned the band another double awarding in the ''Arion Awards'' for the Best Album in both ''Rock/Alternative'' and ''Entechno'' categories.
Collaborations
During their career, Pyx lax have collaborated with many Greek singers and musicians such as
George Dalaras
George Dalaras ( Γιώργος Νταλάρας, 29 September 1949) is a Greek musician and singer. He is one of the most prominent figures of Greek musical culture. In October 2006, he was selected as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Ag ...
,
Haris Alexiou
Haris Alexiou ( el, Χάρις Αλεξίου, ; born 27 December 1950 in Thebes, Greece as Hariklia Roupaka, el, Χαρίκλεια Ρουπάκα, ) is a Greek singer. She is considered one of the most popular singers in Greece and has been co ...
,
Vasilis Papakonstantinou
Vasilis Papakonstantinou (Βασίλης Παπακωνσταντίνου) (born 21 June 1950) is a Greek singer known mostly for his work in Greek rock. Most of his songs have gained considerable popularity, mainly in Greece and Cyprus.
Early ...
,
Katsimihas Brothers,
Lavrentis Machairitsas, Miltiadis Paschalidis,
Vasilis Karras
Vasilis Karras ( el, Βασίλης Καρράς; born Vasilis Kesoglidis on 12 November 1953) is a Greek folk singer.
Biography
Karras was born in Kokkinohori, near Kavala, Greece. At the age of 10, his family moved to Thessaloniki. Also aro ...
, Makis Christodoulopoulos, Sotiria Leonardou, Melina Tanagri,
Psarantonis
Antonis Xylouris ( el, Αντώνης Ξυλούρης; born September 6, 1937), nicknamed Psarantonis ( el, Ψαραντώνης), is a Greek composer, singer and performer of lyra, the bowed string instrument of Crete and most popular survivin ...
, Lakis Papadopoulos,
Domenica,
ONAR,
Theodosia Tsatsou
Theodosia Tsatsou (Greek: Θεοδοσία Τσάτσου) is a Greek singer, known for her songs with the band Ble, and also for her solo career.
Biography
Theodosia Tsatsou was born and raised in Melbourne. Having studied music and danci ...
, Mihalis Tzouganakis, Ilias Makridis and many more.
The biggest number of the band's international collaborations were included in their last studio album ''Charoumeni Stin Poli Ton Trelon'' (2003), with most notable songs: "Someone Wrote 'Save Me' On a Wall" (with
Eric Burdon
Eric Victor Burdon (born 11 May 1941) is an English singer. He was previously the lead vocalist of R&B and rock band the Animals and funk band War. He is regarded as one of the British Invasion's most distinctive singers with his deep, pow ...
singing lead) and "All My Angels Falling" (with
Marc Almond
Peter Mark Sinclair "Marc" Almond, (born 9 July 1957) is an English singer. Almond first began performing and recording in the synthpop/ new wave duo Soft Cell where he became known for his distinctive soulful voice and androgynous image. ...
). In 1999 they had also released the cd-single "Let The Picture Do The Talking" (As' tin Ikona Na Milai) along with the Corsican group
I Muvrini
I Muvrini is a Corsican folk music group, who sing traditional Corsican music in their native Corsican language.
History
The group was formed in the early 1980s by the brothers Jean-François Bernardini and Alain Bernardini both born in the v ...
and
Sting. Other important international artists that collaborated with Pyx Lax were:
Gordon Gano
Gordon James Gano (born June 7, 1963) is an American musician widely known as the singer, guitarist and songwriter of American folk punk band Violent Femmes.
Early life
Gano was born in New York City to actor parents Norman and Faye Gano, and gr ...
,
Steve Wynn
Stephen Alan Wynn (''né'' Weinberg; born January 27, 1942) is an American real estate developer and art collector. He is known for his involvement in the American luxury casino and hotel industry. Early in his career he oversaw the construction ...
, Bayaka and Saša Dragić.
Dissolution of the band, reunification and concerts
In 2004, the band announced in a television interview that it would be dissolved after two goodbye concerts. The concerts were scheduled for 18 September in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
and 20 September in
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
. Tickets for the Athens concert were sold out within a few hours, and a second concert was arranged for 19 September. Their final album, called simply ''Telos – Live Sto Likavitto'' (End – Live at Lycabetus) is a recording of the first goodbye concert in
Lykavittos
Mount Lycabettus (), also known as Lycabettos, Lykabettos or Lykavittos ( el, Λυκαβηττός, ), is a Cretaceous limestone hill in the Greek capital Athens. At 277 meters (908 feet) above sea level, its summit is the highest point in Cen ...
, Athens.
In 2010,
Manos Xydous died at the age of 57. Before his death the members of Pyx Lax were in talks of a reunification for concerts during 2011. The reunification finally took place without Manos with a big tour around Greece. The most significant moment was the massive concert of the 13 July 2011 at the
Athens Olympic Stadium
The Olympic Stadium of Athens " Spyros Louis" ( el, Ολυμπιακό Στάδιο Αθηνών "Σπύρος Λούης", ''Olympiakó Stádio Athinon "Spyros Louis"'') is a sports stadium in Athens, Greece. It is a part of the Athens Olympic ...
, with a crowd of more than 75,000 spectators. The tour continued with many more concerts around Greece.
In 2012, Pyx Lax went on their farewell North American Tour, with the 1st show of the tour selling out at New York City's Terminal 5 along with Brooklyn,New York Space Rock band Roy Orbit featuring Fotis Louzakos on vocals Arthur Montauk on drums and Stathis Karathanasis on bass.
Tours
Pyx Lax: 30 Years Tour (2018)
Legacy
In their time, Pyx Lax were considered to be one of the most popular bands in Greece. Sotiria Malfa, a Greek critic wrote that "''The stamp of Pyx Lax on Greek music of the end of the 90s and the beginning of the 00s is something more than profound.''"
Another critic, Pavlos Zervas, wrote that the demise of Pyx Lax "''...leaves the Greek music scene significantly poorer, since it is losing a band which granted us unique, unbelievable moments, and which retained for all these years a character all its own—a character which was tending to become a "school" followed by many artists and groups. It is not chance that after the appearance of Pyx Lax, phrases like "Clone Pyx Lax" were used to characterise other groups and their music.''"
The band has been recognized for both their longevity and the number of records they sold, as well as "''the unique feeling which was created between Pyx Lax and their beloved public.''"
Discography
Albums
CD singles
Compilations and other
References
External links
Filippos Pliatsikas' Official websiteΠυξ Λαξ"Τα δοκάρια στο γρασίδι περιμένουν τα παιδιά + Μια ξεχωριστή αναδρομή στην πορεία των Πυξ Λαξ..."
{{Authority control
Arion Music Awards winners
Greek rock music groups
Musical groups from Athens