Villagers of Ioannina City (GRC) - Any Thoughts?

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   No sub genre suggestion for these guys at the moment - since I haven't really got a clue how to classify them - and only a brief biography until I get an idea of where we might be going with them (if anywhere).
There is not a single mention of them anywhere in the forum apart from their songs popping up fairly regularly on playlists in the 'Progressive Rock Music From The Netherlands' thread, and I only stumbled upon them myself while researching the other recently suggested Greek band Jupiter Fungus.

Proggnosis have them, and Uwe (Rivertree) added them to Awesome Prog (or Progfreak as it was then) back in 2019 following the release of their second full-length album 'Age of Aquarius'. Most of their releases are tagged as prog on there.

Villagers of Ioannina City (VIC) hails from Ioannina, Greece, and was formed in 2007. They play a mix of post, stoner and psychedelic rock infused with a large helping of Greek folk music from the Epirus region. The music from that area of the country is characterized by polyphony and specific rhythms, with pronounced use of clarinet, kaval, and bagpipe. This brand of traditional folk music is combined with modern psychedelic styles, creating a sound where the clarinet often stands out as a dominant instrument. They have played at several major rock festivals, and performed sold-out shows at some of the biggest live venues in Greece.

Full size image here: https://athensrocksfestival.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/VIC-1024x683.jpg.

Listen on bandcamp here: https://vicband.bandcamp.com/album/through-space-and-time-alive-in-athens-2020, where they describe themselves as "one of the leading Greek heavy rock bands", who are "deeply influenced by Greek nature and cosmic phenomena and infuse their unique brand of heavy psychedelic rock with folk instruments such as bagpipes, flutes and, didgeridoo".

All their releases are on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@VICband2010, including this incredible concert which was released digitally in May 2021 and on CD and Vinyl in March 2023:

They're on Spotify and all the other streaming platforms too, for those that use them.

I'm torn between throwing this over to the Heavy Prog guys, the Psych/Space team or even Eclectic. I just don't know lol!

Any help would be much appreciated, and I'll add more to the post if it seems that they might stand a chance of inclusion here somewhere. 

Edited by yam yam - November 19 2024 at 20:52

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yam yam Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Collaborator Crossover Team Joined: June 16 2011 Location: Kerberos Status: Offline Points: 6357	Post Options Post Reply Quote yam yam Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Villagers of Ioannina City (GRC) - Any Thoughts? Posted: November 18 2024 at 17:18
	No sub genre suggestion for these guys at the moment - since I haven't really got a clue how to classify them - and only a brief biography until I get an idea of where we might be going with them (if anywhere). There is not a single mention of them anywhere in the forum apart from their songs popping up fairly regularly on playlists in the 'Progressive Rock Music From The Netherlands' thread, and I only stumbled upon them myself while researching the other recently suggested Greek band Jupiter Fungus. Proggnosis have them, and Uwe (Rivertree) added them to Awesome Prog (or Progfreak as it was then) back in 2019 following the release of their second full-length album 'Age of Aquarius'. Most of their releases are tagged as prog on there. Villagers of Ioannina City (VIC) hails from Ioannina, Greece, and was formed in 2007. They play a mix of post, stoner and psychedelic rock infused with a large helping of Greek folk music from the Epirus region. The music from that area of the country is characterized by polyphony and specific rhythms, with pronounced use of clarinet, kaval, and bagpipe. This brand of traditional folk music is combined with modern psychedelic styles, creating a sound where the clarinet often stands out as a dominant instrument. They have played at several major rock festivals, and performed sold-out shows at some of the biggest live venues in Greece. Full size image here: https://athensrocksfestival.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/VIC-1024x683.jpg. Listen on bandcamp here: https://vicband.bandcamp.com/album/through-space-and-time-alive-in-athens-2020, where they describe themselves as "one of the leading Greek heavy rock bands", who are "deeply influenced by Greek nature and cosmic phenomena and infuse their unique brand of heavy psychedelic rock with folk instruments such as bagpipes, flutes and, didgeridoo". All their releases are on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@VICband2010, including this incredible concert which was released digitally in May 2021 and on CD and Vinyl in March 2023: They're on Spotify and all the other streaming platforms too, for those that use them. I'm torn between throwing this over to the Heavy Prog guys, the Psych/Space team or even Eclectic. I just don't know lol! Any help would be much appreciated, and I'll add more to the post if it seems that they might stand a chance of inclusion here somewhere. Edited by yam yam - November 19 2024 at 20:52