Greece, Introduction

In order to capture the best CD imagery possible, it was decided that I would go to Athens, Greece with photographer Kevork Imirzian to do a weeklong photo shoot on classical guitarist Iakovos Kolanian. We left on the 24th of Feb to Athens, Greece via Amsterdam and had no real expectations what we would encounter. Most CD's are hastily put together and it shows. With Pomegranate, that is not the case because I believe that these are documents that will be referenced for years to come. I can't have the thing look terrible. Thus, the extra expense and gamble to do a high end production is made.

Right before we were to board our flight to Athens on our Amsterdam leg, we were escorted from what we thought were going to be our paid coach class ticket seats to World Business Class with reclining seats and everything. I can't say how it happened but, let's just say a friend who works at the airline helped us out. From Amsterdam, we boarded our flight to Athens and there at the airport was Iakovos ready to show us his country. We went to his house and were shown our rooms. The excitement of a new project and new possiblities were definately discussed. At that point thought, I was wiped out. However, at night we went to the Plaka using their new Metro system. There was a big carnival going on and the funny anecdote of the day was that kids were buying these plastic baseball bats and swatting all the adults on the ass and running away. At first I was stunned, but, after a while I understood it was a part of a very loose Greek culture. America makes you uptight at times. This was Greece. After walking around Plaka, we went back home and I slept soundly knowing that we were under the gun to "make something happen" in Greece with the photo shoot and potentially having me develop music contacts there.

In the music business, it is all about timing and tenacity. If you let an opportunity go, that's it and it usually never comes back again. With Pomegranate gambling big on our non-Armenian Barrios album, the pressure was on myself and Kevork to get the best possible shots of Iakovos in his native Greece.

I don't believe in God, and I don't understand prayer, but, with the Acropolis looming in the background, I half jokingly looked at Iakovos, his wife, and Kevork and said that we could use a little help with our album and hopefully make it big with the Barrios album and any other project that comes our way.

Sunday- First Day of Photo Shoot at Sounyou- The Temple of Poseidon
More tomorrow.

This photo by Kevork Imirzian at Peleponesis section of Greece inside an ancient fortress going back 1000 years.