Exclusive interview with singer Chris Tsantalis
By Adriana Rubio
“Singing means a lot to me… or should I say that it’s everything to me. I’m thankful for all the precious and surreal moments that I’m having with the band”. Chris Tsantalis.
INK is a band from Alexandroupolis, Greece which was formed in August of 1999. Producer and guitarist Savvas Karabalasis and lead guitarist Kostas Apostolopoulos were recording a few songs at Savvas Home Studio. They realized that their music needed a singer. Kostas knew about Chris Tsantalis singing abilities and introduced him to Savas. They started working together for a while and recorded their first tunes with vocals. The band got good reviews from Greek magazines.
“I was obsessed with Seattle vocalists such as Layne Staley, Chris Cornell and Eddie Vedder”. Chris recalls. “I remember myself singing from when I was a child, but when I first saw Layne Staley singing “Would?” on MTV I was 15 and I knew by then that I wanted to become a singer. Soon after that I fell in love with the rock and roll mythology and I used to dream with Jim Morrison, Ian Astbury, Lanegan, Nick Cave, Patton, Eddie Vedder, Jeff Martin, Chris Cornell, Greg Dulli among others”
Chris has a powerful-baritone voice. Although he has been influenced by singers of the grunge era, the ones he says was obsessed with, he has personality and sings in a very passionate way like the singers from the old rock & roll school do. Chris knows well how to transmit his own feelings to the audience. Chris singing style combined with the heavy guitars and the perfect team-tempo of bass and drums takes the listener to the place where things are happening.
“I was 21 years old when INK was formed. Singing means a lot to me… or should I say that it’s everything to me. It gives me the chance to exorcize my demons and express my feelings as they really are. I’m thankful for all the precious and surreal moments that I’m having with the band”.
INK recorded the first demo in 2002 which is called “New Day”. As they say, it’s a lethal mix of heavy guitars, psychedelic melodies and soulful vocals. Soon after that the band started building their own fan base performing live gigs and sharing stages with famous artists such as Jeff Martin (“Tea Party” and “The Armada), “Nightstalker”, “Radio LA”, among many others. Unplugged concerts are also a remarkable part of INK live performances. The independent release of their complete album “Diary” with songs like “Welcome”, “Heart Pills”, “Super Ego” and “Easy Day” have put them openly on the rise with many good reviews internationally and great votes on local radio stations. Ink appeared on TV ERT3, MTV, ANT1, MAD TV and Macedonia TV. “Welcome” and “Heart Pills” were top 10 hits in Greek Rock Stations for weeks and weeks. And there is still room for more voting. You can vote for “Heart Pills” here http://www.rockradio.gr/
Chris Tsantalis proudly says:
“The list of magazines and radio shows we have appeared on is endless and we all are very thankful for that. The greatest moments of our band were when we performed at “The Spirit Of Bulgar Festival” as a supporting band for “Faith No More”, and our gigs with “Jeff Martin” from “Tea Party Fame”. Those shows have greatly marked our performing list. We have recently received an offer to support “The Twilight Singers”, and I feel blessed for that because Greg Dulli is one of my favorites’ singers. I admire his work with his current band as well as the amazing work he did in the past with “The Afghan Whigs”. Having the chance to share stages with such great artists and childhood heroes is a blessing time for us all”.
Some INK songs were going to be used as soundtracks for specific scenes in the film “Get Born Again”, the story of Seattle Singer Layne Staley, founder of “Alice In Chains”. Unfortunately, the Layne Staley Estate did not authorize it even with a large Burbank-based Film Company supporting the project and asking Staley Estate participation. But the grey clouds turned to pink for INK music. The band was secretly challenged in early January of 2011 with the assignment of composing music and recording singing voices for a feature film which is now under evaluation. There is still a shining opportunity for them. The film title remains a mystery for now.
Here is a list of INK video clips for your enjoyment:
“Welcome”
“Heart Pills”
“Strange Lullaby”
INK TV shows appearances
INK band MySpace site:
