The Best Of

Biography

Pyx Lax (Greek: Πυξ Λαξ) were a Greek rock/folk rock band formed in Athens, Greece in 1989 and consisting of the following band members: Φίλιππος Πλιάτσικας (Filippos Pliatsikas), Μπάμπης Στόκας (Mpampis Stokas), and Μάνος Ξυδούς (Manos Xydous). They are childhood friends, growing up together in the narrow streets of the Western part of Athens. Their songs focus on living in lower-class inner-city areas. Perhaps they feel homesick. Their childhood is marked by the poverty of people living next...

Pyx Lax (Greek: Πυξ Λαξ) were a Greek rock/folk rock band formed in Athens, Greece in 1989 and consisting of the following band members: Φίλιππος Πλιάτσικας (Filippos Pliatsikas), Μπάμπης Στόκας (Mpampis Stokas), and Μάνος Ξυδούς (Manos Xydous).


They are childhood friends, growing up together in the narrow streets of the Western part of Athens. Their songs focus on living in lower-class inner-city areas. Perhaps they feel homesick. Their childhood is marked by the poverty of people living next door and their music has been influenced by the revolutionary passion of their neighbours. They know well that resistance, the ultimate fortress against degenerative one-way lives, lies in these inner-city neighbourhoods, in villages and small towns. Places where a hand shake is still meaningful and not a mere formality.

In 1990 they released their first LP, Ti allo boris na pis pio apla? [What else can you say more simply?] thanks to which they overcome the critics' reservations and gain popularity among youth. In 1991 they released an LP called Diskoli keri [Hard Times].

In 1993 Pyx Lax present their own views and feelings about the winter with the LP O ILIOS TO XIMONA ME MELANHOLI [The sun in winter makes me sad]. The following year they release O BABOULAS TRAGOUDAI MONOS TOU TIS NIHTES [The Bogeyman sings all alone at night] which features the voice of Gordon Gano, singer of VIOLENT FEMMES on one track. 1997 was a very fruitful year for PIX LAX, following the release of an LP recorded live at the IERA ODOS club with participation of George Dalaras. Moreover, that same year they also release another compilation, this time in limited edition, entitled PEXE PALIATSO, TA TRAGOUDIA SOU TELIONOUN [Clown keep playing, your songs will soon be over].

That summer they tour all over Greece, a tour highlighted by their amazing appearance at the ROCKWAVE FESTIVAL and their two sold-out concerts at Lycabettus theatre. In November 1998 they compose the soundtrack of the film made by Panagiotatos MONAXIA MOU OLA, O EROTAS KIMITHIKE NORIS, [My loneliness is everything, love went to sleep too soon] while the winter of the same year was marked by a number of appearances at the Near the River club. In March, PIX LAX travelled to Great Britain for a series of appearances in London, Oxford, Manchester and Coventry. It was the first time that a group whose lyrics are solely in Greek gave four sold-out performances.

Their next release was called STILVI and included a cover of Bob Dylans Tales of Yankee Power along with their own hit My loneliness is everything... recorded live at Near The River club. In March 1999, band musician Alkis Papadopoulos composes the soundtrack of Yiannis Paraskevopoulos film Netrino, and PIX LAX participate with their own GEFIRES ME PETRES TIS SIOPIS [Bridges of stones of silence] and their rendition of IPARHOUN DROMI STH SIOPI [There are ways in the darkness].

In July 1999, Pyx Lax joined their voices with those of I MUVRINI, the most popular Corsican band and one of the biggest ethnic artists in France. This Greek-Corsican co-operation resulted in a CD single entitled ASE TIN IKONA NA MILA [Let the image speak...] containing three songs with Sting participating in the last one. The CD was available in record shops throughout Europe and went platinum. That years live appearances were topped off by their opening for R.E.M. in Athens under the banner of the Rockwave Festival.

In the year 2004 Pyx Lax announce that they are splitting and will perform their last concert tour and release one more live CD. The LP was named "The End" (Greek: Τέλος), and contains all of their most known songs featuring artists like Giorgos Ntalaras (Γιώργος Νταλάρας), Xaris Alexiou (Χάρις Αλεξίου), Vasillis Karras (Βασίλης Καρράς), Layrentis Maheritsas (Λαυρέντης Μαχαιρίτσας), Onar (Όναρ), Domenica. This was the end of Pyx Lax. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.