Manolis Bobolakis is from the village of Sempronas in the Hania region of Crete. Like most mountainous villages on the island it is mostly an agricultural area, and full of farm animals, olive trees, and chestnuts. Along with helping his family with the farm animals and chestnut trees, he has been playing traditional Cretan violin from a very young age. He has played countless cultural events and also has a studio album to his name.
Vaggelis Bagourakis plays the laouto and is the son of lyra player Tassos Bagourakis from Heraklion, Crete. From an early age his entire life revolved around traditional Cretan music. With his father as his teacher Vaggeli progressed very quickly, and he would frequently join in with his father’s band at various events. Coming from a musical family has led Vaggeli to currently being one of the youngest and most talented up and comers in the modern scene of Cretan music.
While playing together on and off for many years Manoli and Vaggeli have built a great chemistry. They each bring unique traits from their respective areas and together they have a wonderful representation of traditional Cretan music from all over the island.
Dance lesson led by Achilleas Fourakis, co-director of the Minoan Dancers Greek folklore dance ensemble, a ministry of the Nativity of Christ Greek Orthodox Church in Novato.
Ezgija (8 pm) is Santa Cruz’s newest balkan band, serving up our favorite dance tunes from the Balkans, Anatolia, and beyond! With Shireen Nabatian’s sweet vintage vocals and soaring violin, we explore themes of love, loss, and celebration—presenting forgotten gems from the archives alongside fresh material from her yearly travels in Türkiye. Hossein Shoiaee adds unexpected twists and textures that keep things electric and genre-bending on guitar. And Evan Stuart holds it all together on bass, with warmth and heart at the core of every tune. Whether it’s a smoky love ballad, a rowdy wedding song, or a mournful lament, EZGIJA brings the spirit of these traditions to dance floors around the Bay Area and beyond with joy, soul, and a lot of sass.
