EL Greco: The Greek, The Bad and The Ugly
By Anh Lan Hoang

Imagine a lonely setting in a landscape where a cowboy looks for some sort of exoticism in order to rescue himself from the universal feeling of melancholy. With that mood, El Greco charmed the intimate audience with a delightful performance on April 20 at the dusky Café Renegade in San Francisco. “You feel as if you are watching a flick with an East meets West scene,” an amused spectator, Debbie Jue, whispered.

The ensemble of guitar, violins, vocals, keyboard and trumpet combined with Asian and American influences, as well as droll introductions in between each song, created a sense of ease within the candle-lit café.

Forming only a year ago, El Greco band members enthusiastically describe themselves as “one part spaghetti western drama, one part Ziggy Stardust, one part Japanese pop, and all parts dancing queen.” The man behind El Greco’s inception is John Papageorge, the songwriter who crafted the eclectic chemistry of sounds. Papageorge’s fascination with Asian and Western culture prompted him to produce a group from his San Francisco network of musicians who share his vision.

Unlike many up-and-coming bands, whose members yearn to be discovered so they can quit their day jobs, the El Greco musicians already have impressive music-related professions that contribute to the band’s unique sound. Papageorge recruited Liz Runnicles, a principal violinist with the San Francisco Opera; San Francisco Opera performer Kristen Clayton; San Francisco Symphony violinist Katy Johnk; vocalist and karaoke-over Yumi Takayama; and keyboardist Kikue Yamasaki.

El Greco’s collection of songs can be found on The Greek, The Bad and the Ugly. Songs like “Siamese Sex Show” and “Moonwalker,” which aim to transport listeners into the Korean strip bars of Los Angeles and massage parlors of Thailand, are an example of the band’s prevalent imagery. Rumor has it, a video depicting Moonwalker’s heroic cowboy rescuing an Asian goddess in a massage parlor happens to be in the works.

Though the music business is competitive, El Greco’s CD has managed to capture the attention of producer Eric Drew Feldman, who has committed to producing El Greco. Feldman is recognized for talents like the Pixies and P.J. Harvey. The group has been the subject of serious interest from labels including Michael Simpson, who produced Beck, Grand Royal records, Marilyn Manson’s manager John Ciulla, and Morphine’s manager Nancy Cline.

El Greco’s music crosses all genres. Kevin Silveira, Café Renegade and Cocodrie Club bartender, and a member of the hard rock band Stars from Mars, compared the band to the Cure’s Disintegration album and summed up El Greco as provoking “emotion and mood, which is something I look for in music.”