Happy Dog Project is a Greek band formed in Athens, Greece in the summer of 2000. Twelve years later, going from the millennium craze to the greek debt era, they’re still playing, recording and playing all around Greece and European countries.
The band members (Nasia Gofa vocals, Yannis Dimitriadis hammond, rhodes, melodica, synths, Dimitris Karachontzitis guitar, Dionyssis Kaskouras bass, Vangelis Kasvikis drums) perform their own funky/eastern instrumentals with elements from balkan/greek traditional music, and also covers from traditional, obscure greek songs from the 60’s and 70’s.
Happy Dog Project incorporates in their music elements from the vast traditions from the Balkan countries, from the Middle Easters music and scales and from the various greek musical traditions. Odd meters and rhythms and eastern melodies blend together with jazz improvisation in an ongoing funky groove. Hammons organ, guitar and saxophone draw the melodies where bass and drums keep the groove tight.
Besides their own instrumental material -something between a south mediterranean Medeski Martin & Wood and funky music from Turkey- Happy Dog Project cover in a twisted way some classic obscure greek songs from the 60’s and 70’s. Songs that were sung by such greats of the greek folk songbook as Stelios Kazantzidis, Manolis Angelopoulos, Stratos Dionyssiou, Rita Sakellariou and others – most of them singers with mythical status among the working class people of Greece in the 60’s and 70’s but little recognition from the cultural establishment of the country until recently.
Happy Dog Project have performed in dozens of clubs and open air festivals all over Greece (Half Note Jazz Club, Bacaro Jazz Club, International Music Day a.o) and in European countries (Hyde Park in London, England, Akbank Jazz Festi in Istanbul etc) in more than 150 concerts.
Their two previous CDs were broadcasted in various european and american radios (Greece, Canada, Mexico) gaining critical acclaim. Their first CD, entitled “Dog Days Are Over”, was released in 2004, and the second one (“Doggy Style”) in 2007, both from Ankh Records. “Dog To The Bone” is their third CD, recorded in Athens. This third CD has been released worldwide by prestigious american label Ropeadope (www.ropeadope.com) house of many famous artists such as Medeski Martin & Wood, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Dj Logic, The Pilladelphia Experiment, Charlie Hunter and others.