Interview with Greek Guitarist Xander Demos
By: Markos Papadatos, Contributing Editor
On Nov. 5, rock musician and guitarist Xander Demos spoke about his musical career.
According to Demos, he remarked, “My Greek heritage is pretty cool. I am exactly 50% Greek (25% Italian and 25% Russian). I have to say that one of my favorite things is the food. I love a good Gyro. I also grew up in a place called Tarpon Springs in Florida and it’s a large Greek community. Growing up there was great and I did gain a pretty good appreciation for the Greek culture. The name of my album ‘Guitarcadia’ was rooted in Greek culture as well.”
Presently, Demos noted that he is in the process of writing a follow-up album to ‘Guitarcadia’ and he is planning some new shows. “I also joined another cover band called ‘Jukebox’ and that is helping me in getting out and doing some shows locally. I am still part of the Sabbath Judas Sabbath project. I want to do more recording projects soon,” he said.
Regarding his plans for the future, he stated, “I would like to record, write and tour. I took a small break from everything at the end of the summer but I am going full-steam again.”
He noted that he would love to someday tour in Greece. “I know that people in Greece have an appreciation for my brand of metal so it would be great to tour there. Plus, I have never been there before and it would be such a fantastic reason to finally visit there,” he revealed.
Demos’ musical influences include movie composers such as Hans Zimmer, James Horner and Steve Jablonsky. “I also love Sarah Brightman. From a guitar standpoint, Shawn Lane, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai, Tony MacAlpine, Michael Romeo, Neal Schon, John Sykes and Guthrie Govan are some of my main influences,” he said.
Demos listed Amy Lee and Lita Ford as his dream female collaboration choices in music.
For hopefuls who wish to go into music, Demos remarked, “I would say that they should listen to everything they can to expand their tastes and always have an open mind when it comes to music. Try to play more than just one instrument to give yourself perspective. Take advantage of the Internet, which is something that many of my peers didn’t have growing up. There’s so much out there to learn from so relish these moments.”
For more information on Xander Demos, check out his official website: https://xanderdemos.com/
