History
The story of Asto Na Pai – Part I
First things first, for those not versed in the ways of the Greek language, Asto Na Pai means Let It Go. This was the philosophy of Iraklitos, a famous Greek philosopher, and later adopted by Zorbas as a way of life. In live gigs band members will occassionally say in between songs, “asto na pai, file”, reminding the audience to “let it go, my friend”.
The story begins in 2001, when Vassilio from Greece met the first members of the band, under the shadows of the Himalayas, in the city of Pokhara, in a country thought of at the time as, Never-Ending-Peace-And-Love, Nepal. There he formed his first band going by the name of Earth Music Tribe. Earth Music Tribe was a vibrant mix of Tibetan, Mediterranean and Native American sounds and melodies. Vassilio was playing the mandolin, tarbuka and various other instruments, too many to name here. Andrea, also from Greece, played percussion and later, as the story goes, other musicians joined the band, such as Raoul from Mexico, who also played various instruments, and Manos Lama from Nepal who played the didgeridoo. Jin San, from Japan also joined the band playing the guitar. As musicians joined Vassilio across the years, all bringing their own culture and feel to the sound, so the style changed across time and space. Since the beginning, there has always been a sense of freedom in the group, keeping it alive for the years to follow, to this day.
So the story began, with Vassilio and Andrea being invited to play a few nights in a small Greek restaurant called Titicaca. During their first gig, Raoul heard them playing through his window above the restaurant and he turned up with his flute, pianika and sarangi and joined them on stage without saying a word; a few knowing glances among musicians were enough by way of introduction. It was only after the gig was over that they exchanged names and from there started a collaboration soon to include more and more musicians, each with their own special instruments adding to the sound mix, all joining in to create an amazing vibrant energy that lifted audience spirits and attracted ever growing crowds. A few nights turned into 5 months of gigs and two music festivals. In fact, the band once began playing in the streets on the way to a festival to gather the locals. Miraculously, five hundred people followed the music to the festival dancing behind the band as they all walked on together.
Titicaca became the centre of a Music Tribe, where people would gather to dance and sing, sometimes even spontaneously reciting poems while the band was playing. Energy flowed freely among and around the band. It was as if the universe was bringing together magic from all parts of the Earth.