A versatile composer and a subtle drummer with an ear for melody... Billy Pod's sense for melodic immediacy combined with a musical vision that is mindful of every voice makes for a promising debut album.
—Friedrich Kunzmann, All About Jazz
Drums to Heal Society—contemporary jazz that draws on elements of free improvisation, pop-electronica and rock to create a sound of unified diversity mirroring human experience in modern society.
“Billy is an accomplished composer and arranger with both a great command of his instrument and the sensitivity to create authentic music with others.’’ —Tivon Pennicott, Saxophonist for Gregory Porter
Drums to Heal Society is the debut release of Greek drummer and composer Vassilis Podaras (aka Billy Pod). The eleven-track album is a reflection and exploration of the modern world in all its chaos, beauty and potential.
From the opening track “Void," where captivating drum textures set the scene and evoke the voids we all find inside ourselves, the album takes the listener on a journey through connection, emptiness, love and loss to ultimately find a place of hope in the final tender notes of Michalis Tsiftsis’s guitar on “Healing."
Through his own musical and personal experiences, Pod explores the many sides of humanity while also seamlessly blending the vast capabilities of the drum kit and the different dimensions of the jazz genre.
The result is an unapologetically varied sound, with free improvisation, strong melodic lines and elements of other genres sitting comfortably alongside each other to create a unified whole. Like life, the music is made up of both experiential snapshots and deeply emotive explorations that will speak to everyone.
“We each have many sides to us and this is something I feel compelled to explore as an artist,” says Pod. “For me, drums are connected to everything. You find their echoes throughout nature and human existence. They are the rhythm by which we live our lives, by which we love, fight and despair.”
“This new artist to us at UK Vibe features a high calibre roster... As per any respectable bandleader, Vassilis Podaras is as comfortable in the background as he is in the foreground... There’s a community spirit here.” —Damian Wilkes, UK Vibe
Pod concludes: “In moments where difference can seem to define us, it is the experiences and emotions that we all identify with as we pass through this life that can unite us. Music offers an opportunity to explore the various sides of both the personal and artistic spectrum and to ultimately focus on connection.”
Michalis Tsiftsis, Guitar
Kimon Karoutzos, Bass
Yiannis Papadopoulos, Rhodes piano
Jannis Anastasakis, Electronics
Katerine Duska, Voice
George Kontrafouris, Piano
Stephanos Chytiris, Drums
“Billy is an accomplished composer and arranger with both a great command of his instrument and the sensitivity to create authentic music with others.’’ —Tivon Pennicott, Saxophonist for Gregory Porter
Drums to Heal Society is the debut release of Greek drummer and composer Vassilis Podaras (aka Billy Pod). The eleven-track album is a reflection and exploration of the modern world in all its chaos, beauty and potential.
From the opening track “Void," where captivating drum textures set the scene and evoke the voids we all find inside ourselves, the album takes the listener on a journey through connection, emptiness, love and loss to ultimately find a place of hope in the final tender notes of Michalis Tsiftsis’s guitar on “Healing."
Through his own musical and personal experiences, Pod explores the many sides of humanity while also seamlessly blending the vast capabilities of the drum kit and the different dimensions of the jazz genre.
The result is an unapologetically varied sound, with free improvisation, strong melodic lines and elements of other genres sitting comfortably alongside each other to create a unified whole. Like life, the music is made up of both experiential snapshots and deeply emotive explorations that will speak to everyone.
“We each have many sides to us and this is something I feel compelled to explore as an artist,” says Pod. “For me, drums are connected to everything. You find their echoes throughout nature and human existence. They are the rhythm by which we live our lives, by which we love, fight and despair.”
“This new artist to us at UK Vibe features a high calibre roster... As per any respectable bandleader, Vassilis Podaras is as comfortable in the background as he is in the foreground... There’s a community spirit here.” —Damian Wilkes, UK Vibe
Pod concludes: “In moments where difference can seem to define us, it is the experiences and emotions that we all identify with as we pass through this life that can unite us. Music offers an opportunity to explore the various sides of both the personal and artistic spectrum and to ultimately focus on connection.”
About Billy Pod
Billy Pod began playing drums aged 9, inspired by his late father, a drummer himself, and studied jazz performance at the Ionian University of Corfu. He is an active musician on the Greek jazz scene and also regularly collaborates and performs internationally with artists such as Emmet Cohen, Tivon Pennicott, Nigel Price, Rufus Reid, Roberto Tarenzi, JD Walter and Olivier Temime. He is also a member of The Next Step Quintet, who have so far released two albums.Personnel
Billy Pod, Drums / CompositionMichalis Tsiftsis, Guitar
Kimon Karoutzos, Bass
Yiannis Papadopoulos, Rhodes piano
Jannis Anastasakis, Electronics
Katerine Duska, Voice
George Kontrafouris, Piano
Stephanos Chytiris, Drums
Track listing
- Void (Podaras)
- Minor Mystery (Podaras)
- Reminiscence (Podaras)
- L (Podaras)
- One Heart (Podaras)
- Limit to your Love (Beck / Feist)
- Dark Passenger (Podaras)
- Drums to Heal Society (Podaras)
- Connection (Podaras)
- Billy Pod (Kontrafouris)
- Healing (Podaras)
