Contrabandistas (Κοντραμπατζήδες) from Greek Judas by Greek Judas

Κοντραμπατζήδες
Kontrabatzithes
Contrabandistas

As first written and recorded in the 1930s by Kostas Roukounas from the island of Samos, this describes the life and times of an age-old Aegean Sea character: the smuggler.
“It was contrabanders - six or seven of ‘em, in a little fishing boat, illegally loading up in Thessaloniki. They were a motley crew- some from Mytilini [Lesvos], some from Chios, one or two from Samos, and a few Aivali guys [Aivalik in what is now Turkey]. Like bats of the dawn, they all set forth together, bound for the Dodecanese islands - and whatever they had, they sold it all! The smuggling life has many pleasures. But once you get into jail, those pleasures turn to poison!”

Greek Judas plays rock versions of songs from the Greek Rebetika tradition. They are songs of the Greek underworld and of the refugees fleeing Turkey who filled the Athens slums in the 1920s. It's the music of knife fights, hash dens, prison life & heartbreak.
We play them loud, on guitars, bass & drums.

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