Tecoma

From the scorching red desert of central Australia comes a melodic cool breeze - 'AEIOU' by Tecoma, which first drifted across the nation's airwaves in January. The cut is lifted from the self-financed debut EP by Amira Pyliotis called 'City Folk'.
Amira creates a mature, assured sound that belies her 25 years of age. Yet that title - 'AEIOU' - hints at a greater truth - that Amira sees herself at the beginning of a long journey of learning and growth.
Sounding like a mix of Verve-influenced jazz-blues and The Waifs, Pyliotis is inspired by her location, at a mid-point between isolation and civilisation, between the calm desert and the bustling city. Her stage name, Tecoma, reflects this idea too, and is taken from a train station nestled in Melbourne's Dandenong Ranges, near where most of the EP was recorded.
Amira remembers boarding the train in the hills, as the sole occupant in a desserted carriage gradually wending its way towards the busy metropolis of Melourne. By the time the train reaches its destination, the carriage is full, and the rhythm of life has changed.
Seeking to change the rhythm of her life she took a holiday in the desert two years ago. In Alice Springs she found a never-ending horizon and the freedom to create, and decided to stay. Within five weeks of arriving she had penned the four tracks that comprise her debut EP.
Its the exact opposite to the pilgrimage the majority of rural musicians make - most are drawn like moths to the cright lights of Melbourne's vibrant live scene. But Amira sees the world a little differently. - J Mag - Winter/Spring 2005

Amira Pyliotis knows all about the hardships of being an independent musician. The 25-year old Melbourne songwriter known as Tecoma has paid her dues, travelling from her adopted home in Alice Springs to perform at small gigs across Australia and overseas. She has gained a foothold in the fickle music industry largely under her own steam and it's that freedom and determination she hopes will bring her a long and succesful career... ...Tecoma, whose music blends elements of traditional folk with a number of world music styles, says her profile during the past 18 months "has been on the increase, but I always judge how well I'm doing by how happy I am with my music. My aspirations are to be as great at my craft as possible." - The Australian, Tuesday March 28th 2006

Please copy and paste the web address below to view interview and live footage of Tecoma and band in Darwin for the Music NT Festival:
http://abc.net.au/jtv/video/default.htm?clip=tecoma - Aired : September 23rd & 24th 2006

Click on the link below to view the recent interview & live performance of Tecoma shot by Triple JTV for their 60 second spotlight segment. Aired on the 22nd and 23rd of September 2006 to Autralian audiences, the clip is now available on their web site at:

http://abc.net.au/jtv/video/default.htm?clip=tecoma - JTV

Q. When did you decide that you wanted to be a musician and/or songwriter? How did you start going about it?
A. I don’t remember one particular point in time, but rather over a long time and many different musical experiences my commitment to making music my full-time, life-long reality deepened naturally. I started out like most people with music inherent, singing, and making up nonsense rhymes and harmonies to the records mum would play when I was little. When I was six I was one of the many kids you will never ever hear about who’d don a scratchy leotard weekly for song and dance classes in the bowels of Johnny Young’s talent school.

Since then my love of music has seen me playing in everything from Pearl Jam cover bands to high school jazz bands, tour Europe and North America twice with an extremely dysfunctional indie girl band, study Arabic classical music, trumpet, opera at Uni and jazz theory and orchestration from an eccentric Italian Maestro. Every experience has helped strengthened my idea of the sort of music I ultimately want to make, the sort of career I want to have and how to make that desire a reality. Tecoma is the most me music I’ve ever made and draws from all these lessons learnt.

Q. What’s the best advice you ever received about making music, and who was it from?
A. It was Maria Callas. I don’t remember the exact quote but basically she spoke of how you’ve got to serve your art. How it’s a blessing and a gift to be able to make a life out of the finest thing in the world, but that as a musician you’re just an instrument for the music you’re creating.

She would warn against using music consciously as a ticket to fame and fortune, but rather said that if you give your music the commitment and love it deserves ego-free, without seeking money, fame or accolades these things will come with time.

Q. Who’s an Australian musician you particularly admire? Can you tell us why?
A. The musicians I admire the most are all sixty plus year old guys you’ve never heard of who started playing as kids and still get a massive kick out of the simple joy of playing. I admire every musician who manages to maintain their love of making music at that really simple level. I think it’s so easy to lose heart and get bitter or hardened by bad experiences and the competitive reality of getting yourself heard.

It’s like there’s this perception among people generally that if you’re anything less then hugely ‘successful’ in the super star sense of the word, what it is you do is somehow of less value for it. But the act of just making music has its own worth. I believe that the ability to express yourself whoever you are openly and creatively, even if it’s just by not being ashamed to sing out loud, is such a huge part of being human.

You don’t need to study music at Uni, or have a record deal to make music that’s passionate, honest and therefore worthwhile. That making music has increasingly become the sole domain of industry “professionals” is a tragedy that denies the fact that the type of head needed to make money from music is different to the heart needed to make music that has soul.

<To read the interview in its entirety, copy the following URL into your browser: http://www.amo.org.au/qa_interview.asp?id=791> - Australian Music Online