Sousamlis Vasilis

Place of birth: Agiasos, Lesvos

Year of birth: 1933

Profession:
Musician, violin player

Family status:
In Sousamlis’ family there were a lot of musicians. More specifically, if we want to enumerate all his relatives, connected with music professions, we have the following list:
– Achilleas Susamlis, his father, born in 1884. He played the violin, had quite a sound theoretical knowledge of music. He was also a teacher of music. He had the acquired the special skill of fine tuning and puuting new songs in a barrel-organ (laterna).
– Xenofon Sousamlis, his uncle (1880-1957). He owned his own laterna in Agiasos , accompanied by his tambourine. He worked as a clerk in Agiasos County Court.
– Panagiotis Sousamlis, or “Kakourgos”, another uncle. He was born in 1886 and died in the beginning of ‘40s. He was both a carpenter and a professional musician. He played the clarinet.
– Prokopis Sousamlis, his uncle, born in 1904, died in 1944. He was also a carpenter and a professional musician. He played the cornet, santouri, violin, mandoline, guitar and trombone.
– Stratos Sousamlis or “Samis”, his brother. He plays the guitar and is also a singer. He worked as a professional singer in Thessalonica.
– Panagiotis Sousamlis, Prokopis’ son, born in 1944. He was a professional musician and plays the drums.
– Yannis Sousamlis, or “Kakourgos”, Panayiotis’ son. He was born in 1928 and died in 1996. He was a carpenter and a professional musician; he played the santouri.
– Raphael Sousamlis (born in 1903, died in 1982), Xenofon’s son. He was a carpenter and a musician. He used to play the euphonium.

Professional career-Jobs:
Vasilis Sousamlis is a professional musician. However, he got involved in many different jobs, because, as he characteristically says, “you can’t make a living out of music only”. He says: “I played everywhere, all over the island. However, I had many jobs, such as weaving, olive picking, farming. I had to work all the time in various jobs, I was barely at home. Music was a temporary occupation.”
He had been working, till the ‘50s, in Agiasos, in a “tsourchanas” (a manufactory where a special kind of clothe-“tourvades”- was made, for the olives to be gathered in the oil-press).

Music apprenticeship:
Vasilis Sousamlis took part in the family band which in the ‘50s comprised of the following musicians: Panayiotis Sousamlis (drums), Stratis Sousamlis (clarinet), Vasilis Sousamlis (violin), Marios Sousamlis (guitar and singing) and Euripides Zafyriou (saxophone).

From the ‘60s onwards, he frequently cooperated with the following musicians from Agiasos: Kostas Zafyriou (santouri), Stratis Psyras (santouri), Charilaos Rodanos (violin),Gregoris Chrisis from Abeliko (harmonium) and Kostas Buras.

Vasilis Sousamlis played in many villages all over the island of Lesvos and in Agiasos, on different occasions such as : weddings, engagements, religious festivities, celebrations of all kinds in coffee shops as well as private homes. He mostly played on weekends and in private parties. As he says: “We wouldn’t go often to Mytilene. We would rather perform at different “paniyiria”(religious festivities), as well as, coffee shops in our area. We played at the “Kipos Panagias”(Virgin Mary’s Garden), which was at its peak, and in “Famaka”. We would visit periodically all villages.”

On the issue of “patinada” and “koutoukia” Vasilis Susamlis reminisces: “Koutoukia” were modest cafes in the neighborhood. There was always music enmanating from them. Every single neigbourhood had these small cafes, for its purpose was also to serve as meeting points for men to meet women. When musicians did the rounds in these small cafes, there was a general commotion, people shouted and cheered in such a way that girls would go out of their houses to see what was going on. At that moment men had the opportunity to take a glimpse of them.”

On serenades, along Agiasos streets of Agiasos, he says: “If you were interested to organize a serenade, then you would contact the musician and ask him if he was available to join him outside the girl’s house. Back then , if we followed the suitor, we ran the risk ending up all wet (buckets of water were thrown from the window), or furiously chased by the police. Now of course it’s completely different.”

As far as the Virgin’s Mary pilgrimage in Agiasos, on the 15th August, is concerned, Vasilis Susamlis reports: “There were different musical styles that were played during the festivities. Every single coffee shop or tavern had its own musicians. You could listen to all kinds of musical instruments. Everyone was having fun, it was an amazing celebration. They couldn’t find so many musicians in Agiasos, so they brought more from Mytilene. Mostly music bands from Gera. That’s 40 to 45 years ago. They weren’t people of my age so I don’t remember them very well.”