Nick Panoutsos

Nick Panoutsos
Monos

Release date: 03/11/2022

Slow & Steady Records announces the release of bassist-composer Nick Panoutsos’ solo album Monos. The Greek word for “alone” (μόνος), the album is a meditation on the isolation of 2020’s pandemic lockdown. “As much as I missed playing with other musicians during the lockdown, I really embraced the challenge of crafting a self-supporting song,” shares Panoutsos. “Problem-solving on the bass has, and always will be a source of solace for me.”

The lockdown also sparked nostalgia and reflection. Panoutsos naturally homed in on his Greek heritage, as well as fond memories growing up in San Jose, CA and the nearby Santa Cruz mountains. “My yia-yia (grandmother) used to show me Greek folk and pop melodies on guitar, which she played with a pick cut out from an expired credit card,” Panoutsos vividly remembers. “Adapting and playing these folk melodies on bass is a way for me to stay in touch with her memory.”

These sentimental Greek folk songs also informed Panoutsos’ own writing, both thematically as well as embracing Greek melodies, scales and odd time meters. Monos feels cohesive – Panoutsos’ arrangements of “Tis Triantafillas ta Filla (The Leaves of the Rose)” and “Sto ‘Pa Kai Sto Xanaleo (I Told You and I’m Telling You Again)” flow naturally with his own compositions (detailed below) written about the people, places and cultures “that shaped who I am today.”

Monos feels perfect for this moment, as we all continue to reassess what’s important after nearly two years of unprecedented isolation. The bass is a fitting symbol of sanctuary – a foundational voice in acoustic music, with earth tone vibrations, now able to step forward as soloist (and accompanist) in a year where musicians couldn’t easily congregate. Panoutsos leaned into this authentically. “The album is bass alone - no loops, layers, or other instruments. Composing for solo bass filled the void of playing with others. The intent was to build self-sufficient songs that could carry the same emotional impact you might hear from a full band.” One listen to Monos, and you forget you even need a full band.

All compositions by Nick Panoutsos except tracks 5 and 7 (traditional Greek songs)

Engineered and mixed by David Stoller at The Samurai Hotel in Queens, NYC.