Xylouris White

Xylouris White is a duo comprised of Cretan longnecked lute (laouto) player Giorgis Xylouris and Dirty Three drummer Jim White. The pair met while Xylouris was living in Melbourne and they stayed in touch. They got their first chance to play together at the Nick Cave-curated ATP Festival backing the laouto player's famous father Psarantonis, a nationally beloved singer and lyra player.

Despite his father, Xylouris is well-known in Greece on his own merit. The laouto player has been leading the Xylouris Ensemble; the rest of the lineup includes his three sons. Their concerts can last up 18 hours. In addition to being an on-call session and live player and giving his own concerts, he is a highly regarded teacher.

His musical lineage can be readily traced to many previous generations. His father's brother Nikos, a singer and composer, is nicknamed "The Archangel of Greece," not only for his music but also his part in bringing down the country's military junta in the 1970s. The Xylouris clan is the subject of Angeliki Aristomenopoulou's 2014 documentary film A Family Affair.

White is a native Australian who established himself with D3 and the Tren Brothers with guitarist Mick Turner. He has also recorded and performed with everyone from Cat Power and Will Oldham to PJ Harvey and Cave. His drumming style is signature in its fluidity and cannot be categorized as being from any specific musical genre, though he's played most of the Western ones. The pair's debut album, Goats, was produced by Fugazi's Guy Picciotto and released by Other Music Recording Company in October of 2014.