APOLLOBiographies Apollo is a new group with a sensational sound. Featuring original songs and a new take on classic favorites from jazz, pop, world, rock ‘n' roll, and other favorite genres.
MembersGeorge Fivas - Producer - Manager - Apollo Icon Peter Fivas - Producer - Bandleader - Male Vocalist Chris Cerna - Pianist Chris Glik - Keyboardist Dennis Kao – Bassist Daniel Glass – Percussionist Lon Price – Woodwind Specialist: Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Flute, Clarinet Melody Encheff – Choral Arranger – Female Vocalist Natalia West – Female Vocalist Elena Vardis – Female Vocalist
IntroductionThe story of the creation of the music performed by Apollo is a fascinating tale unto itself. Let us set our clocks back to the early 1960s. The Kingsmen were a garage band working out of Portland, Oregon. At this time, multi-tracking was as yet not a common practice. The Kingsmen, with hopes of getting a gig on a cruise ship, went into a recording studio and paid about $50 for a demo of the song Louie, Louie. The studio used a boom mic to record the whole group in one fell swoop. The 17-year old lead singer, Jack Ely, who was not a very tall young man, craned his neck to be a little closer to the microphone. The craned neck, plus the fact that Jack was wearing braces on his teeth, gave us the distinctive sound we think of when we hear Louie, Louie. Louie, Louie started getting airplay on the radio, and really took off in popularity when the FBI examined the recording very carefully (even playing it backwards) to see if it contained any vulgar language or hidden messages. Eventually, Louie, Louie became the quintessential rock and roll party song as evidenced by its inclusion in the classic John Belushi film, Animal House. Conflicts within the band led to Jack Ely starting another band, also called “The Kingsmen.” This led to a lawsuit, which was resolved with Jack Ely getting the royalty rights to Louie, Louie, and the other original band members getting the rights to the band name, “The Kingsmen.” Jack Ely's new band was renamed The Aquanauts. The musicians in the Aquanauts were, as a whole, notably stronger musicians than those in the original Kingsmen. The Aquanauts' immensely talented keyboardist was named Robert Jetter. Bob Jetter’s passion made the creation of Apollo possible; it now continues in his beloved memory… For more of the story of the creation of Apollo, see the blog at www.myspace.com/rsvpapollo.
Biographies
George Fivas Creative Director, Business Manager, Promoter, Producer, Voice of Apollo George Fivas is a film producer, director, actor, and music producer. His directorial and lead role debut came in the form of Summer Solstice (2003) which includes a well-reviewed performance from Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Karen Black (Five Easy Pieces), and was released on Netflix in 2006. He has produced and directed several music videos, including directing and creating special effects for a music video for the song A New World (2008) by The JMD Project, a hit dance track in Europe, whose video has been broadcast on MTV Germany and other European outlets. In order to help his talented father and sister, and to do something great for the world in the way of high art and wonderful entertainment, he created the music group, Apollo.
Zeus king of the gods, god of thunder Peter Fivas Producer, Bandleader, Vocalist Peter Fivas, the bandleader of Apollo, is a Los Angeles based music producer, songwriter, band leader, and singer. Though Pete majored in mathematics in college, he had a lot of experience playing music from elementary school to college. He played clarinet, bass clarinet, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, and baritone saxophone and sang in the choir as a bass. In 1985, Pete met Robert Jetter, a composer and keyboardist. Pete and Bob became a prolific songwriting team and performed as a duo, Fivas & Jetter. After Bob passed away in 2001, Pete relocated to Los Angeles. In 2006, Pete met composer-producer Jean-Michel Guirao, who performs under the stage name of Jean-Michel Danton. Pete and Jean-Michel collaborated on the production of the song R.S.V.P., and various hit songs for the JMD Project. In 2009, Pete and his son George, assembled the band “Apollo.” Apollo is the Greek God of Music. The choice of the name was inspired by the family surname which is one of the Greek names for Apollo.
Zephyrus god of the west wind Chris Cerna Pianist Chris and Chuck Cerna, identical twins, were born on November 27, 1981, in Cebu, Philippines. As a young child Chuck, who is Chris' twin brother, showed an unusual talent in music but died of cancer before reaching his fifth birthday. During that time, Chris preferred playing with toy soldiers and matchbox cars. At the tender age of 5, just nine months after his twin brother's death, Chris, without formal training, started playing the piano, which could be considered a miracle since Chris had been blind since the age of 18 months. Soon Chris was accompanying his mother's church choir. Word of this special youngster and his gift quickly spread throughout Cebu. At the age of seven, Chris had his first concert before an audience of 700 people. Chris received the Perlas Award as the Valuable Filipino for Special Talent from The Philippines Foundation, Inc. for harnessing his gift of music and sharing his talent and skills with the community, particularly those who need inspiration to live productively despite a physical handicap. Chris was brought to Hawaii by the Aloha Medical Mission in 1991. The mission provided Chris with reconstructive surgery and hydroxyapatite implants. These implants are artificial eyes which behave like real eyes. It was the first time that this type of surgical procedure was performed on a child, thanks to Chris' doctor, Jorge Camara, a well-known ophthalmologist in Honolulu. Chris' gift of music has been enhanced through a scholarship from Ho..Opono, for piano lessons at the Ellen Masaki School of Music in Honolulu and at the University of Hawai..i. Chris is a talented pianist and mandolinist. He enjoys composing his own music and loves playing jazz, pop, classical, popular movie scores and bluegrass music. Besides playing the piano, Chris also plays other instruments such as the mandolin, sanshin, an Okinawan string instrument, the upright bass, and the ukulele. Visual impairment has not stopped him from living his life at the fullest. He served five years with the Boy Scouts of America and earned his Eagle Scout honors, the highest rank, on December 2000. He was a consistent regional winner of the National Federation of Music Clubs competition for the handicapped for five years. He won an award from Hawaii Stars in 1998, first place in the piano competition sponsored by the Morning Music Club of Hawaii in 1997, and won second place award in the State Junior High School. Since 2003, Chris has performed concerts in Hawai..i, Michigan, Chicago, New York, and California. He has also performed with The Honolulu Symphony in 2001, University of Hawai..i Orchestra in March 2006, and was fortunate to play with Ronda Vincent at the 2007 Huckfin Bluegrass Festival in California. Chris has recorded ten CDs entitled, She Is My Eyes (He dedicates this alum to his mom who passed away on March 27, 2007), Heart Beats, From The Heart, Let The Son Shine In (a collection of Christian music), Loving Thoughts, Musical Oddysey, Joyful Tradition (a collection of Christmas Songs), Inspiration, Wish Upon A Star (Disney favorites), and his latest release Extra Flavor (standards, jazz, and Chris' originals). Last November, 2008, Chris placed at the Arizona State Mandolin Championship Competition at the 2008 Wickenburg Bluegrass Festival. On December, 2008, Chris received his Bachelor’s Degree in Music and fulfilled his promise to his mother, Carmencita Cerna, who has passed on March, 2007. Two years after, Chris began a new chapter in his life. He married Celeste Cebuma, who also loves music, on January 10th, 2009. For Chris, music has always been in his life and he believes that this is what brought them together. Now living in California their musical journey continues… Chris is currently the Mandolinist for “Lonesome Otis Bluegrass Band" in Southern California. He is much honored to be performing with them on concerts and bluegrass festivals. Please check-out their website: www.myspace.com/lonesomeotis Chris’ most recent performance was on March 14th & 28th, 2009 at The Victoria Cultural Center in Rancho Cucamonga. He is one of top ten finalists for the talent showcase for The Spotlight on the RC.
Dionysus god of wine and festivals Chris Glik Keyboardist Glik performs as a single (keyboards/piano and vocals) as well as with his own group - Chris Glik Band all over Southern California. In addition, Glik works with many vocalists as musical director/accompanist. Chris Glik has performed and/or recorded with acts such as the Okaysions, Platters, Inkspots, Coasters, Brook Benton, Frank Gorshin, Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Glenn Miller Orchestra, and many more. Glik has arranged and/or composed music for Leonard Reed, Henry Nemo, Chester Whitmore, Lula Washington Dance Group, Helen Reddy, Chris Calloway, Nicholas Brothers, Warner Brothers, Columbia Talent Management, Paul Kennedy Dance Studio, Viewpoint School, and many others. Television and film appearances include Close To Home – CBS, 20 Great Years - NBC Pilot, Desperate Housewives, Boston Legal, and Two And A Half Men. Glik has also performed in and/or arranged music for many musical theater productions - As You Like It, West Side Story, Pippin, Into The Woods, Barry Moses' Bar Mitzvah, You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, Forever Plaid, Lady Day At Emerson's Bar And Grill, and more. In 2007, one of Glik's collaborations, As They Like It, was produced at the Barnsdell Theater in Hollywood. In addition, Glik has been Musical Director for various productions by Lehman Engel Music Theater Group, Mulholland Tennis Club, and more. Glik has a diploma from Peabody Institute of Music (1967) and studied with the late Louis Shub (piano), Gunther Schuller, the late Louis Cheslock, and others. Glik also lists Henry Nemo and Leonard Reed as mentors. Hermes messenger of the gods Dennis Kao Bassist Having played all sorts of musical instruments as a kid, Dennis Kao has primarily focused on studying and playing the bass for the past 10 years and has played and recorded with a wide variety of local bands and musical groups. Additionally, Dennis is currently a PhD Candidate at the University of Southern California’s School of Social Work. His research and teaching focuses on health disparities among immigrant populations, particularly Asian Americans and older adults. Prior to going back to school, Dennis worked as a policy advocate for eight years at the Asian Pacific American Legal Center—a civil rights advocacy organization in Los Angeles.
Hephaestus god of fire Daniel Glass Percussionist Since 1994, Daniel Glass has played drums with the pioneering "retro-swing" group Royal Crown Revue. He has also recorded and performed with Bette Midler, Gene Simmons, Mike Ness, Freddy Cole, and many others. In addition to his work as a musician, Daniel is an award-winning historian, author, and clinician. He has published three books, including The Commandments of Early Rhythm and Blues Drumming, and The Ultimate History of Rock'n'Roll Drumming: 1948-2000. His writings on drum history have appeared in The Encyclopedia of Percussion, The MusicHound Swing Essential Album Guide, and countless publications such as Modern Drummer, DRUM!, Classic Drummer, and Percussive Notes. You can learn more about Daniel’s obsession with classic American music at www.DanielGlass.com.
Poseidon god of the sea, god of earthquakes Lon Price Woodwind Specialist: Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet The professional musical career of Lon Price has spanned over four decades and four continents, and has included performing, recording and touring with many of the biggest names in the Music Industry. His arrangements and compositions have been featured on records, in films and television, and on the concert stage. A native Texan, Lon developed an early interest in music, listening to his parents’ jazz and classical records, which included the music of swing artists Glenn Miller, Louis Armstrong and Benny Goodman; and classical composers Gershwin, Debussy, and Ravel. Lon took up the clarinet in the school band at the age of ten in Oshkosh, a sleepy town in northwest Nebraska, where his dad was working in oil exploration. After moving several times over the next few years, his family settled down in Fort Worth, Texas, and Lon began playing the saxophone in a local junior high school jazz band. He began playing professionally at the age of fifteen in local nightclubs. He directed and wrote arrangements for his high school jazz band, winning an “outstanding musician” award at a tri-state contest involving forty-eight bands. Lon continued his study of music at North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas), where he was a featured soloist and composer/arranger in the world renowned One O’clock Lab Band. In 1972, after spending a couple of years in Dallas playing in clubs, doing some recording work and a couple of concert dates with rock legend Elvis Presley, Lon went on the road with the infamous Wayne Cochran and the C. C. Riders, touring the U.S. and Canada. In 1973, Lon toured the U.S. with Tom Jones, leaving that tour to join up with some ex-C.C. Riders in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to form a new rhythm and blues band, led by Luther Kent. He soon moved to New Orleans, where he spent four years playing in local clubs and doing recording work with legendary producer/songwriter/performer Allen Toussaint; playing on records by Tracy Nelson, John Mayall, Joe Tex, and many others, as well as the number one smash hit Lady Marmalade by Patti Labelle. He performed with many R&B legends; including Professor Longhair, Dr. John, Irma Thomas, and Ernie K-Doe, as well as fronting his own jazz quartet. He also taught saxophone and performed in the jazz band at the University of New Orleans. An album project for Epic Records with New Orleans jazz singer, Angelle Trosclair, brought Lon to Los Angeles in 1976. He moved there a year later and has made L.A. his home since that time. For over twenty-five years Lon has been active in the L.A. recording, nightclub and concert scenes. Lon has recorded with Peter Allen, Leonard Cohen, Al Jarreau (Lon played the sax solo on Al’s hit single We’re in This Love Together), Elton John, The Manhattan Transfer, Aaron Neville, Rod Stewart, Barbra Streisand, Billy Vera, and Dwight Yoakam, to name a few. He recently wrote horn arrangements for, and played on, pop diva Pink’s album, Try This. He has toured with Billy Vera and the Beaters, Joan Armatrading, Rod Stewart, The Manhattan Transfer, and French singer, Véronique Sanson. He has performed on the Tonight Show, the Arsenio Hall Show, American Bandstand, and Into the Night starring Rick Dees, among others. Among his many movie credits are A League of Their Own, Death Becomes Her, and Blind Date starring Bruce Willis and Kim Basinger. In recent years Lon has been pursuing a life-long dream of writing music for a symphony orchestra. In 1990, he began private study in composition with University of Southern California faculty member Dr. Erica Muhl, who encouraged him to return to college. Lon attended USC from 1993-96, working toward a degree in composition. In January of 1996 the USC Symphony performed Lon’s first orchestral piece, Variations for Orchestra. Lon continues to be active in the L.A. pop and jazz scenes, doing recording work and performing with local bands Billy Vera and the Beaters, the Jones Boys, Red and the Redhots, Tom Thumb and the Hitchhikers, and the Dale Spalding Blues Band, among others. Lon has always been interested in music education, and has taken private students throughout his career. This has intensified over the past few years, and he now teaches 40 students a week at Charles Music in Glendale, and Adam's Music in West L.A. He teaches saxophone, clarinet, and flute, as well as jazz improvisation and arranging. Lon plays Selmer Super Action 80 Series II alto and tenor saxes, an Oleg soprano sax, a Selmer Recital Series clarinet, and a Yamaha 325II flute. Lon is a devout computer hacker -- you can visit his website: http://www.txstnr.com/, or you can reach him via e-mail at: lonprice@txstnr.com.
Athena goddess of wisdom Melody Encheff Choral Arranger, Vocalist Melody Encheff is a Chapman University graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Production. She has had lifelong training in music and voice, studying with such notable instructors as piano teacher Mary Costa, and voice teacher Susan Montgomery. She used her vocal talents to perform an original version of The Thrill is Gone for her role as nightclub singer Dorothy Gibbs in The Hummingbird, her final student film project. The Hummingbird is a 1940’s era film noir, currently on its way to festivals. Melody’s singing experience includes first prize-winning talent show performances for her school, and performances for various churches. She has recorded several original songs, and produced and performed in a music video for one of her originals songs. Stage credits include the role of Kate in the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, The Pirates of Penzance, and the role of Kim MacKafee in Bye Bye Birdie. Awards include the 1999 Villa Park Rotary Club Singer of the Year Award. She is currently pursuing a career in singing, and promoting The Hummingbird.
Artemis goddess of the moon Natalia West Vocalist Natalia West was only two years old when her parents discovered she had a passion for performing. On a trip to Disneyland, in the blink of an eye Natalia had disappeared through the crowd, only to be found five minutes later on stage mimicking the song and dance of Mickey and Minnie! By the age of six she was performing regularly at Trinity Assemblies of God church in Pahrump, Nevada, where she grew up. Her parents soon decided to enroll her in piano lessons in which she remained for nine years and obtained her love for songwriting. Throughout adolescence Natalia sang with several choral groups and became a frequently requested guest singer at various community events, weddings, baccalaureate services, graduations, etc. and soon acquired the opportunity to sing at Club Madrid in the Las Vegas Casino, Sunset Station. At 15, Natalia began working steadily with a private performance coach who aided her through pageants and competitions that gained her several soloist and musical theatre awards. By 17, she had written and performed the theme song at her own High School graduation, sang the lead in musicals such as South Pacific and Romeo and Juliet, and had performances in New York and Australia under her belt having had won a contest to sing the National Anthem abroad. She also had guest appearances on a local television station which led her to her first job as a TV show host and field reporter for Sports Scene. Natalia’s musical ability continued to grow when she moved to Los Angeles to attend college. At CSULA she studied Music Theory and obtained a classical approach to singing, also phonetically learning to sing in German, Italian, and Greek. She soon became a valued member of the University’s Concert Choir with whom she performed in a tour across the state of Colorado and had the opportunity to sing at venues such as Disney Hall and the Universal Amphitheatre. It was at this time Natalia was also chosen to sing backup for Kenny Rogers on his Christmas Concert Tour in 2004. After college Natalia went on to work in a festive Greek restaurant in Malibu where she could sing regularly, performing Classic Greek songs and various Jazz standards with the house band. After witnessing one of Natalia’s performances, Peter and George Fivas approached Natalia with an offer to join their band at which point she accepted and Apollo was in the making. Natalia can sing in most styles and genres and has studied Classical, Pop, Broadway, and Speech-level singing techniques. She has also written over 50 songs, composed the soundtrack for an Independent short-film, and has 10 plus years of dance experience in the styles of jazz, ballet, tap, and hip-hop. Natalia believes that through music one can find hope and wisdom and truly communicate honestly with the world free of prejudice and discontent. Through performing Natalia has learned that life really is only 10 % what happens to you and 90% how you react to it and in response to that the reason she sings is, “ even if no one wants to hear it, it makes my world go ‘round and that’s all that matters.” And in the words of someone that inspired Natalia at a very young age: “In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope. In a world filled with anger, we must still dare to comfort. In a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream. And in a world filled with distrust, we must still dare to believe.”- Michael Jackson
Aphrodite goddess of love and beauty Elena Vardis Vocalist Elena Vardis is a Greek artist, who came to the US seven years ago to pursue her career in the arts. She was born and raised in Athens, Greece, and from a very young age fell in love with the arts, history, and… the Greek islands. At the age of ten, when she still lived in Greece, Elena was heard singing during a school function and was recruited by a local band, where she was classically trained. She was taught to sing and to play the mandolin. At the age of thirteen, Elena had the opportunity to go on her first tour, and perform in various cities in Greece. In the years to come, Elena withdrew from the music world, as her parents were worried for her professional future, and she directed most of her attention to her formal education. Nonetheless, she remained secretly involved with the arts, and began to train as an actress despite all of their objections. By 2002, she completed a Master’s degree, and was being trained as an actress in the Stanislavski technique. In 2002, Elena moved to Los Angeles, to further her formal education, as well as pursue her career in acting. In the years to come, and while finishing her PhD in Psychology, she held lead roles in various Hollywood productions, plays, and movies. In 2009, Elena began singing again periodically at a local Greek restaurant, mostly jamming with the restaurant’s band. One of those nights, Elena was heard by the creators of Apollo who approached Elena and invited her to join them. Elena has since had the opportunity to revisit her first love, singing, while building on her acting career and working as a health professional. Restless as she is, and possessing an intensely inquisitive mind and a (Greek) passionate heart, Elena is a Renaissance woman, delving simultaneously into both the professional and art worlds, constantly looking for outlets for her creativity. It seems that for Elena, despite all of her education and plans for the future, another “creator” has made it quite obvious to her that her real place in on stage. … We hope you enjoy the music. ~
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