Onirama

ONIRAMA is a Greek pop rock band that has had a number of hits in Greece. They are known for their wide range of music, and party-like concerts. ONIRAMA was formed in October 2000 from the idea of Thodoris Marantinis and Dionisis Prantzis after they met during their military services. Giorgos and Dimitris Kokonidis were also founding members, and a couple of months later Kostas Karakatsanis joined. The band originally started off as a hobby, with the name "Mixing Up The Medicine" inspired by lyrics from a Bob Dylan song. The name was a reflection of the wide range of music they played. Their first live performance was at club Mesogios in Thessaloniki. Their concert and party-like live performances, quickly distinguished them among fans and people around Thessaloniki, causing the band to take themselves more seriously. In 2003 Christos Tresintsis joined ONIRAMA and they began a series of appearances at clubs around Thessaloniki including Mylos, Shark, Rodon Club in Athens and several festivals. In mid 2003, the band renamed themselves ONIRAMA as their band became more of a reality. The name comes from a Greek phrase "Onira Mas" meaning "Our Dreams". In October 2004, ONIRAMA began appearing at Malt & Jazz with their signature live performances causing talk around Thessaloniki. Around the same time, the band began writing their first album and searching for a record label. In 2005 they signed with Lyra Records and released their debut album Diskolos Kairos Gia Prinkipes (A tough time for princes) on 7 December 2005. The lead single "O Horos (Klise Ta Matia)" (The Dance, Close your eyes) became a radio hit and gained ONIRAMA popularity, while the second single Mia Mera Tha 'Rtheis" (One day you will come) also became a radio hit. In the Summer of 2006, they made appearances all over Chalkidiki, while they appeared in Athens all winter long with Antonis Remos. In January 2006, ONIRAMA decided to change things up, and participated in an interactive musical performance directed by Rigos Kostantinos at Theatro Dasous in Thessaloniki. In the performance, the members of the band each unfold another aspect of their characters, while interacting with the audience. In March 2006, ONIRAMA was nominated for "Best pop band" at the 5th Arion Music Awards, while they also appeared with Ble, Adrianna Babali, Vasilis Papakonstandinou, and Michalis Hatzigiannis. On February 21, 2007, ONIRAMA collaborated with Antonis Remos for the 4th MAD Secret Concert. At the concert, they sang many English hits, and fans nicknamed the collaboration "OniRemos". In summer 2007, ONIRAMA and Antonis Remos toured Greece together. For the winter season 2007-2008, ONIRAMA successfully appeared alone at popular Club Cinema Live at Peiraios 130 in Athens with their signature live performances. In March 2008, they entered the studio to record their second studio album. In June 2008, ONIRAMA released their second album Klepsidra which reached number 1 on the IFPI charts and later was certified gold. The album also placed at number eleven on IFPI's Year-end chart for Top 50 Greek albums of 2008, and number thirteen on the Top 50 Greek and International albums of 2008. The lead single "H Balanta Tou Trellou" (The crazy guy's ballad) instantly became a radio hit. The album also featured their first English song to appear on an album, titled "Maybe Tonight". In June 2008, they appeared at the MAD Video Music Awards. Around the same time, they were also voted the "Next big name" in Greece by MAD TV voters. Throughout summer 2008, ONIRAMA will be touring all of Greece, while in the winter, they are rumored to appear with Despina Vandi. Also, a major defining point in the group's career was on August 1, where the group performed as the opening act in front of thousands of people for international superstar Lenny Kravitz on his Love Revolution Tour, which was a concert in Athens. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.