By Margaret Adams
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Northern Virginia native George Katsos recently released his latest single, “It’s Not Easy (EP1 V5),” which will be featured on his first solo album “George Katsos EP1,” a 2021 independent release.
Inspired by 60s British rock and Motown, Katsos’ sound emanates a trend made popular by The Smiths. Fun, movable beats subverted by a bit more somber and sentimental lyrics: “A moment like this is meant to last.”
Katsos is a long-time musician whose involvement with various bands over the years gave him extensive exposure throughout the northeastern United States. His band was selected for regional exposure by MTV in 1988. In 1994, one of his songs recorded as a 7-inch vinyl was highlighted by Billboard Magazine in the “Choice of the Week” category alongside Led Zeppelin and Stone Temple Pilots. After his earlier successes, Katsos took a 20-year musical hiatus.
The influence of the DMV area on Katsos and his music has become a source of community and inspiration for the original singer-songwriter. “Twenty years ago after 9/11, I came to the DMV for work, trying to survive and pay off loans. It worked out for me,” Katsos notes.
“What was fun was going out to all the different restaurants in D.C. and Alexandria. I met so many people and artists and experienced great places and food. I enjoyed talking to artists and people in their daily occupations working at restaurants and hotels but stayed away from clubs or gigs, knowing it may draw me back into that comfortable approach to life. D.C. and Virginia gave me the perspective to have fun through food and culture,” he added.
Fans of Motown music, The Beatles, and The Doors should check out Katsos’ new song, now available on Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music, YouTube, SoundCloud, and other major streaming platforms.
This track has been added to our Alchemical Weekly YouTube Playlist.
Margaret Adams is a Psychology major and Rhetoric and Writing minor at The Catholic University of America from New Orleans, Louisiana. In addition to her work with Alchemical, she writes for CUA’s student newspaper, The Tower, and has recently been named Quill Editor. She enjoys reading, writing, and looking at pictures of her dog, Bella.
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Alchemical Records is a Washington, D.C. based music publication. We cover the Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, VA metro area music scenes, including band interviews, articles about your favorite musicians, new music and concert dates.
