Estas Tonne: The inner peace within the musician | The interview

The magical pen of the troubadour, as he himself has stated – adding the word modern in front – Estas Tonne will sound for the first time at the “HELLENIC COSMOS” Cultural Centre Theatre. It’s time to heal our souls and awaken, through the virtuoso guitarist’s awesome chords.

Thank you so much for the time you give us, and for the melodies you compose.
*Do not forget to check the agenda.

1) We’ll touch on the past and the beginning that happened just before 2001.
Is it true that for more than ten (10) years the guitar had stopped being a part of your life? Do you remember your feelings at that time. What motivated you to make the big start and change in your life?

It’s hard to say where “the beginning” is and if there is a beginning.
If to look at this story chronologically, some circumstances may look as such. At the same time, the longer I walk this Earth, the less I can speak about a story that has “happened”, but rather explore the ongoing story, revisiting the “past” when needed.

As for a guitar,

while taking a prolonged break, I tried to touch it from time to time, but I had other priorities and was lost in the reality of survival. Besides, I had no idea what to do with it. Playing what I’ve been taught as a child had no interest. And yet, life goes on. At some point, when the inner voice to explore the world got louder, to search beyond the familiar pond, I’ve taken the journey…And I still do.

It’s hard to say where “the beginning” is and if there is a beginning.

2) Your trip to New York seems to have been the lucky horseshoe for you and your dream. Were you ever afraid you wouldn’t make it? Did you ever feel like you were being tested, even when you were a street musician?

I had a calling for New York since I was a teenager, so no wonder that was the place to go. At the same time, I didn’t go there to “make it” as a musician. I went there to study film, which never happened actually. And, most importantly, to figure out what to do with my life. So, did I fear I wouldn’t make it? Not. I was more concerned about the discomfort of not knowing my place in this world. Only a bit later, the guitar came along as a tool, as a gift, as a friend. I had no plans to become a musician, it’s just happened. At the same time, I never called myself a street musician, and I don’t call that part of myself as such when recalling that era.

“I also played music on the streets”. Do you feel the difference?

Just as I played on the streets, I also played in a desert, mountains, festivals, street corners and plazas, near the fountains and at all kinds of events.

3) The music, the genre, the style you have chosen requires an inner harmony and balance. Is it something you’ve found and try to convey to others?

I don’t have a genre and never had. As any music, this music is formed and shaped by life, places I’ve lived or travelled through, cultural exchanges I went through and inspirations that shaped it. The gipsy spirit of music was my guide at that time, and it still is.

As for the inner harmony and balance,

it’s shaped by the experiences and countless downfalls and rises. It’s not a static place shared through this music, but the movement of forces that come through me, within me, from the inside out. And yet, it’s not solid. It’s always in motion. All I can try to describe in words about this music would never fit in. We don’t have enough words to explain the Mystery in our reality. And yet, if this music or any other brings harmonious sensations and some balance into someone’s life, it’s because this or that individual have opened up for something always available to us.

4) Many of your tunes seem lost in time, for example Cloud Dance in collaboration with Tatjana Branoff & Bernd Bechtloff. Is it really a return to roots and primal instincts or an illusion given by the need of each one?

Sound carries information of all kinds. It’s for the listener to feel what this is about. Just as nature itself and its forces, the listener’s perception is shaped by countess factors, which isn’t for me to explain. Yet this track, for me, carries a tribal feeling of togetherness, a tribal kinship of sorts, something we carry in our souls and, while meeting, recognizing its ancient, timeless beingness of each other.

5) Can music heal and if so, how much inner strength and love must the artist put in?

There are answers already present within these questions. And yes, music carries such qualities. You probably remember the story of Alexis Zorba, who dances when he is sad and also dances when he is happy. The emotional depth within the notes, sounds, and chords is there, waiting to be experienced by the listener. It’s not only about how much of myself I put out; it’s also about how much the listener is willing to let in. When the heart is fully present, the listener could feel this.

My contribution to balance isn’t taking sides but offering sound that might soothe the tired, broken hearts that are going through such devastating times

6) I know that your roots, pull from Ukraine and there is also a dose between you musically and personally of course? Will we see this in any of your work?

If we speak of a soul, what roots does it have? Does it have a nationality? Of course not. And yet I also have a story here, on Earth, even though I was born in a country that doesn’t exist: the Soviet Union. I have a connection to the land of Ukraine. Yet, my connection is also with the Russian language and its culture, and it’s an inseparable part of my life even though I haven’t physically lived in one of those territories for more than 30 years.
Of course, the current state of war affects me on levels not always comprehended by the person whom Estas is.
At the same time, my contribution to balance isn’t taking sides but offering sound that might soothe the tired, broken hearts that are going through such devastating times—even from a distance, as in Ukraine, Russia, but also in Israel, Palestine, or elsewhere in the world.
There are lots of recordings that were and are done within the time frame of 2022-2024, which are gradually shared, and there is more to be shared in the very near future.

7) Is the primal passion that comes out with the guitar something you had before you were even taught at school? Is it something you really needed to show the world?

I don’t think we come into this world as blank pages. We come through a reset of sorts, yet we come with our goals, dreams, and work to do here.

Not everything could be recognized when I was a child,

yet some qualities were already there at the very early age. Schools, as we know them, could be a great source of inspiration, but more often It could be something we would have to clear off for years to come unless we encounter teachers that light up our hearts. It happened to me, yet even in this case, I eventually had to find my way. Usually, passion isn’t taught at school. We come and develop it.
While taking guitar lessons in a music school, my teacher recognized my temperament and natural ability to play faster pieces. Yet he wasn’t just introducing the kid to the fast notes. He introduced the kid to the “Dances of the World,” traditional pieces from around the globe that could fit into a guitar school program and be taught to his students.
Later, because I’d taken such a long time from playing, returning to it was a true hardship. I had no idea what to play, but I had to play.

“Yet, one of the main topics of sharing that comes through is creative self-expression.”

That could be one of the elements that people feel and see at me. It’s not my task to evaluate it. Yet, one of the main topics of sharing that comes through is creative self-expression. I don’t know what form it might be for everyone. I only look within my heart and check in occasionally regarding all that is there. If it’s expressed or not. Countless people all over have these issues. If, once upon a time, someone have stopped doing what was valuable to them, for various reasons, yet after a while have a regret of not following their life calling, such holding back might be very damaging to the individual. I don’t speak about any kind of self-expression. Nowadays, such statements could be misunderstood. But those reading these lines certainly will get what I’m speaking of.

8) You have done a lot of travels and seen a lot of the world as well as the cultural heritages you’ve encountered. Was there someone, something that briefly became a “muse” in your mind and later in your work?

Oh, there are countless muses.

Inspirations take different shapes: people, relationships, experiences, natural forces, books we read, hardships and extremes, and sweet, gentle moments we live. So, I can say that each encounter and experience is the muse for music, writing, or whatever creative way comes through.

9) Quite a few people got to know you through a video that may have been released on youtube for example. It was one of those moments that we don’t usually see in street artists. This digital world, is it also part of the way you might play?

Internet archives, or any record that is ever done, are postcards that we may revisit or stumble upon. We could be searching for one thing yet find something else: what we need in this or that moment. My sub-personality also lives online, just like all those moving pictures we see on the screen. Yet, nothing compares to a live setting where we meet in a circle where hundreds of thousands of hearts are beating together.

10) It may have passed, but the stigma remains and many times as it proved, it gave birth to diamonds. I’m talking about the global quarantine of 2019. How has it affected you and your music?

I’ve reflected on my life and studied my inner battles and creative pathways. I didn’t play much online, as it was my time with the self after being on the road for years. Of course, the effects of such processes can be heard in the music that is played nowadays.

11) Your concert in Greece is now a fact and we are counting the days. What should the Greek audience expect and if there is any Greek artist you know.

Every nation carries all kinds of qualities, and every country, as we know it by name, is shaped by countless events: good, bad, challenging, inspiring. There are no exceptions. The people of Greece, like any people of any country, carry great knowledge of life, death, celebration, pain, love, and artistry.

Regarding the concert/ sound journey,

I suggest not having any expectations but focusing on what is needed, allowing the feelings to be felt and seen through this sound at this powerful yet challenging time, as for the people of Greece as for anyone else. And I’m sure that the sacred land we call Greece can offer much more than just a stunning tourist vacation to the world. Of course, it’s always special when I land in various parts of it. But I wonder, all the time, what if all the nations truly gather at the “round table” of life? What would Greece offer to everyone? Such questions only people of Greece can answer.

As for Greek musicians

I have listened to while taking an extended break from playing, I did listen to all kinds of music, which is not as modern as in the 90ies. Some of the great soundtracks of my life were Vangelis, Demis Roussos, Yanni and, of course, Mikis Theodorakis once I discovered the film, “Zorba the Greek“. Although I don’t listen to much of any of them today, they have become part of my life’s journey. As have so many other incredible souls who are passing on songs of this Earth and the Stars.

Thank you again for your time and we look forward to seeing you at the “HELLENIC COSMOS” Cultural Centre Theatre. The Equilibrium Tour 2024

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