Matsa Ranga - O Amerikanos

Matsa Ranga is an Amsterdam based trio with roots from the port cities of Odessa, Rotterdam and Patra, playing urban folk music, specialising in Greek rebetika and Russian songs from the ports of the 1930's. Thomas Huisman - bouzouki, voice Alec Kopyt - accordion, voice, cymbals Vasilis Stefanopoulos - double bass, baglamas Find out more about Matsa Ranga at: Facebook:   / matsaranga   Twitter:   / matsa_ranga   (@matsa_ranga) - O Amerikanos is a Greek rebetiko song (1935) written by Yakovos Modanaris, and it tells the story of five magkes (tough guys/spivs) who set up an unwitting American visitor to the port of Piraeus to the well known "mushroom" (manitari or manita) trick. This trick involved a wallet filled with newspapers and two big banknotes on the outside to make it seem the wallet was filled to the brink with money. An unexpecting stranger (the locals knew about the trick, which was widely described in newspapers of the time), in this case the American, would pick it up and would then be approached by one or two of the thieves. They then coerced their victim into trading his own wallet for the other wallet, in the end finding the found wallet was only filled to the brink with...paper! Band photo: Andrei Tchernikov Rebetiko drawings: David Prudhomme