KENILWORTH — John Kiriakatis, of Kenilworth, has a fascinating career in music.
He started out playing guitar by ear, which took him later on a colorful, exciting music career, placing him in many A-list circles and situations, such as being the support act to Meat Loaf, making records with Richie Sambora and Tico Torres from Bon Jovi, and showcasing for CBS records.
Now, he’s playing lead guitar in Ronnie Skull & The Bloody Daggers. They’re having a free show at the I Heart Horror & Hot Rods Ice Cream Monster Jamboree car show at VFW Post 4699 in Sayreville on Saturday, May 16. They plan to go on at 2:30 p.m.
Ronnie Skull & The Bloody Daggers is an all-original heavy metal/punk band. “I think it’s gonna be heavier than they anticipated,” said Kiriakatis. “Sounds pretty decent.”
Original tunes include songs like “She’s in Love with a Wolfman,” “Graveyard Love,” “Evil Dr. Frankenstein” and “Kiss Me, Kill Me.”
“A lot of horror-themed stuff,” said Kiriakatis.
As of now, this is a one-time gig, but Kiriakatis says they may do more. “If people like us and we have a good time, we’ll probably continue,” he said.
Kiriakatis grew up in Astoria, Queens, moving to Kenilworth in 1970. His father was a multi-instrumentalist and his grandfather was a legend. Yiannis Kiriakatis came to the United States from Greece in the 1920s. He’s featured on albums such as “The Art of the Greek Folk Clarinet – 78 rpm Recordings 1920-1933.” His work is available on Spotify and can also be heard on YouTube.
“He went from coast to coast playing,” said Kiriakatis. “He had a ton of 78s recorded. He’s on YouTube. In Greek music, he’s one of the big names in the clarinet world. He passed away 60 years ago. He was one of the first guys to be famous in the United States, playing Greek music. He has a bigger presence than I have.”
When Kiriakatis first got into music, he was inspired by Black Sabbath. “When the first album came out, I freaked out,” he said.
He’s also inspired by Cream and Jimi Hendrix.
“I dabbled in drums, I dabbled in bass and I was bored,” said Kiriakatis. “Finally, guitar – I found my niche.”
He started off playing completely by ear. He said, “Me and my friend taught each other by slowing the records down. Pre-internet. Later in my career, I went to take lessons at Cranford Guitar. Joe Ferraro was one of the best musicians I ever met. He showed me how to do a lot of stuff. I started playing a little classical and learning more. Later on, I went to Berklee and took courses in songwriting.”
When Kiriakatis performed with bands in high school, they’d play the battles and usually won or came in second place. His band Crystal Lion backed Meat Loaf at the beginning of his career. “He came in a station wagon,” Kiriakatis said. “It was really cool. Nicest guy ever. I was a big fan because of ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show.’”
Kiriakatis was involved in many professional projects and played in bands with Danny Nova, and Russell Arcara from Prophet. With Arcara, the band became The News and performed at the Fountain Casino every week, alongside acts such as David Johansen and Joan Jett. The News had a song on WAPP – The Apple FM 103.5, a compilation of the best original bands in the area, which also featured Jon Bon Jovi – then John Bongiovi – before they were a household name. Other members of Bon Jovi – Richie Sambora and Tico Torres – made a guest appearance on ForTae’s album “Come On!” on which Kiriakatis played, along with other members Jimmy Pappas and Mark Paul Fortae. Kiriakatis was also in a band with George Karak, who co-wrote “Runaway” with Bon Jovi.
From 1989 to 1990, Kiriakatis was a guitarist in a band called Lovesick and played throughout New York City and New Jersey. “Just at the peak of hair metal and the end of it. We had management. They took us to Canada and recorded for a week in the same studio Rush recorded at.”
Kiriakatis is still at the top of his game, performing whenever he can. His advice to any young person who wants to be a musician is to practice, be humble and nice to everybody. He said, “You never know where your luck is gonna come from. You don’t make connections on the websites. You have your network. That’s how you get gigs. Having a reputation of being a nice guy and not talking about people helps you a lot.”
Photos Courtesy of John Kiriakatis
