RECAP: Zorbas Trio @ White Lake Studios, 9/24/2026

September 29, 2026

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The magnificent White Lake Studios in Colonie hosted another session of their “Upstate Unplugged” series on Thursday, September 24 — an intimate concert performance within their main recording studio, which, despite its capacity, makes you feel like you are a part of something much bigger. And this month’s performance was no exception.

Crammed to the gills, White Lake Studios was filled with friends, family, and fans of the Saratoga-based Zorbas Trio, made up of siblings (Callista, 26, Demetra, 23, and John, 20), who showcased much of their 2025 self-titled album and gave us a sneak peek into their upcoming release that they are currently working on.

Unorthodox is a great one-word description for this talented band. Their music brought aspects of tin-pan alley with John’s nostalgic but virtuosic piano and keyboard playing, with aspects of Vaudeville, classical, and dark theater. Immediately I was reminded of Leon Redbone. Less in instrumentation, a little in style, but when you saw him and heard him you thought you were experiencing something from another time, with the quality of the music matching verbatim that of the styles in which they were recreating — but there they were — young adults playing well beyond their years, with something that I, who has seen and heard a LOT in my decades, can call “original”.

Matching John’s approach to a song are his sisters, first Demetra, who was dressed like she just spent time hanging out with Janis Joplin, yet playing a bass with checkerboard patterning, which beckons back to Sean Penn’s Vans slip-ons from “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”. A contrast of styles that was nothing short of marvelous. And speaking of marvelous —THAT VOICE. Her haunting, yet sultry vocals brought me back to the early 2000s with two obscure singers, Katie Melua and Nellie McKay. All three approach the microphone with a sound that, closing your eyes, would easily make you feel you could have been listening to a multitude of different decades with utmost believability. But all while maintaining something completely her own. And Callista, who attacks the guitar with surprising ferocity, which was a fantastic juxtaposition of being a petite young woman who also gave off vibes of days of yore. Her guitar was the glue that held the band together, and even when she wasn’t approaching the instrument as, say, an Yngwie Malmsteen might, she was the connective tissue of the whole project. I’ll say this: with her talent, she could learn a lot from delving deep into Frank Zappa’s catalog (just approach some of those songs with caution…)

Their performance was outstanding. All three musicians’ notes rang beautifully in probably the most perfect recording studio in the area. Starting with a trio of songs from their 2025 release, they immediately showed the room what they had to offer and that they were in for a treat that night, which came afterwards when they tackled the iconic “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane. Demetra felt she was going to need more water to keep her voice strong, but she was spot-on. A wonderful cover of a unique song fitting of the band’s distinctiveness. They then gave us some new material — and allowed us to hear it for the first time — a pair of songs titled “Nomad” and “Blue Lion”, in which they mentioned the theme of their new album would be heavily influenced by a dark carnival. Next was a surprising cover of “25 or 6 to 4” by Chicago — a version I would love to hear on record.

“The Halloween Song” came next. A fan favorite heavily influenced by Danny Elfman and the films of Tim Burton — in this case “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” which, coincidentally, was introduced to John by their family friend Todd, who just happens to be my cousin. The audience was allowed to participate in the “creepy laugh” in the middle of the song. The lovely “Every Now and Then” followed, a moving tribute to the family’s beloved late dog. The maturity level of this was well beyond their age. “Vicarious Living” came next, which is the song from the upcoming release that I look forward to the most, as the feeling of it is heavily reminiscent of a “final boss battle” in a platformer video game.

Before John headed to the grand piano, the trio played a lovely version of “Dreams” by the Cranberries — one in which Dolores O’Riordan would have been proud of. Another cover I’d like to hear released. The remainder of the show saw John on the grand — giving us lusher instrumentation on songs like “Til Autumn Flowers Bloom”, “Don’t Care” and “Still I Breathe”, the latter being the first song they ever recorded. They ended the night with a trio of unreleased songs — “Detective”, which gave an ambiance of film noir, with John humorously saying that “it’s about a detective who is bad at his job”. “Sam Bellamy” followed, a sea-shanty-inspired homage to “the richest pirate in history,” before closing the show with “The Faire”, which tied everything up nicely and gave us a sneak peek into where this band is headed.

I look forward to the next album, as this performance demonstrated how they are going to expand their sound in the future, and proved that whatever you don’t expect, to expect it. This is a band that we should be honored to have in our local DNA, and that we can watch what will become of them as they mature musically right in our backyard. Go and see this band when you can. And get your CD or poster signed before they inevitably win a Grammy.

Setlist:
1.Troll
2 Jack in the Box
3 Sundaes
4. White Rabbit (Jefferson Airplane cover)
5. Nomad (unreleased)
6. Blue Lion (unreleased)
7. 25 or 6 to 4 (Chicago cover)
8. The Halloween Song
9. Every Now and Then
10. Vicarious Living (unreleased)
11. Rise Above
12. Crown To Hope
12. Three Ravens
13. Dreams (Cranberries cover)
14. Three Ravens
15. ‘Til Autumn Flowers Bloom
16. Root Hog or Die (traditional cover)
17. Don’t Care
18. Still I Breathe
19. Detective (unreleased)
20. Sam Bellamy (unreleased)
21. The Faire (unreleased)