ORIANTHI Panagaris is considered by critics as one of the best in her field
“This is your time to shine,” the star told his young lead guitarist, Orianthi Panagaris, in a scene from “Michael Jackson’s This is It,” which documented rehearsals for his concert series that would have started July 2009 in London. He died before the series could take off.
The Australian musician is grateful that she got to share the stage with “one of the greatest entertainers ever.”
Panagaris, now 29 and a singer-songwriter, said the experience was surreal. “I was a big fan even before we met. I was very nervous when I played in front of him during auditions,” she said at a press con for her “Every Road” promo tour in Manila.
Dreamlike
The rock artist related that Jackson had an arresting presence—not of the arrogant kind, but of pure brilliance. “I’d be playing the guitar, and he would be right next to me, dancing to ‘Billy Jean.’ It felt like a dream,” Panagaris said. “He was very funny, always joking around. He was like a 5-year-old at heart.”
They never got to perform together in front of an audience, but Jackson and Panagaris did play full sets during the three-month rehearsals. She related, “There would be just three people filming, or crew members going in and out. The moments I spent with him onstage were special.”
Asked what she learned from the King of Pop, Panagaris said, “He was very sweet and encouraging…He told me to project and not hold back. He told me to continue to express myself and inspire others.”
Panagaris, who first picked up the guitar when she was 6, gravitates toward blues and country rock, and is influenced by such artists as Jeff Beck, BB King and Carlos Santana.
She said she was lucky to meet and jam with Carlos when she was 18 at the latter’s concert in Adelaide, Australia. “He invited me onstage. I was expecting only to have my guitar autographed, but we ended up staying there for an hour,” she said, adding that Carlos later gave her some insightful advice.
“He told me to let go of fear, pray, play and just do what I was born to do…It’s really cool to meet your idols. You find out that they’re great people, which makes you admire them more,” she said.
Three albums
“When you’re in the presence of great artists, you just want to pick up whatever you can, whether it’s about the songwriting or the industry,” Panagaris added.
She has released three studio albums—“Violet Journey,” “Believe” and “Heaven in This Hell.” She has performed with the likes of Steven Tyler, Richie Sambora and Alice Cooper.
This early, Panagaris, who is of Greek descent, is heralded by critics as one of the best female electric guitarists, along with Nancy Wilson, Joan Jett and Lita Ford. “They’re all icons and I look up to them,” she said of being mentioned in the same breath as the other musicians.
Not the norm
Asked how she felt about being in a field dominated by men, Panagaris told the Inquirer, “It’s like being a male ballerina.” It’s not the norm, she pointed out, and added that it would be great to see more girls shredding the axe.
“I’d like to encourage more girls to play the guitar and not just use it just as an accessory,” she said. “I see a lot of female players in bands, and some of them can really play their heads off and kill it. I love that; I get inspired.”
When she was still in school, Panagaris recounted, a teacher suggested that she play the harp instead because it was “more feminine.”
“I was kind of bullied back in school for being a female guitar player,” she said. “But I’ve always felt that this is what I was meant to do.”
Panagaris will perform at 19 East in Muntinlupa City tomorrow; and at Hard Rock Café in Glorietta III, Makati City, on Aug. 27.
E-mail apolicarpio@inquirer.com.ph