By CLAYTON PARK

When Lakis Kazakos invited husband-wife musicians Hank Bradley and Cathie Whitesides to start giving performances of Greek folk music at his family's eatery, Georgia's Greek Restaurant in Greenwood, in 1998, little did he know that it would lead to a showdown with the state's Liquor Control Board.

Kazakos' alleged crime: allowing live music to be performed in a family restaurant where alcoholic beverages were also served. Even though Georgia's had a beer and wine license, the state viewed the eatery's live music nights as illegal "added activities."

The state threatened to shut Kazakos' restaurant down if he didn't halt the music nights, but in doing so, it turned Georgia's into a cause celebre that quickly gained support from other restaurants and supporters of live music.

Kazakos temporarily suspended his music nights, but proceeded to lobby the Liquor Board to grant his restaurant an exemption on the grounds that live music was part of his cultural heritage as a native of Greece.

In a Seattle Weekly article published in April 1999, Kazakos recalled accompanying his parents as a child to restaurants in Greece "and listening to music, dancing and eating the food with friends and (other) children ... That's how I grew up. I didn't become a bad person. It taught me values."

Kazakos not only succeeded in getting the exemption - his efforts paved the way for the "added activities" ordinance to be eventually overturned.

Today, Georgia's continues to proudly host live Greek music nights, with a schedule that has been expanded to three weekend evenings a month, featuring the combo of Bradley, Whitesides and native Greek musician Yiannis Novakis twice a month and the duo of Novakis and fellow Greek musician Takis Dotis the other night.

Bradley and Whitesides usually begin their evenings at Georgia's playing as a duo before bringing Novakis on to join them for later sets.

Bradley and Whitesides specialize in Rebetika-style Greek tunes, which Bradley describes as Greek "tavern music" from the 1920s-50s that was heavily influenced by music from Asia Minor. The duo also perform music from other parts of Eastern Europe, including Slavic and Russian folk tunes. Occasionally, Bradley says with a sly grin, "I will throw in a little bouzouki blues" to keep listeners on their toes.

Together with Novakis, the trio can be counted on to perform a wide range of popular Greek standards, including "Never On Sunday" and "Zorba the Greek."

While neither Bradley or Whitesides are Greek, Bradley has been studying and playing Greek music since 1974, when he bought an antiquated bouzouki, a Greek instrument, from musician friend Chad Henry, who later gained fame for composing the score to the musical "Angry Housewives."

Bradley describes a bouzouki as a large bowl-backed mandolin with an elongated neck. Both instruments have eight strings. A bouzouki, when played, sounds similar to a mandolin, but its notes have more of an echo-like quality.

Bradley is a highly regarded multi-instrumentalist who is well versed in several styles of music, including bluegrass, old-timey folk, and blues. In 1974, he won the Washington state fiddle championship. He began studying Greek music that same year by listening to recordings. While he had no trouble memorizing the notes, he admits to having played the music with a "foreign accent," largely due to a lack of opportunities to observe Greek musicians in real life.

Bradley's breakthrough in shedding that "accent" began in the late '80s when he befriended a retired policeman who had grown up in Greece and used to play Greek music in his younger years.

The retired policeman eventually introduced Bradley to Novakis, who invited Bradley to sit in on some of his gigs with other Greek musicians.

Whitesides is an accomplished musician and fiddle teacher, whose other musical endeavors include performing for Contra music dances at the Lake City Community Center. After moving to Seattle from the Bay Area to marry Bradley in 1993, she began learning Greek tunes to perform with her husband.

The couple, who reside in Maple Leaf, began playing Greek music as a duo at a Greek restaurant near the Seattle Center, but that venue soon proved too small to accommodate all the people turning out for their shows.

Enter Kazakos, who knew of Bradley and Whitesides' search for a new place to perform. He had wanted to add live music nights at his family's restaurant as a way of creating a more total Greek experience for customers.

When the couple play at Georgia's as a duo, they mainly stick with instrumental tunes, but sing a few songs in Greek, even though Bradley admits "We're not that fluent in Greek!" Novakis, on the other hand, is not only fluent in his native tongue, he is also an exceptional singer, notes Kazakos. Novakis' repertoire when he plays with Dotis, who also sings, includes modern Greek tunes.

Georgia's upcoming music nights include: Friday, Feb. 1, featuring Bradley, Whitesides and Novakis; Friday, Feb. 8, featuring Novakis and Dotis; and Saturday, Feb. 23, featuring Bradley, Whitesides and Novakis. Music starts at 6 p.m. and generally runs until 10 p.m., but the entertainment sometimes goes longer. Georgia's is located at 323 NW 85th St.

For more information, call 783-1228.