It’s not all Greek to Pavlo in delivering his Mediterranean tunes

It’s always been about music and not money for Pavlo. That’s the way it goes for Greek instrumentalists not named Yanni.

“I’ve always been about following what feels good,” Pavlo said while calling from his Tampa, Fla., home. “I’ve just followed my heart, and here I am.”

Pavlo, who performs Friday at the Bing Crosby Theater, is a gifted guitarist who melds the sounds of the Mediterranean, flamenco, Latin, Greek, Balkan and pop.

“It’s all due to the various influences that have impacted me during my life,” Pavlo said. “I grew up in Toronto, but both of my parents came from Greece.

“Almost every summer, we would go back to Greece. I would combine the music of my parent’s homeland with the love of music I grew up with in Canada.”

Pavlo, 51, came of age enamored of Ontario icons such as Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot and Rush.

“Canada has some amazing artists,” Pavlo said. “I learned so much from them.”

Lightfoot and Alex Lifeson of Rush are Pavlo’s friends. “Gordon comes out to shows when I play Toronto, and Alex is going to perform with me later in the year at Massey Hall. I’m thankful for what I’ve accomplished even though I’m a relative nobody.”

Relative nobodies performing at Massey Hall or creating popular PBS specials like the humble Pavlo? That’s not possible.

“I’m in a world in which I go up against the Josh Grobans of the world, and I’m doing fine there,” he said. “I love doing the specials there. I did a show in Santorini, and it was so refreshing. No McDonald’s and just pure beauty in Santorini. It’s a great place to do any sort of special.

“I’m not doing badly for a guy who picked up the guitar at 10 and made a career out of it. I’ve been all over the world doing what I love. I’ve performed in Singapore, Germany and, well, you name it.”

Pavlo has performed in Spokane on numerous occasions. “Thanks to the success of my PBS specials, I’m able to perform in places like Spokane,” Pavlo said. “I love it there. It’s so beautiful, and there’s no place like the Bing Crosby Theater. The people of Spokane are always so enthusiastic. I can’t wait to go back there to perform.”