kaliopi & the Blues Messengers
Kaliopi & the Blues Messengers celebrated their 2nd anniversary by hosting the International Women’s Day Blues Music Festival presented by Double Trouble Blues Sessions. A quantum leap since celebrating their 1st anniversary performing at the 2023 St Kilda Blues Festival after officially launching at the Glenmaggie Blues & Roots Festival in 2022. Currently in preproduction for their follow-up blues album melting their Louisiana pot of influencial guitars and metaphors, performing to vibrant audiences building followers since their debut blues album ‘Blues For Minnie’ receiving international recognition, validating reviews and festival invitations.
They have a solid sound, they are tight as they give the listener an old-time sounding set of tunes done up with a fresh perspective.” Blues Blast Magazine Senior writer Steve Jones, president of the Crossroads Blues Society USA
Drawing from the great delta blues tradition of powerful blueswomen, Kaliopi & the Blues Messengers launched their debut single 'When the Levee Breaks' by Memphis Minnie in December 2022 dedicated to the displaced people of the Northern Rivers and Lismore floods, then followed with their original single. 'Troublin' Blues' in March 2023 (both with official videos). In May they released a 3-track EP, Highway #9 Studio Sessions' including ‘Kissing in the Dark’, a favorite Minnie cover. Their blues debut‘Blues For Minnie’ features two originals, one Koko Taylor homage, and seven thought provoking metaphors from Memphis Minnie vast selections.
Kaliopi & the Blues Messengers developed their unique texture building on Jug Double Bass, with Dixie-like Piano, weaving Clarinet, and Delta Guitar over Louisiana shuffles and rumbas, cradling Kaliopi's soulful vocals.
In 2022, Kaliopi & the Blues Messengers became the host band for Double Trouble Blues Sessions to support some of our country's national blues icons such as Geoff Achison, Ian Collard, Jimi Hocking, and Steve Sedegreen as well as support to unearth some of our country's treasures such as Women In Blues (MBAS), Willy J (Bad Books) and Aaron Pollock. Kaliopi & The Blues Messengers regularly perform the Blues Circuit around Melbourne and greater Victoria, NSW and ACT, and now have been invited to travel the nation and abroad to tour since the release of their debut album ‘Blues For Minnie’. Kaliopi & the Blues Messengers honed in on pre-WW delta blues and arranged the works of Memphis Minnie as a foundation having developed their unique texture building from Jug Delta Bass, adding flavours of early Dixie-like piano, weaving clarinet blues licks, and Delta Blues guitar over 2/4 shuffles and rumbas, topped with Kaliopi's powerfully soulful vocals.
