Kaliopi & The Blues Messengers – Blues For Minnie

BLUES BLAST REVIEW usa FEBRUary 2024

Kaliopi Stavropoulos is an Australian-based musician from Greece. Her love for Mississippi Delta blues is evident as she pays homage to the great Memphis Minnie on her debut album with her band, The Blues Messengers. Having released some singles and an EP, this collection of ten songs, with seven cuts from from Minnie’s catalog, showcases Kaliopi and her band.

The Blues Messengers are Kaliopi Stavropoulos lead vocals and guitar, Connor O'Neil on bass, Chris Schurmann on double bass, Lisette Payet on keys and backing vocals, Tony Wheeler and Nick Pearce on clarinet; Les Oldman on drums and  percussion and backing vocals, and Wayne Albury on saxophone. They mix Delta blues, jug band bass, and Dixieland piano into a fun and solid sound.

She begins with the stinging rendition of “Black Cat Blues,” rife with double entendre. Kaliopi sings with passion as she howls and moans as she plays some sizzling guitar. We also get a raucous piano solo and some nice clarinet filling in. “Kissing In The Dark” is next with a nice little guitar intro. The song is full of forbidden love and all sorts of other stuff that was highly scandalous back in the day.

Kaliopi does her own “Messin’ With The Blues,” a slower tempo-ed piece with some nice guitar and thoughtful piano and clarinet. It’s a cool cut that hearkens back to earlier times. “Hoodoo Lady”  follows, a bouncing tune with a slick vibe. The song shuffles along sweetly as the band drives this tune sweetly.

“When The Levee Breaks” is a jumping cut that is reinforced by climate change and floods in her home of Australia a couple of years ago. The clarinet offers a lilted response to the lead vocals and the piano solo is jumping and cool. The band takes it home with hand claps and a good ending as the guitar picks out a few licks to finish up. The second original is “Troublin’ Blues,” a song that highlights the current economic conditions. Kaliopi sings with anger and emotion as she laments her financial status. She plays some great licks on guitar, too.

Minnie’s “Dirty Mother Fur Ya” follows as Kaliopi and company jump and swing through this one. More tasty guitar licks and impassioned, vengeful vocals are featured here along with another good piano solo. Then it’s “Hate To See The Evenin’ Sun Go Down” with call and response and acapella singing as the band claps to keep time for a minute and half. The band then comes and continues the song of struggles and oppression.

“Me & My Chauffeur Blues” is next with some great resonator guitar, piano and clarinet. She rejects her chauffeur and subjects him to a violent demise so she can drive herself around. The album concludes with Koko Taylor’s “Voodoo Woman,” a song of mystical and female power. Kaliopi’s guitar rings and the band lays down a sweet groove as Stavropoulos once again sings with passion.

This is a nice first effort for Kaliopi and her band mates. They have a solid sound and they are tight as they give the listener an old-time sounding set of tunes done up with a fresh perspective. If you are a fan of down-home music, then give this a spin. It’s a down-home perspective delivered from the other side of the globe, and I think you’ll enjoy it!

Blues Blast Magazine Senior writer Steve Jones is president of the Crossroads Blues Society and is a long standing blues lover. He is a retired Navy commander who served his entire career in nuclear submarines. In addition to working in his civilian career since 1996, he writes for and publishes the bi-monthly newsletter for Crossroads, chairs their music festival and works with their Blues In The Schools program. He resides in Byron, IL.

“WHEN THE LEVEE BREAKS” NATIONAL COVERAGE AND FOLLOWUP ORIGINAL “TROUBLIN’ BLUES”

Written by The Partae January 21, 2023

Music Interviews & News

As your debut single, ‘When the Levee Breaks’, is so relevant as the River Murray floods across parts of Victoria, causing huge damage, is this what led you to record this song?

We were preparing for the Glenmaggie Blues and roots fest in March 2022, and the devastation up north in Lismore was heartbreaking, people in the Northern Rivers were losing their home and the relentless rain just kept travelling down south from NSW and actually even washed out that festival which moved indoors. We included that song to the repertoire then and it continues to resonate with our listeners. ‘When the Levee Breaks’ made it into the top 10 on Metropolitan AMRAP charts just before Christmas and we’re so grateful it’s starting to get airplay around the country along amazing national and international artists and songs.

You’ve referenced Memphis Minnie as a mentor on a few occasions, what is it about her that inspires you?

I consider Memphis Minnie a revolutionist, survivor, and genius way ahead of her time. Rising above oppression not just because she was an African American woman destined for slavery. She became a practicing musician and band leader in what can still be consider a man’s domain in a white man’s world. She developed and performed brilliant and lasting guitar that accompanied her desperate and bold vocals. Minnie had to be better than men and her material is still relevant and continues to resonate with songs of oppression, slavery, sexuality, domestic violence, systemic corruption, prostitution, forbidden sex and love, rape which just skims the surface of her tribes struggles. So if I feel blue, down or done, I think of her, and play and sing, dust off and get up and go on!

Who makes up the Blues Messengers?

The band really is a team of world class talent is led by me with the watchful ear and mentorship John Durr, president of Melbourne Blues Appreciation Society. All the musicians, including myself, are a work in progress embracing life learning. Playing dixieland piano is Lisette Payette (Kelly Auty), Connor O’Neill (Dream Boogie) recorded the fretless Sussaphone style electric bass guitar and Tim Matthew (Melbourne Ska Orchestra) joined us last year for the Double Trouble Blues Session & Ruth Robertson (Sweet Inspirations) deputy Double Bass and Clarinet was session on recording for Levee Terry Wheelan from NSW recording specialist but not really blues specialist and Darren came to fill-in live until  Nicholas Peirce (Tism) just joined to specialise on Blues Clarinet and some Baritone.

You’ve been working with Geoff Achison, Ian Collard, Jimi Hocking – some of the great names of Australian Blues…  what are some of your personal highlights What are your future tour plans?

Whilst we’re preparing our 2nd single and original release “Troublin’ Blues”, I have and continue to learn allot from these national icons, and Geoff is my serious goto mentor and guitar teacher. Playing with these artists is like a six month master class! I often consult them on teaching and learning aspects. With Geoff, I’m learning about the Zen of performance and guitar – simmering an intro or a 1 chord and a solo. Jimi – sound production as well as dual guitar concepts. Ian – slide guitar and open tunings, swing/shuffle, and the finer early blues specific nuances related to the style I’m honing on in. I’m like a baby excited and absorbing everything – loving the blues.

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PARTAE ARTICLE

AUSTRALIAN MUSICIAN REVIEW: KALIOPI & THE BLUES MESSENGERS – GEORGE LANE, ST.KILDA 

Greg Phillips Dec 13, 2022 Blog 

Kaliopi & The Blues Messengers at ‘When the Levee Breaks’ video shoot 

Review: Colette Imison. Photos: Jason Rosewarne 

George Lane in St Kilda was the perfect venue chosen by Kaliopi and The Blues Messengers to launch their new single ‘When the Levee Breaks’ on Saturday 10th December. Built in 1857, the ambience of the delicately lit room genuinely took you back to the early 1900’s and back to an era where one of the worlds most prominent ladies of blues ‘Memphis Minnie’ (Lizzie Douglas) took to the stage in a time when woman supposedly had their ‘place’. 

Legend has it that Memphis Minnie was the first woman to take an electric guitar to the stage, where she wanted to drown out the chatter of the crowds and bring all focus onto her music and words. A staunch feminist, who refused to conform to the expectations of ‘well-behaved’ ladies, found Memphis Minnie become a role model to many ‘strong-women’ of the day and continues to be nearly 100 years later. 

‘When the Levee Breaks’ is a cover originally penned by Memphis Minnie in 1929 in response to the most destructive flood in U.S history, the Great Mississippi Floods of 1927. Many may recognise the title, as it was also covered and re-worked by Led Zeppelin in 1971. 

A Tribute To Memphis Minnie and Women of Blues, the matinee performance started with the premier of the ‘When the Levee Breaks’ music video, which was directed by Demetra Giannakopoulos. 

Given climate change and the recent floods the east coast of Australia has endured over the past few years, Kaliopi was inspired to reinvent the track together with her 5 piece band – The Blues Messengers. 

Comprising of: 
Lead Vocals/Electric Guitar – Kaliopi Stravropoulos 
Keyboard/Backing Vocals: Lisette Payet 
Double Bass: Ruth Robertson 
Clarinet/Backing Vocals: Darren Hutton 
Drums: Les Oldman 

Check out the fab new video below from Kaliopi and The Blues Messengers for their new single ‘When the Levee Breaks’ 

The video captures the impact of floods and climate change, where the bands own take on the track finds a hint of the sounds of Dixieland music, which was popular with musicians in Chicago, where ironically Memphis Minnie established herself as a musician. 

The lyrics truly brings to the forefront the impacts of flood and climate change and the affects endured by those caught in the chaos. 
‘If it keeps on raining, levee’s going to break 
And the water gonna come and have no place to stay. 
If it keeps on raining, levee’s going to break 
And all these people’ll have no place to stay’. 

Kaliopi and The Blues Messengers are a relatively newly formed ensemble who debuted at the Glenmaggie Blues and Roots Festival in early 2022. 

Briefly chatting to Kaliopi, she spoke about her personal and musical journey, where she weathered many personal storms during a period where rock music was predominant in her life. 

Having worked with an array of seasoned musicians in Australia, Asia, Europe and the U.S.A, Kaliopi found herself travelling to her motherland of Greece, where she was privileged to perform with some of Greece’s finest musicians and where she also found a connection to the strength of women on the island where her mother was born. 

This in turn found her exploring Greek Blues Music, performing with Greek Rembetika and Smyrnaika musicians, where she states she was introduced to scales that were reminiscent of traditional blues. 

Akin to an epiphany, Kaliopi states that she finally found a style of music that spoke to her, where blues had the ability to allow her to find herself and free to BE. 

Having graduated from the Melbourne Blues Appreciation Societies ‘Women in Blues Program’ and further studies, Kaliopi credits president of the MBAS ‘John Durr’ to be a notable mentor in her blues journey. 

Embracing blues music found Kaliopi release an album ‘Love, Loss and Mental Health’ (40 Year Compilation) in 2018. 

Fast forwarded to 2022, Kaliopi is joined by The Blues Messengers, whom together are doing just that. Playing the blues with a strong message. 

The band started off with a silky version of Koko Taylor’s (1975) Voodoo Woman, where Kaliopi’s smooth guitar picking on her Gibson takes you in, finding her strong raw growling vocals casting a spell on you instantly. 

Covering a number of Memphis Minnie tracks throughout the afternoon, including launched single ‘When the Levee Breaks’, Kaliopi surmised the intent of each song before performing each track. 

The music wasn’t overdone and had an honest feel to it, where the listener was able to tap into the warm notes of the soothing clarinet, and the wispy sounds of the drum brushes sweeping on the snare and hi-hat. Surprisingly Ruth Robertson who traditionally plays guitar and is a vocalist, only started playing the Double Bass three years ago. One would never have known, as she played it so confidently. 

A stand out to everyone in the room was that every musician on that stage had a rapport with each other, where there was friendly banter, smiles and laughter between them. At one point you felt that Kaliopi and keyboardist Lisette Payet almost forget they had an audience, they were both so in the moment and connected in that moment, one couldn’t help but smile. 

Playing BB King’s ‘Why I sing the Blues’ found the band weave in the sounds of the Greek Blues. You couldn’t help feeling this song, knowing that Kaliopi’s experience with music in Greece found her at the very point of understanding ‘Why she plays the Blues’. 

Keen to hear some original pieces, George Lane were privileged to hear a piece written by Kaliopi called ‘Troublin’ Blues’. The essence of blues is that it is a vessel to communicate and to tell a story. 

It is healing and stripped raw. Listening to the words conveyed by Kaliopi throughout this show and hearing snippets of her own journey, finds me wanting to hear more of her own story through song. With hope that the healing she has found through the music of Memphis Minnie, can be replicated and healing to others in a similar fashion. 

This was indeed a marvellous tribute to Memphis Minnie and her works, with a strong emphasis regarding the importance of tackling climate change, embracing womanhood, strength and truth. 

You find yourself questioning whether much has changed for women the last 100 years. 

Relatable in a sense that although our journeys may be different, that song and music has the ability to resonate with us all and heal us. 

SET LIST 
Voodoo Woman (Koko Taylor) 
Kissing in the Dark (Memphis Minnie) 
When the Levee Breaks (Memphis Minnie) 
Mother Fur Ya (Memphis Minnie) 
(I Hate to See the) Evening Sun Go Down (Memphis Minnie) 
Hoodoo Lady (Memphis Minnie) 
Black Cat Blues ( Memphis Minnie) 
Me and My Chauffeur (Memphis Minnie) 
Troublin’ Blues (Kaliopi) 
Why I sing the Blues (BB King) 
I’m A Woman (Koko Taylor) 
Got my Mojo Working (Etta James) 

Upcoming shows for Kaliopi and The Blues Messengers. 

Thursday Dec 15 
Humes Blues Club – Thornbury 

Friday Dec 30 
Beneath Driver Lane – Melbourne 

Sat 14 Jan 
The Blues Train – Queenscliff 

Kaliopi will also be sharing the stage with Geoff Achison and Jimi Hocking. 

Double Trouble Blues Sessions 
Sunday 18 December 
Ziggy Pops – St Kilda 

For ticket info visit: www.kaliopi.com.au

Kaliopi Stavropoulos sings the blues