KALIOPI & THE BLUES MESSENGERS
Host band for DOUBLE TROUBLE BLUES SESSIONS supporting Ian Collard Sunday August 28 at the St Andrews Hotel. Tix available through Eventbrite
Partea caught up with a few members from the band since the inaugural sold-out July show.
Kaliopi & the Blues Messengers officially launched at the Glenmaggie Blues & Roots Festival earlier this year with a vibrant reception from festival goers starting their loyal fan base. Kaliopi & the Blues Messengers are Double Trouble Blues Sessions host band supporting national blues.
Lisette Payet, the band’s pianist explains, “I feel fortunate to have begun experiencing Memphis Minnie since joining Kaliopi & the Blues Messengers. It’s great to hear women singing the blues and get intriguing phrasing for which I’ve become a big fan. Playing piano as part of the host band for Double Trouble Blues Sessions with the Blues Messengers I appreciate how lucky am I to play with all these great musicians”
Les Oldman, drummer in the band expresses a profound respect for Memphis Minnie’s place in blues music history in awe of Mini’s story, “What a Story!”. When asked how he felt about being a part of Kaliopi & the Blues Messengers and playing in the host band for the Double Trouble Blues Sessions? “I’m very grateful to be included in this special project among such fantastic players who want to entertain folk in these current troubled times… times of Blues.. so to speak”.
Kaliopi draws from the great blues tradition and the powerful women who made it their own and has honed in on the works of Memphis Minnie as a mentor. Now in preproduction collaborating with the country’s best specialists for their debut studio album showcasing the works of Mini, the elite ‘Blues Messengers’ plan to followup this production with a tour.
