Kaliopi & the Blues Messengers are celebrating their 2nd anniversary heading Double Trouble Blues Sessions 2024 International Woman’s Day Music Festival at the Iconic Central Club Hotel Richmond along side 10 other powerhouse Women from the Blues and beyond. A quantum leap since celebrating their 1st anniversary to the day performing at the 2023 St Kilda Blues Festival after officially launching at the Glenmagie Blues & Roots Festival in 2022. Solid and steady building a vibrant audience following throughout these past 3 years. Drawing from the great delta blues tradition of powerful blueswomen, Kaliopi & the Blues Messengers released their debut single ‘When the Levee Breaks’ in December 2022 with positive reviews, national airplay, and support as they rolled out their 2nd single. ‘Troublin’ Blues’ (both with official videos), then their 3 track sampler EP, Highway #9 Studio Sessions’ included ‘Kissing in the Dark’ in May with the official second original single release on International Women’s Day 2023. Now the much anticipated 10 track debut album ‘Blues For Minnie’ features two original gems, one homage to Koko Taylor, and seven selected Memphis Minnie tracks the band honed in on to develop their unique schtick.
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 ‘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 using the fretless and double bass building from Jug Delta Bass, adding flavours of early Dixie-like piano, weaving clarinet blues licks, and Delta Blues guitar over shuffling brushes and skin waks, topped with Kaliopi’s powerfully soulful vocals.
In between band shows, Kaliopi has been regularly jamming and headlining the Blues Jam Clubs and Association Circuit (including, Research Blues Club, Gippsland Rhythm & Blues Club, Rokewood Blues Club, Bendigo Blues Club, Melbourne Blues Collective, Blues Roulette, Eastern Blues Association, 90 Miles Blues, Hume Blues Club, Elwood Blues Club, Melbourne Blues Appreciation Society, and Stingoes Blues).
