Caslano Blues 2023

From 14 to 18 June, the ninth edition of the Malcantone festival.

From 14 to 18 June 2023 Caslano, its beautiful town centre and its splendid lakeside promenade will be the setting for the eighth edition of the Blues festival which traditionally inaugurates and launches the long and intense musical summer in the Canton of Ticino. Since 2013 the village of Basso Malcantone welcomes what, year after year, has become an increasingly comprehensive and engaging event, and not just for lovers of this music.

Thanks to its constantly evolving formula, Caslano Blues can indeed be considered as a "party for everyone": four evenings and noon on Sunday that combine excellent music with the pleasure of experiencing and appreciating it in a unique and fascinating setting such that offered from the village overlooking Lake Ceresio. And it is exactly with this spirit and with this objective that Pro Caslano, the Municipality and Lugano Region have been proposing their Blues festival.

Program

Chris Jagger (UK) 

Chris Jagger, younger brother of the legendary Mick, is one of the most interesting figures on the British folk-rock scene. Since the 1970s, he has released a dozen albums, the latest of which, 'Mixing up the Medicine', also features his brother as a guest. This is an eclectic record, with sounds from blues to folk, from rock to jazzy rhythms and R&B, from hints of funk and reggae to Cajun and zydeco. 

24 Pesos (UK) 

Julian Burdock returns to Caslano by popular demand a year after the concerts in which he performed with Spanish harmonica player Danny Del Toro. This time, the spectacular guitarist and singer will appear with his full band, the "24 Pesos", a powerful band that has been nominated as many as ten times for the British Blues Award and was awarded in 2016 for the most innovative blues album. 

Richie Arndt, Gregor Hilden & Kellie Rucker (DE/USA)  

Richie Arndt can be considered the German ambassador of the blues: in recent years, he has been awarded for best contemporary bluesman, best album, best vocalist and - last year to top it all - best guitarist in his homeland. Alongside him in Caslano are two other equally esteemed musicians, namely German guitarist Gregor Hilden and American singer and harmonica player Kellie Rucker. 

Surfin' Claire and the Whisky Rockers (ITA) 

A rockabilly band born in 2015 in Lecco with the intention of making music to have fun and make people have fun, to dance and make people dance: the best way to do so was with rock'n'roll. Surfin' Claire & The Whisky Rockers have built up a vast and varied repertoire over time, alternating famous with some more sophisticated but equally addictive tunes. 

Mandolin Blues (ITA) 

A member of the longest-running Neapolitan blues band, the Blue Stuff, multi-instrumentalist Lino Muoio has perfected his technique over the years on what has become his instrument of choice, the mandolin, to which he has already dedicated four albums, the latest of which, 'Vedo Napoli e poi Muoio', sung in Neapolitan dialect, a splendid marriage of both American and Neapolitan traditions. 

BluesCreen (ITA) 

BluesCreen's sound is a mix of blues, rock and R&B, all seasoned with a sprinkling of swing. Instinctive dynamics and gritty arrangements that suddenly dissolve into the sweetest of ballads, leaving the soft taste of an evening well spent at the end of the concert, thanks to the diverse repertoire offered by this seasoned band from Turin. 

Krissy Matthews Trio (UK) 

Young British-Norwegian guitarist and songwriter Krissy Matthews is considered one of the rising stars in the European blues-rock scene. He played in Caslano in 2018 with the Hamburg Blues Band (of which he has been a member for seven years now) and Maggie Bell, and now returns with a power trio of his own, clearly inspired by Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Rory Gallagher. 

Petra Bornerova Trio (CZE)  

Hailing from the Czech Republic (where they won the national Blues Challenge last year) is this trio consisting of singer and accordionist Petra Börnerová, her husband, guitarist Tomáš Bobek Bobrovniczký, and their 14-year-old son Tomáš, a drummer. Their repertoire contains both covers and their own compositions, with an interesting and light-hearted approach to blues that makes their performances intimate and engaging.  

KT Blues (SVI) 

A new name on the cantonal blues scene is Krensly Taveras, a talented singer of Dominican origin who has already made a name for herself in Ticino, where she has been living for some twenty years, as a backing singer in several cover bands. Now Krensly is embarking on a new challenge with KT Blues, joined in Caslano by Max Dega on guitar, Vanni Patriarca on bass and Robi Panzeri on drums. 

Marco Marchi & the Mojo Workers (SVI) 

Winner of the 2022 Swiss Blues Award, Marco Marchi returns to Caslano with his Mojo Workers and that fantastic set of acoustic blues that has helped them carve out a niche for themselves on the European scene since 2009. A repertoire of blues, ragtime, early jazz and boogie from the 1920s to the 1950s, which the quartet plays with a totally unique style, made up of energy, passion and authenticity.  

Lakeetra Knowles (USA) 

American singer Lakeetra Knowles has been on a musical journey of jazz, blues and soul since she was a child, with a repertoire of original songs and reinterpretations of great songwriters. Accompanying her is the Music Train Band, some of Italy's best soul-blues musicians: Ettore Cappelletti and Alessandro Diaferio on guitars, Dave Rossi on keyboards, Paolo Legramandi on bass and Pablo Leoni on percussion. 

Boney Fields (USA) 

American trumpeter and singer Boney Fields belongs to that generation of African-American artists born to tame the stage with an irresistible blend of funk and blues. Born and raised in Chicago, he has worked alongside musicians of the calibre of Lucky Peterson, Luther Allison, James Cotton, Buddy Guy and Liz McComb. He arrives in Caslano with his backing band and a show destined to set Piazza Lago alight. 

Hotlanta (SVI) 

Hotlanta play rock without frills, with many blues and soul influences, with which the Ticino band takes us on a trip to the deep south of the United States. 

The two founders Matteo 'Tedd' Bertini (vocals) and Rocco Lombardi (drums) are now joined by Mattia 'Mad' Mantello on guitar, Matteo 'Cleveland' Ballabio on keyboards and Francesco 'Cec' Rezzonico on bass.  

Neo's (SVI) 

The proposal of this Ticino band was born out of a passion for American R&B, funk and neo-soul music, and as such departs from the standard musical offering. The Neo's (drums, bass, keyboards, guitar and two lead vocals) are made up of highly experience musicians and excellent interpreters of 'black music'. 

The BluesBones (BE) 

Already runners-up at the 2017 European Challenge, the BluesBones have been the most popular blues band in Belgium for about ten years now and are also very popular in the UK, with a proven repertoire ranging from blues-rock to ballads. On stage are five experienced musicians: Nico De Cock (vocals), Stef Paglia (guitar), Edwin Risbourg (hammond), Geert Boeckx (bass) and Jens Roelandt (drums). 

Jessie Lee & the Alchemists (FRA) 

Singer and guitarist Jessie Lee arrives from France with her Alchemists, namely Alexis 'Mr Al' Didier on guitar, Laurent Cokelaere on bass, Stéphane Minana on drums and Laurian Daire on keyboards. The Anglo-Saxon influences of the group - winner of the 2019 French Blues Challenge 2019 - range from blues to rock via soul, pop and even jazz. 

Joe Valeriano Band (ITA) 

Joe Valeriano is one of the best-known figures on the Italian blues scene, in which he has been active for more than thirty years. With his voice and his unfailing Stratocaster, he is considered one of the best interpreters of Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Often a guest in our Canton, he comes to Caslano with a power trio completed by Giuseppe Brigandì on bass and Roberto Rimoldi on drums.