Caslano Blues 2024

The tenth edition will be celebrated from 12 to 16 June

Inaugurated in 2013, but blocked for two years by Covid, Caslano Blues is ready to celebrate its tenth edition. It will do it in a big way from 12 to 16 June, with a program of twenty-five free concerts offered as has become tradition first - on Wednesday and Thursday evenings - in seven different courtyards of the splendid nucleus of the Malcantonese village, and then - on Friday and Saturday - on the two stages set up in the beautiful Piazza Lago. All completed by various gastronomic offers and concluded on Sunday at midday with the usual "jam session" on the lakeside.

Enlivening Caslano Blues 2024 there will be musicians and bands from all over the world, guaranteeing a unique environment and a quality soundtrack for this "party for everyone" developed year after year. The one organized by Pro Caslano with the support of the Municipality and Lugano Region, is a "festival" of blues and surrounding areas dedicated to enthusiasts (but not only them!) of all ages. Also this year, among other things, with the tempting possibility of taking part (on Wednesday or Friday) in one of the mini cruises aptly named "Blues Cruises", with departure and return to and from Lugano, or between Caslano and Ponte Tresa , obviously with live music on board the legendary "Dardo".

Program

Wednesday 12th June

• Patrik Jansson Band (SVE)
• Breiti & The Big Easy Gators (SVI)
• Shaggy Dogs (FRA)
• Giancarlo Crea & BlueAces (ITA)
• Lena & The Slide Brothers (FIN)
• Egidio “Juke” Ingala & The Jacknives (ITA)    
• The Freaky Buds (FRA)
• Henry’s Blues Duo (ITA)
• Marco Marchi & Danilo Moccia (SVI)

Thursday 13th June

• Shaggy Dogs (FRA)
• The Freaky Buds (FRA)
• Egidio “Juke” Ingala & The Jacknives (ITA)
• Delta Groove (SVI)
• Riccardo Staraj & Midnight Blues Band (CRO)    
• Giles Robson Band & Robbin Kapsalis (UK/USA)
• Lena & The Slide Brothers (FIN)

Friday 14th June

• Angelo Leadbelly Rossi & Bat Battiston (ITA/SVI)
• Joe Valeriano Acoustic Duo (ITA)
• Lifechild (SVI)
• Giles Robson Band & Robbin Kapsalis (UK/USA)
• Lisa & The Lips (USA/SPA)
• Riccardo Staraj & Midnight Blues Band (CRO)    

Saturday 15th June

• BluesCreen (ITA)
• Ana Popovic (SRB)
• Max Dega & The Soul Drinkers (SVI/ITA)
• J.C. Harpo Band (SVI)

Sunday 16th June

• Aperitivo in blues, Jam Session

Artists

Patrik Jansson Band (SVE)

• Wednesday 12th of June, centre village (8:30 pm – 11:00 pm)

Singer, guitarist, drummer and composer, Patrik Jansson founded his band in 2007 in Stockholm, and has since become increasingly popular outside Sweden, with several CDs and European tours to his credit. His is an electric, Chicago-style, contemporary heavy blues.

Breiti & The Big Easy Gators (SVI)

• Wednesday 12th of June, centre village (8:30 pm – 11:00 pm)

Aargau pianist Daniel "Breiti" Breitenstein and his Big Easy Gators bring bundles of New Orleans to Caslano, with an exciting soundtrack of boogie-woogie and rock'n'roll, rhythm & blues and ragtime, blues, gospel and funky. In short, theirs are concerts to dance to.

Shaggy Dogs (FRA)

• Wednesday 12th of June, centre village (8:30 pm – 11:00 pm)
• Thursday 13th of June, centre village (8:30 pm – 11:00 pm)

Since 1998, the Shaggy Dods have been playing an en explosive blend of rhythm'n'blues, soul and rockabilly, something they have christened a 'Fiesta Blues'n'Roll' and destined, without doubt, to make the audience go wild. The Parisian quintet arrives in Caslano in the middle of yet another European tour.

Giancarlo Crea & BlueAces (ITA)

• Wednesday 12th of June, centre village (8:30 pm – 11:00 pm)

The band gravitates around Giancarlo Crea from Como, a pioneer of blues harmonica in Italy and beyond. The group was formed with the intention of recreating the sound of the 1950s with guitar (Fabio Colombo), bass (Fabrizio "Buddy Walkin" Di Stefano), brushed drums (Massimo "Teeno" Bertagna) and, obviously, the magic of the harmonica.

Lena & The Slide Brothers (FIN)

• Wednesday 12th of June, centre village (8:30 pm – 11:00 pm)
• Thursday 13th of June, centre village (8:30 pm – 11:00 pm)

Lena and her Slide Brothers come from Helsinki with a reputation as one of Finland's most popular blues bands. Already winners of the Finnish Blues Awards and finalists at the European Challenge, the quartet 'led' by the talented singer and bassist Lena Lindroos delivers concerts of the highest intensity.

Egidio “Juke” Ingala & The Jacknives (ITA)

• Wednesday 12th of June, centre village (8:30 pm – 11:00 pm)
• Thursday 13th of June, centre village (8:30 pm – 11:00 pm)

Egidio 'Juke' Ingala & The Jacknives are one of the most prominent bands on the European blues scene, not only for their explosive live performances, but also for the sheer quality of their music. A first-class band playing the blues from Chicago to the West Coast, from rhythm and blues to rock'n'roll.

The Freaky Buds (FRA)

• Wednesday 12th of June, centre village (8:30 pm – 11:00 pm)
• Thursday 13th of June, centre village (8:30 pm – 11:00 pm)

Hailing from Brittany, the Freaky Buds are rooted in electric blues classics blended with more modern and decidedly rockier music. The French band has maintained an original line-up, without a bass player, a direct homage to their roots and blues influences.

Henry’s Blues Duo (ITA)

• Wednesday 12th of June, Blues Cruises

A harmonica player and vocalist who has been active in the Milan blues scene for several decades, Enrico Penati has made the search for a personal style the focus of his musical work. With the versatile guitarist and vocalist Giorgio Fassi, he has a genuine chemistry that has materialised into the Henry's Blues Duo project.

Marco Marchi & Danilo Moccia

• Wednesday 12th of June, Blues Cruises

Winner of the Swiss Blues Award 2022, Marco Marchi plays the fantastic acoustic repertoire that, since 2009, has enabled him to carve out a niche for himself on the European scene. At his side is Locarno-based Danilo Moccia, voted best trombonist several times by the Swiss magazine Jazz'n'More.

Delta Groove (SVI)

• Thursday 13th of June, centre village (8:30 pm – 11:00 pm)

The Delta Groove Band's project is based on Robert Johnson's famed 29 songs with new arrangements and a gritty sound that immediately makes you... party. An all-Ticino band consisting of guitarists Gianluca Croci and Oliver "Oliz" Frei, bassist Carlo Reichlin and drummer Matteo Frapolli.

Riccardo Staraj & Midnight Blues Band (CRO)

• Thursday 13th of June, centre village (8:30 pm – 11:00 pm)
• Friday 14th of June, Piazza Lago (00:30 am – 02:00 am)

Riccardo Staraj and his Midnight Blues Band - energy and creativity steeped in blues, funk and blues rock. The Croatian singer and poet is fond of saying that he follows role models who have managed to translate their poetry into top-notch rock and blues performances, namely Lou Reed, Jim Morrison and Nick Cave.

Giles Robson Band & Robbin Kapsalis (UK)

• Thursday 13th of June, centre village (8:30 pm – 11:00 pm)
• Friday 14th of June, Piazza Lago (8:45 pm – 10:15 pm)

A blues harmonica virtuoso, multiple world award-winning singer and masterful showman, British musician Giles Robson returns nine years later to ignite Caslano Blues with two concerts guaranteed to be full of energy, especially as he is joined by charismatic American singer Robbin Kapsalis as a 'special guest'.

Angelo Leadbelly Rossi & Bat Battiston (ITA/SVI)

• Friday 14th of June, Blues Cruises

Goose bumps are guaranteed for any lover of old-time blues when it is played by two great performers; Bat Battiston, from Bellinzona, and Angelo 'Leadbelly' Rossi from Varese, both highly appreciated guests of Caslano Blues DOC, always providing plenty of excitement.

Joe Valeriano Acoustic Duo (ITA)

• Friday 14th of June, Blues Cruises

Considered to be one of the best interpreters of Hendrix, Vaughan, Clapton and other classic blues legends, with his unparalleled experience Joe Valeriano performs with his own style. The Milanese guitarist returns to Caslano with an unusual acoustic performance, accompanied by trusted bassist Giuseppe Brigandì.

Lifechild (SVI)

• Friday 14th of June, Piazza Lago (7:15 pm – 8:45 pm)

Lifechild, from Ticino, play a mixture of original songs and mainly rock-blues and country covers. The strengths of Francesco Sertori (guitar), Alessandro Bracher (guitar and vocals), Lucio La Chimia (drums) and Fabio Boschetti (vocals and bass) lie in their straightforward, no-nonsense sound.

Lisa & The Lips (USA/SPA)

• Friday 14th of June, Piazza Lago (10:45 pm – 00:30 am)

Some have called Lisa Kekaula no less than a 'worthy descendant of Tina Turner or Aretha Franklin'. Others, hers 'the best soul-funk-rock band'. The fact is that the voice of Californian singer Lisa, her partner Bob Vennum's guitar and the Spanish wind section are a real powerhouse.

BluesCreen (ITA)

• Saturday 15th of June, Piazza Lago (7:15 pm – 8:45 pm)

BluesCreen's sound is a blend of blues, rock and R&B. Dynamic energy and gritty arrangements that suddenly dissolve into the sweetest of ballads, leaving the soft taste of an evening well spent thanks to the carefully diverse repertoire offered by this Turin-based band.

Max Dega & The Soul Drinkers (SVI/ITA)

• Saturday 15th of June, Piazza Lago (8:45 pm – 10:15 pm)

A two-time finalist of the Swiss Blues Challenge, Lugano guitarist Max Dega is also the artistic director of the Caslano festival, where this year - flanked by his trusted Roby Panzeri on drums and Vanni Patriarca on bass - he appears with Brianza-based singer and multi-instrumentalist Chiara Borgonovo and two backing singers.

Ana Popovic (SRB)

• Saturday 15th of June, Piazza Lago (10:45 pm – 00:30 am)

A multiple nominee at the Blues Music Awards, Ana Popovic is rightly considered one of the world's leading female blues artists. Fresh from a long tour of Europe, the USA and Australia, the Serbian singer and excellent guitarist arrives in Caslano with her full 'big band' and an exceptional wind section.

J.C. Harpo Band (SVI)

• Saturday 15th of June, Piazza Lago (00:30 am – 02:00 am)

In Ticino, whoever says harmonica and a blues voice, says JC Harpo. One of the irrepressible Bellinzona native's favourite 'stage companions' is the virtuoso guitarist and singer from Varese, Paolo Fabris: we find them together again in Caslano, with the rhythm section entrusted to bassist Luca Zugnoni and drummer Denis Buzzetti