Kalàscima: Original Sound From South Of Italy! Their performances are full of energy and rhythm from the ancient traditional dance and music of taranta (Salento, southern Italy). With traditional and original songs, in dialect, Southern Italy’s hottest band revitalises the ancient ritual of pizzica tarantata, said to cure the deadly spider’s bite with frenzied trance dances and a very powerful modern sound mixed with original composition. Kalàscima’s show comprises of many fascinating instruments such as the mandolin, Irish bouzouki and Calabrian double flutes, along with a vast arrangement of percussion and thrilling vocals. One of Italy’s hottest bands, Kalàscima: Original Sound From South Of Italy, will be touring Australia for their ever time, playing shows in Melbourne over a 2 week period. Kalàscima’s performances are full of energy and rhythm from the ancient traditional dance and music of taranta (Salento, southern Italy). With traditional and original songs, in dialect, Kalàscima revitalises the ancient ritual of pizzica tarantata, said to cure the deadly spider’s bite with frenzied trance dances and a very powerful modern sound mixed with original composition. Kalàscima’s show comprises of many fascinating instruments such as the mandolin, Irish bouzouki and Calabrian double flutes, along with a vast arrangement of percussion and thrilling vocals. Kalàscima has been performing in Italy and around the world for the best part of the last 10 years. The band meshes traditional Italian folk music with alternate sounds coming from other genres such as Balkan, Klezmer and Irish music. The arrangement of folk instruments, some traditional in their execution, and other instruments as a result of today’s technological evolution, strongly features in and identifies the Kalàscima’s sound. What audiences come to hear, is a combination of past and present, traditional and modern. The uniqueness of Kalàscima lies in the absolute innovativeness of a rhythm section that includes a set consisting of Tammorre, tambourines, doumbek, cajon, Irish bodhran, Djambe, marranzano, daf, darabuka, tar, riqq and the bass drum, headed by the Laganà brothers, Riccardo and Federico. Riccardo, also fronts the band with his distinctive lead vocals. The string section is led by Massimiliano De Marco, whose set is composed of a series of acoustic and classical guitars, as well as the mandolin. These instruments are complemented by outstanding sound of ‘Irish bouzouki’. Luca Buccarella, virtuoso of accordion, is entrusted with the melodic sound that characterizes central and southern Italy folk music. The modernization of traditional music takes new forms in the bass of Riccardo Basile, who assists the group in delivering its epic and highly charged sound. Kalàscima has collaborated with artist such as Orchestra Popolare Italiana dell'Auditorium Parco della Musica di Roma (dicembre 2008 , Guadalajara – , Messico, Maggio 2009, Pechino - Cina 2009), Ensemble Notte della Taranta, Buena Vista Social Club, Lucilla Galeazzi, Orlando Mascia, Raffaello Simeoni, Franco Battiato, Après la Classe, Carmen Consoli, Sud Sound System, Giovanni Lindo Ferretti, Francesco De Gregori, Gianna Nannini, Avion Travel, Piero Pelù , Mario Incudine (novembre 2008 , Boston - USA), Nidi d'Arac, Mimmo Epifani , Uccio Aloisi Gruppu, Muzak, Orchestra Coros y Danza de Baza, Carlos NunezBuena Vista Social Club, Goran Bregovic, and has peformed at festivals all over the world including USA, Europe, China and Australia