In the Green Room: Caressa

How did Caressa first come together, and how has the band evolved from those early days to where you are now?

Jade and Lina were friends in high school and started singing and songwriting together after they graduated. We spent the year busking and performing at various acoustic shows as a duo and started exploring songwriting together. The year after, we met Will at a Cranker front bar acoustic show and became quick friends and eventually decided to join forces with hopes of developing a full band.

We all bonded over our love of old-school music and our frequent trips to Memphis Slims and House of Blues, which is where we met Danny Leo, our drummer, and Alex Roberts, our bassist. About a year ago, we debuted this lineup of Caressa at The Gov supporting the Wanderers. Since then, we've only grown closer, and it's been amazing to work as such a team together. It's been awesome to develop as a band, especially because everyone brings both singing and songwriting to the table, as well as their own individuality.

Are there any musical, creative or personal influences that helped to shape Caressa's sound today?

We all have a huge range of personal influences and music tastes that have shaped us as individual songwriters, musicians and performers, but where it all crosses over is the rawness and musicality of the '70s. The Eagles is a band that all of us knew and loved before we started playing together, and of course, we have all taken away a lot from the Memphis Slims Thursday night blues jams.

What do you feel like you've learnt about yourselves as a band since you started?

We've honestly had countless learning opportunities in just the last year alone, both personal and professional. An example of this is that recently, we've decided to take more creative control over the recording, production and mixing of our songs and absolutely prioritise making our music sound exactly how we want it to, regardless of what other people tell us is right or standard.

As a band, we have literally struck gold being able to find each other, and it feels so magical and right to work together creatively. We are truly just a family within this project and are so incredibly lucky to create and perform as a team, and this makes decisions that could be seen as difficult quite easy to make because we are always on the same page.

You've had so much happening this year; what has been the standout moment for you so far?

Our single launch back in April at the Grace Emily was such a beautiful and rewarding moment. Seeing the community that’s been fostered around the art we create is indescribable.

Can you describe the direction that Caressa's music is heading in and what listeners can expect with any upcoming tracks or projects?

We've spent a fair amount of time this year in the studio, and are currently getting our ducks in a row for the next rollout of releases as well as always adding to our repertoire with new tracks. We're lucky enough to now have five songwriters in the band, so there’s no lack of creative output.

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What can we expect for Caressa towards the end of 2026 and looking ahead to 2027?

We're fortunate enough to be on some awesome lineups for the rest of the year, such as Marksenfest, Space Jams, Semaphore Music Fest and a few more unannounced. We're super proud and excited to share the music that we've been working on in the studio and playing live over the past year.

What's something you love about being a South Australian artist?

The beautiful community and support from all of our amazing musician friends. As well as getting to see and learn from so many world-class musicians who have so much experience and we're lucky enough to see at a local bar.

The band is also part of this year’s Semaphore Music Festival. What does being involved in the festival mean to you?

It's a super nice opportunity to connect with the community and be able to share our music with a new audience!

What are you most looking forward to about performing at Semaphore Music Festival?

We're super keen to play with such an awesome lineup full of our amazing and very talented friends.

What do you think makes festivals like Semaphore Music Festival so important for the South Australian music scene?

Festivals like Semaphore Music Festival are a great way for musicians to connect with an audience who may not be regular gig-goers or getting into the city much for live music. It's also super beneficial to the surrounding local vendors to broaden their community.

See Caressa at Semaphore Music Festival's High Tide Emerging Artists stage on Monday 5 October. Tickets on sale now at semaphoremusicfestival.com.