Casati began as The Grace Hrabi trio, arranging jazz standards and dabbling in songwriting on their release Afraid of Heights (2014). As the band made collaborating on original music their focus, Casati found its voice as a unique blend of all the music that inspires them: the heartbreak of a country ballad, the vocal harmonies of 1950s and 60s pop, and the instrumental virtuosity of jazz and classical music, creating a sound that is familiar yet original. Because of their acoustic instrumentation and the storytelling quality of their songwriting, Casati is best characterized as a folk trio with an open mind.
“Look no further for your folk fix” - Canadian Beats
Their debut album as Casati, There Will Be Days, was released in March 2017, and spent 23 weeks on the Earshot! charts. In the two years following the release, Casati performed at many of Manitoba’s best summer festivals, including the TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival, Winnipeg Fringe Festival, Morden Corn and Apple, Rainbow Trout, Real Love, Whoop & Hollar, and Saskatchewan’s All Folk’d Up; the band toured across Canada, performing over 50 dates outside of their home province; they released artistic music videos for their songs The Void and Train, featuring animation and visuals by the band; and they participated in the Manitoba Showcase, resulting in a six concert tour of the province in spring 2019.
This Is Just To Say (2019) was recorded the way the band rehearses: standing just a few feet apart, facing each other, playing and singing live with no overdubs. The record captures the organic, acoustic feel of seeing Casati live in a small, cozy venue, much like the coffeeshops, house concerts, and theatres the band have visited on tours across Canada in the last two years. The album was recorded at Paintbox Recording in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with engineer Lloyd Peterson (JP Hoe, The Wailin’ Jennys) capturing the music with clarity and warmth.
The twelve tracks on the band’s new album were inspired by the people and places the band encountered on the road while sharing their music. All three band members wrote songs for the album, taking turns in the spotlight singing lead vocals. This Is Just To Say will be available on Spotify, Apple Music, and other digital retailers and streaming services on Friday, September 20th, 2019.
Grace Hrabi
Vocals, Ukulele, Autoharp
Jesse Popeski
Vocals, Guitar
Quintin Bart
Double Bass, Hurdy-Gurdy, Vocals
Kind words of others
“CASATI are making intelligent, genre-bending work which shows great dedication and potential. We’re inspired by their collaborative musicality, and are very excited to hear their upcoming recording.”
“CASATI offers creative originality with captivating quirk, huge stylistic range, masterful execution, and the kind of tight ensemble playing that only comes from years spent creating and performing together. These guys are great.”
“CASATI combines the imagination of a child with the insight of an adult and the manual dexterity of three highly skilled musicians - it’s such a treat to hear them play!”
“I didn’t cry during CASATI, you did.”
Patron saint of infinite variety The Marchesa Luisa Casati fearlessly followed Art across every style and medium.
The band approaches Music with the same open mind.
watercolour art by Jolene Kaminski