One night, Matt Roth booked Carrie Fussell for one of her first gigs ever. That night, after Fussell’s performance, the two sat in a local hookah bar, trading lyrics to songs the two had written.
It wasn’t long before the two began collaborating and, in 2008, formed Calliope Musicals.
“Calliope is one of the seven muses of greek mythology. She was the goddess of epic poetry,” Fussell said.
Craig Finkelstein, one of the vocals of the group, posted an ad on Craigslist marketing himself as a “Multi-Instrumentalist.” Catching the attention of Roth and Fussell, he was welcomed into the troupe.
The band has grown large over the last year, including Fussell’s husband and band’s drummer, Josh Bickley.
Calliope Musicals is now a strong six member group which works hard to create a stand out sound that they have termed “Psychedelic Party Folk.”
There is no one songwriter in Calliope Musicals. Each member brings ideas to the table and the group jams out together until they have created a piece they all agree is special to them.
The inspiration behind every work they produce comes from one another and the experiences they share as they travel the country, Bickley said.
“Our sounds come from camping, hiking, being on the road,” lead guitarist Chris Webb said. “They come from the memories we share and that finds its way into our writing in a lot of ways.”
Last February, the group members said they figured it was time to start recording an album. “Time Owes You Nothing” is due out in April.
At the time the group was in Los Angeles and between sessions in the studio they found themselves throughout the city and on the beach, soaking in the “California vibe,” Bickley said. This California influence found its way onto the record, he said.
This will be their first performance in Baton Rouge. Previosuly, Calliope Musicals found their way to Louisiana through performing in Lafayette.
“We are incredibly excited and cannot wait to perform [in Baton Rouge],” Fussell said.
Calliope Musicals performs at The Spanish Moon this Friday at 9:00 p.m.

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Courtesy of Calliope Musicals