Emanuel Casablanca
Schedule
Thu, 05 Feb, 2026 at 07:00 pm
UTC-05:00Location
The Press Room | Portsmouth, NH
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When Emanuel Casablanca picks up a guitar, it doesn’t just sing—it testifies. A torchbearer for 21st-century blues and blues-rock, Casablanca straddles grit and grace like few others in the genre today. Emanuel Casablanca
Thurs 2/5
6pm doors/7pm show
All Ages | $20 adv./$25 day of
When Emanuel Casablanca picks up a guitar, it doesn’t just sing—it testifies. A torchbearer for 21st-century blues and blues-rock, Casablanca straddles grit and grace like few others in the genre today.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Emanuel grew up immersed in the rhythmic pulse of the city and the echoes of Southern blues. His influences—ranging from Muddy Waters, Albert King, and Jimi Hendrix, to Gary Clark Jr. and Dan Auerbach—converge in a sound that’s raw, rhythmic, and righteously unpolished. Casablanca first turned heads with his breakout LP, Fingers and Knives (2018), but it was his sophomore effort, Strung Out on Thrills (2020), that signaled the arrival of a major voice in modern blues.
His third album, Blood on My Hands (2022), catapulted him to new heights. Hailed by critics for its emotional depth and sonic swagger, the record garnered two Independent Blues Award nominations, including Best Emerging Artist Album and Best Modern Blues Performance. Casablanca's songwriting—marked by vivid, unfiltered storytelling—showed an artist unwilling to flinch, both musically and lyrically.
He’s shared stages and studio space with some of the heaviest hitters in the business: Eric Gales, whose fiery fretwork pushed Casablanca to new improvisational heights; Doug Wimbish, the iconic bassist from Living Colour, with whom he’s forged a gritty musical brotherhood; and Joe Louis Walker, a modern blues master who called Casablanca “the future of this music—rough, real, and unrelenting.” He’s also performed alongside artists like Corey Glover, James Samuel III, and Darcy Malone, continuing to expand his musical reach.
Beyond the accolades and high-profile collaborations, Emanuel Casablanca’s power lies in his honesty. There’s blood in the strings, truth in the lyrics, and nothing safe about his sound. Whether he’s tearing through a fuzz-drenched solo or whispering a lyric that cuts like a knife, Casablanca never phones it in. He’s a student of the blues—but also its unruly, defiant son.
And now, the next chapter is almost here.
On November 7, 2025, Casablanca will release his fourth full-length album—a work he describes as “both a reckoning and a resurrection.” Teasing collaborations with new and returning guest artists, along with a darker, more experimental edge, this upcoming LP is poised to redefine what modern blues can be. Those lucky enough to catch his recent live shows have heard whispers of what's coming: jagged riffs, ghostly ballads, and a renewed sense of fire.
Blues is often said to be music for the soul—but in Emanuel Casablanca’s hands, it’s also music for the fight. And make no mistake: he’s fighting to make sure this music doesn’t just survive—it evolves.
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Where is it happening?
The Press Room, 77 Daniel St,Portsmouth,NH,United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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