The project stems from collaboration between two musicians from the Alto Adige who are undeniably crazy: singer and multi-instrumentalist Chris Costa and drummer Phil Mer. They’ve been friends for ever and make music together because they love experimenting and expressing themselves, breaking down the barriers of musical genres, flirting with improvisation and remaining faithful only to the authenticity of their musical message.

Like alchemists seeking new transformations, Capsicum Tree concoct in the recording studio a mix of funk, jazz and pop, then make the mixture explode on stage in gripping live sets.

Drummer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist, art expert and poet, today Phil Mer, despite his youth, is one of the most sought-after drummers on the national scene. He’s played on tour and in the studio with Pino Daniele, Malika Ayane, Noa, Patty Pravo, Zarrillo and Mario Biondi, and is currently resident drummer with the Pooh, Italy’s most famous and long-lived group. His curiosity and versatility drive him to explore various musical environments and he drums with many bands. With Capsicum Tree he composes and arranges and, especially on stage, demonstrates his particular fondness for unusual and perverse rhythms.

Singer, keyboard player, arranger, multi-instrumentalist, tourist attraction. Chris Costa is a musician with a rare sensitivity; he’s a polygamous marriage of sweetness with a refined vocal timbre, introspective compositions, rhythmical energy that communicates and involves on stage.

A born nomad, he follows the music he’s seeking and currently lives between London, Verona and Alto Adige. As a musician and collaborator he worked in 2010 with Malika Ayane, but he’s mainly leader of several groups and heterogeneous projects that lead him to write at the rate of a song a day, cut several discs a year and show up in several places at once.