It was over a year and a half ago when I first published my cell number in the bass magazines and online. It was then that I started talking with and receiving music from bass players all over the world. More than 10,000 players have called me on the phone, thousands more have messaged me through MySpace and over 5,000 have sent me their CD's, MySpace addresses and websites. The music continues to come in daily and I am only two-thirds the way through listening to all that I've received.
It's been an immensely time consuming and fascinating undertaking for me and as I have said before it's provided me an education I could get no other way. I've heard every kind of music you could possibly imagine and also some that I'm sure you couldn't!
Hartke's greatest unsigned bassist isn't and never was meant to be a contest or a competition. There is no such thing as the greatest bass player and I certainly do not set myself up as some kind of ultimate judge or authority either. That's why it's Hartke's greatest unsigned bassists.
My goal was simply to find great and interesting players of all different types that you and I might otherwise never get to hear, give them some exposure in the industry and award them a Hartke artist equipment endorsement if they wanted it. It was never a pre nor post requisite that they be Hartke players. All players are welcome!
The will be many more great players to announce as we move along but here are the first three very different and talented players. I know you will enjoy them all.
Casey Spinit
The one and only Casey Spinit is a wonderfully original and very smart maniac who I'm happy to know and call a friend. Originally from Chicago and now living in Florida what else can I say…this guy is red-hot and that is something that everybody seems to agree on. It was in early 2007 when Casey first e-mailed me a track and I will never forget that day. No more than I could forget the first time I heard Jimi Hendrix or Jaco Pastorius. To me Casey Spinit is that memorable and original an artist!
Casey e-mailed me a track he had recorded called "Strings". Upon my very first listen to "Strings" I knew right away that Casey was not just a run of the mill extraordinary talent, but a fresh and original extraordinary talent, the kind of talent that only comes around once in a couple of lifetimes. I remember being so floored by "Strings" that I listened to it about twenty times in a row after which I called him back demanding to hear more and hear more I did. Casey e-mailed me some more tracks and man everything this guy plays is mind blowing, his own style of playing, his own style of music and his own concept of the bass guitar.
In the months since I met Casey he's made me look like quite the genius by garnering the attention of many, many others in the music business that also see him for the standout talent that he is. You can expect big things in 2008 from Casey and his very dangerous, very cool, great sounding custom Sukop bass.
We are very proud to have Casey as a member of the Hartke family. You can read and hear much more about the amazing Casey Spinit on his MySpace.
www.myspace.com/caseyspinit
Casey is also currently turning being "unsigned" into a profession…he's just started working with Rolling Stone Magazine's Number One Unsigned Band "Klik".
www.myspace.com/klik
Gary "Biscuit" Bennett
My next choice was Gary "Biscuit" Bennett a great bass player and really fun guy and family man from Essex England. I like this guy a whole lot as both a player and a person. He's a polite and talented gentleman with a wicked sense of humor. Biscuit is a passionate player that lives for playing his bass. His passion for the instrument is immediately apparent when listening to his music or when having a conversation with him. The guy eats sleeps and breaths the bass.
A veteran of the live music and recording scene in Essex and London and a man of many styles Biscuit takes advantage of every opportunity to play. There is a lot to be learned from anyone that gets that much enjoyment out of playing. There is no reason to play an instrument and not have fun doing it. I get the feeling that if Biscuit could play all day and all night long it would be fine with him.
And play the bass he does…just check out Biscuit's music and MySpace page and hear him both rip it up and hypnotize you with his fluid playing and mastery of the bass and different styles of music on his spectacular 5 and 6 string Spector basses.
Biscuit is a perfect example of a man who will reach his goals as a player because he lives it and enjoys it so much, an inspiring man and great musician. I'll just bet there are more than a few bands in the UK that could benefit from his very considerable talents.
We at Hartke are very proud to have Biscuit on board with us and keep an eye out for my friend Biscuit in 2008. Look for Biscuit's new CD of original tracks " All Or Nothing".
www.myspace.com/biscuitandbass4
Peter Davyduck
"Have bass will travel" is a phrase that describes Peter Davyduck my third choice for Hartke's greatest unsigned bass players. Peter is a very cool, very humble guy and a tremendous bass player who is involved in many aspects of the bass game. Not only is Peter a tremendous player with a lot of experience but also he's just a great guy to know. Its kind of hard to explain but Peter just has such a calm spirit about him that you can't help but really dig the man. Whatever he's doing up there in Langley, British Columbia is working for him big time!
In addition to being a family man and touring musician Peter teaches bass and works in the musical instrument industry. Peter manages to stay very busy touring, and recording with many of Canada's top Christian acts. He played on Lianna Klassen's CD which is up for 5 Canadian Gospel Music Awards and tours with world renown Brian Doerksen winner of the Dove Award and also winner in seven categories in this years Covenant Awards. Peter travels to many places around the world with Brian that are not exactly your regular tour stops. I always enjoy getting e-mails and pictures from Peter on the road from far away places like Cairo Egypt, Seoul Korea and other very interesting places.
Peter's a fantastic bass player with a spirit about him and his music that cannot be ignored. He skillfully navigates his Music Man Stingray 5 bass through many different styles of music…blues, gospel, funk or whatever it is that you might need. I personally love his calm ambient grooves that take you to a nice comfortable place where you'll just want to stay there immersed in his world.
We are very proud at Hartke to have Peter as a friend. Hats off to Peter for his great work in 2007 and my best wishes to him for an incredible 2008. If there were an award for playing great bass and being a truly nice human being Peter would surely win it. I certainly wouldn't want to be running against him! Check him out!
www.myspace.com/psychicpet
Well at long last there they are three great and completely different bass players from different parts of this world. Every one of these guys has a lot of knowledge and experience to share. They are all very nice guys open to communicating with other players. I highly recommend that you check out their MySpaces. If you want to reach them you can message them there. You might just learn a lot from them (and not just bass)…I certainly did! I can't wait to hear what my friends do next!
Larry Hartke