Desireé Bassett
Encyclopedia
Desireé Apolonio Bassett (born September 11, 1992) is an American rock music
guitarist
and recording artist. Considered a child prodigy
, she has performed alongside mainline performers such as Sammy Hagar
, Ted Nugent
, Living Colour
, Barry Goudreau
, the Marshall Tucker Band
and members of the Allman Brothers Band. She was named "Best Musician" by Talent America in 2005, has released two studio albums and has performed many times on both coasts of the United States.
, Connecticut
to Daniel (who also acts as her manager
) and Myrna Bassett. At 2 years old, Bassett's musical ability was encouraged by her parents after hearing her sing herself to sleep singing Reba McEntire
songs. A year later, she began playing a half-size Lotus guitar
. Her father recalls when she surpassed his ability at guitar when, at 4½, she was correcting his playing mistakes. The defining moment for him came after listening to his daughter play an intricate Joe Satriani
song that he himself had spent almost ten years to learn, without success:
By the time she was 5, her father began training her on a full-sized 1983 Ibanez Roadstar II
. At 8, she played her first competition at the local fair grounds playing a Joe Satriani
cover
, coming in second place. At the age of 9, she began taking singing and guitar lessons at the University of Connecticut
music program, where it was discovered she had perfect pitch
and could play by ear
. She soon began giving lessons herself. Bassett counts among her influences Jeff Beck
, Rick Emmett, Jimi Hendrix
, Reba McEntire, the Allman Brothers and her personal idol Joe Satriani
.
in Hartford, CT
, Bassett started playing open microphone events
around Connecticut. Bassist
Doug Wimbish
discovered Bassett at an open mic in Hartford, Connecticut and invited her to play at his annual Wim-Bash the following night. Now playing shows in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Vermont and performing alongside artists like Living Colour, Andy Aledort, some members of the Allman Brothers Band, Johnny Vibrato, Pete Scheips Band, and the XY Eli Band. Bassett, in August 2005, recorded five songs, performing all of the instruments; selling several hundred copies of the self-made CD.
In September 2005, Bassett played an event at the Meriden Motorcycle Club and an event in Ashford. Local musicians in the area heard her play, many later offering their services as band members. The resulting group, the Time Machine, was initially composed of bassist David Stoltz (later Rob Laramie), a former member of the Dickey Betts Band and Robert Gottfried. By November, she had built a local following. In December 2005 she took second place at the Olympics of Entertainment in New York City
. She played gigs in Hartford CT, with Kal David
, Andy Aledort, and the band Living Colour
before several hundred fans. Shortly afterwards, she performed at the 2006 Winter NAMM Show
in Anaheim, California
. Sponsorship followed from Peavey
Amps
., Schecter Guitar Research
, and production
agreements from Nova Sound Studios and Long View Farm Studios recording studios in North Brookfield, Massachusetts
. When she returned the following year to play at the NAMM Show, she was introduced as "the future of rock and roll."
In 2008, Bassett sat in with the Marshall Tucker Band
at a benefit concert in Willimantic, Connecticut
, and began developing her first CD, Power & Force. During production, she continued performing locally, and in August 2008, opened for Jimmie Vaughan
, Stevie Ray Vaughan
's brother. Shortly afterward, Bassett played lead guitar
for Sammy Hagar
and his band at the MGM Grand Foxwoods Casino.
, solo
, riff, solo, etc." After the release of Power & Force Vol. II, Bassett began working on her third CD while playing at the Wolf's Den at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut
. That month, Bassett also performed at the Woodstock's 40th anniversary music festival where she covered Jimi Hendrix
's version of "The Star-Spangled Banner
" with original percussionist Geraldo Velez on drums, ending the night with the song Purple Haze
. Shortly afterwards. she formed the independent label, "Desiree Bassett LLC" with her father. Her band, Desiree and The Time Machine, is Robert Gottfried and Robert Laramie, who replaced Stolz in 2008.
In their evaluation of Power & Force, the Russian online music magazine Darkside notes that Bassett's style of play "brings back some echoes of such masters of rock guitar, like Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page
."
of the Red Hot Chili Peppers
and Michael Anthony, formerly of Van Halen
.
Bassett attended E. O. Smith High School in Storrs, Connecticut
, graduating in 2010. She has a brother, Justin and a younger sister Jessica, a multi-talented musician as well who occasionally acts as backup singer.
Bassett also notes a fondness for riding quads
and dirt bikes on her family's 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) property ever since she was five years old.
Bassett has stated in interviews that after high school she intends to pursue her college education at Berklee College of Music
in Boston, Massachusetts while continuing to perform, though she has applications in at other universities.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and recording artist. Considered a child prodigy
Child prodigy
A child prodigy is someone who, at an early age, masters one or more skills far beyond his or her level of maturity. One criterion for classifying prodigies is: a prodigy is a child, typically younger than 18 years old, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding...
, she has performed alongside mainline performers such as Sammy Hagar
Sammy Hagar
Sam Roy "Sammy" Hagar , also known as The Red Rocker, is an American rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Also sings Country Music....
, Ted Nugent
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...
, Living Colour
Living Colour
Living Colour is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1984. Stylistically, the band's music is a creative fusion influenced by free jazz, funk, neo-psychedelia, hard rock, and heavy metal...
, Barry Goudreau
Barry Goudreau
Barry Goudreau is a musician, best known as one of the original guitarists for the rock band Boston.- Before Boston :Goudreau had developed a musical interest at an early age and got his first guitar, an acoustic which he borrowed from a friend, at age 11. He began taking lessons and by age 13,...
, the Marshall Tucker Band
Marshall Tucker Band
The Marshall Tucker Band is an American Southern rock band originally from Spartanburg, South Carolina. The band's blend of rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, country, and gospel helped establish the Southern rock genre in the early 1970s...
and members of the Allman Brothers Band. She was named "Best Musician" by Talent America in 2005, has released two studio albums and has performed many times on both coasts of the United States.
Early life
Bassett was born in New HavenNew Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
to Daniel (who also acts as her manager
Talent manager
A talent manager, also known as an artist manager or band manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry...
) and Myrna Bassett. At 2 years old, Bassett's musical ability was encouraged by her parents after hearing her sing herself to sleep singing Reba McEntire
Reba McEntire
Reba Nell McEntire is an American country music artist and actress. She began her career in the music industry as a high school student singing in the Kiowa High School band , on local radio shows with her siblings, and at rodeos. As a solo act, she was invited to perform at a rodeo in Oklahoma...
songs. A year later, she began playing a half-size Lotus guitar
Lotus (guitar)
Lotus was a brand name of guitars usedfrom the late 1970s until the late 1990s. Lotus guitars were usually copies of other brand name guitars, such as the Gibson Les Paul and the Fender Stratocaster...
. Her father recalls when she surpassed his ability at guitar when, at 4½, she was correcting his playing mistakes. The defining moment for him came after listening to his daughter play an intricate Joe Satriani
Joe Satriani
Joseph "Joe" Satriani is an American instrumental rock guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, with multiple Grammy Award nominations...
song that he himself had spent almost ten years to learn, without success:
By the time she was 5, her father began training her on a full-sized 1983 Ibanez Roadstar II
Ibanez
is a Japanese guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki. Based in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, Hoshino Gakki were one of the first Japanese musical instrument companies to gain a significant foothold in import guitar sales in the United States and Europe, as well as the first brand of guitars to mass produce...
. At 8, she played her first competition at the local fair grounds playing a Joe Satriani
Joe Satriani
Joseph "Joe" Satriani is an American instrumental rock guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, with multiple Grammy Award nominations...
cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
, coming in second place. At the age of 9, she began taking singing and guitar lessons at the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
music program, where it was discovered she had perfect pitch
Absolute pitch
Absolute pitch , widely referred to as perfect pitch, is the ability of a person to identify or re-create a given musical note without the benefit of an external reference.-Definition:...
and could play by ear
Learning music by ear
Learning music by ear is done by repeatedly listening to other musicians and then attempting to recreate what one hears. This is how people learn music in any musical tradition in which there is no complete musical notation...
. She soon began giving lessons herself. Bassett counts among her influences Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...
, Rick Emmett, Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, Reba McEntire, the Allman Brothers and her personal idol Joe Satriani
Joe Satriani
Joseph "Joe" Satriani is an American instrumental rock guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, with multiple Grammy Award nominations...
.
2005–2008
In 2005, Bassett was voted Talent America's "Musician of the Year" in New York City. After Bassett performed on the side stage at OzzfestOzzfest
Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne...
in Hartford, CT
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, Bassett started playing open microphone events
Open mike
An open mike or open mic is a live show where audience members may perform at the microphone. Usually, the performers sign up in advance for a time slot with the host or master of ceremonies. These events can be focused on poetry and the spoken word, music, comedy, and the open format of open...
around Connecticut. Bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Doug Wimbish
Doug Wimbish
Doug Wimbish is a bass player, primarily known for his studio work for the rap/hip hop label Sugarhill Records and his membership of the funk metal band Living Colour. He has played for a vast range of artists, including Jeff Beck, Mick Jagger, Madonna, George Clinton, Paula Cole, Bomb the Bass,...
discovered Bassett at an open mic in Hartford, Connecticut and invited her to play at his annual Wim-Bash the following night. Now playing shows in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Vermont and performing alongside artists like Living Colour, Andy Aledort, some members of the Allman Brothers Band, Johnny Vibrato, Pete Scheips Band, and the XY Eli Band. Bassett, in August 2005, recorded five songs, performing all of the instruments; selling several hundred copies of the self-made CD.
In September 2005, Bassett played an event at the Meriden Motorcycle Club and an event in Ashford. Local musicians in the area heard her play, many later offering their services as band members. The resulting group, the Time Machine, was initially composed of bassist David Stoltz (later Rob Laramie), a former member of the Dickey Betts Band and Robert Gottfried. By November, she had built a local following. In December 2005 she took second place at the Olympics of Entertainment in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She played gigs in Hartford CT, with Kal David
Kal David
Kal David is an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter, whose 50-year musical career in Illinois, New York and California extended through various phases, including a highly-regarded stint with Columbia Records in early 1970s....
, Andy Aledort, and the band Living Colour
Living Colour
Living Colour is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1984. Stylistically, the band's music is a creative fusion influenced by free jazz, funk, neo-psychedelia, hard rock, and heavy metal...
before several hundred fans. Shortly afterwards, she performed at the 2006 Winter NAMM Show
NAMM Show
The NAMM Show is one of the largest music product trade shows in the world, founded in 1901. It is held every January in Anaheim, California, USA, at the Anaheim Convention Center...
in Anaheim, California
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
. Sponsorship followed from Peavey
Peavey Electronics
Peavey Electronics Corporation is one of the largest audio equipment manufacturers in the world, headquartered in Meridian, Mississippi in the United States.- History :...
Amps
Amplifier
Generally, an amplifier or simply amp, is a device for increasing the power of a signal.In popular use, the term usually describes an electronic amplifier, in which the input "signal" is usually a voltage or a current. In audio applications, amplifiers drive the loudspeakers used in PA systems to...
., Schecter Guitar Research
Schecter Guitar Research
Schecter Guitar Research, commonly known as simply as Schecter, is a US guitar manufacturer. The company was founded in 1976 by David Schecter and originally produced only replacement parts for existing guitars from manufacturers such as Fender and Gibson...
, and production
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
agreements from Nova Sound Studios and Long View Farm Studios recording studios in North Brookfield, Massachusetts
North Brookfield, Massachusetts
North Brookfield is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,680 at the 2010 census.For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place North Brookfield, please see the article North Brookfield , Massachusetts.- History :North Brookfield...
. When she returned the following year to play at the NAMM Show, she was introduced as "the future of rock and roll."
In 2008, Bassett sat in with the Marshall Tucker Band
Marshall Tucker Band
The Marshall Tucker Band is an American Southern rock band originally from Spartanburg, South Carolina. The band's blend of rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, country, and gospel helped establish the Southern rock genre in the early 1970s...
at a benefit concert in Willimantic, Connecticut
Willimantic, Connecticut
Willimantic is a census-designated place and former city located in the town of Windham in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was estimated at 15,823 at the 2000 census. It is home to Eastern Connecticut State University, as well as the Windham Textile and History Museum....
, and began developing her first CD, Power & Force. During production, she continued performing locally, and in August 2008, opened for Jimmie Vaughan
Jimmie Vaughan
James Lawrence "Jimmie" Vaughan is an American blues rock guitarist and singer from Dallas, Texas, United States. He is the older brother of the late Stevie Ray Vaughan....
, Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stephen Ray "Stevie Ray" Vaughan was an American electric blues guitarist and singer. He was the younger brother of Jimmie Vaughan and frontman for Double Trouble, a band that included bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton. Born in Dallas, Vaughan moved to Austin at the age of 17 and...
's brother. Shortly afterward, Bassett played lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
for Sammy Hagar
Sammy Hagar
Sam Roy "Sammy" Hagar , also known as The Red Rocker, is an American rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Also sings Country Music....
and his band at the MGM Grand Foxwoods Casino.
Power & Force
Bassett released her first CD in 2008, at the age of 16. The CD was later remixed and remastered, renamed and released as Power & Force Volume II just before 2009. Darkside, a Russian online music magazine noted that the live-performance release demonstrated Bassett's youthful agility and little else, calling attention to the repetitive arrangement of "riffRIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
, solo
Guitar solo
In popular music, a guitar solo is a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. Guitar solos, which often contain varying degrees of improvisation, are used in many styles of popular music such as blues, jazz, rock and metal styles such...
, riff, solo, etc." After the release of Power & Force Vol. II, Bassett began working on her third CD while playing at the Wolf's Den at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut
Uncasville, Connecticut
Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut. The area traditionally known as Uncasville is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River...
. That month, Bassett also performed at the Woodstock's 40th anniversary music festival where she covered Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
's version of "The Star-Spangled Banner
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
" with original percussionist Geraldo Velez on drums, ending the night with the song Purple Haze
Purple Haze
"Purple Haze" is a song written in 1966 and recorded in 1967 by The Jimi Hendrix Experience and released as a single in both the United Kingdom and the United States. It appeared on their 1967 album Are You Experienced...
. Shortly afterwards. she formed the independent label, "Desiree Bassett LLC" with her father. Her band, Desiree and The Time Machine, is Robert Gottfried and Robert Laramie, who replaced Stolz in 2008.
Themes and musical style
Bassett considers herself primarily an instrumental player, citing the influence of Satriani's music on her. In Power & Force II, she sings on just three of the 10 songs — "Another Day," "Never Back Down" and "Love Her."; her third album will feature lyrics in about half of the 13 tracks.In their evaluation of Power & Force, the Russian online music magazine Darkside notes that Bassett's style of play "brings back some echoes of such masters of rock guitar, like Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
."
Personal life
Bassett owns fifteen guitars, one of which has been signed by Hagar, Satriani, Chad SmithChad Smith
Chad Smith is an American musician, best known as the longtime and current drummer of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Smith is also the drummer of the hard rock supergroup Chickenfoot which includes Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, and Michael Anthony, former Deep Purple vocalist Glenn Hughes' backing band and...
of the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
and Michael Anthony, formerly of Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
.
Bassett attended E. O. Smith High School in Storrs, Connecticut
Storrs, Connecticut
Storrs is a census-designated place and part of the town of Mansfield, Connecticut located in eastern Tolland County. The population was 10,996 at the 2000 census...
, graduating in 2010. She has a brother, Justin and a younger sister Jessica, a multi-talented musician as well who occasionally acts as backup singer.
Bassett also notes a fondness for riding quads
All-terrain vehicle
An all-terrain vehicle , also known as a quad, quad bike, three wheeler, or four wheeler, is defined by the American National Standards Institute as a vehicle that travels on low pressure tires, with a seat that is straddled by the operator, along with handlebars for steering control...
and dirt bikes on her family's 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) property ever since she was five years old.
Bassett has stated in interviews that after high school she intends to pursue her college education at Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
in Boston, Massachusetts while continuing to perform, though she has applications in at other universities.
Discography
- Power & Force (2008)
- Power & Force Vol. II (2009)
- A Bit Above (2010)