Peter Spink
Heartland
© 2003 Peter Spink BMI (634479211768)
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Lyric driven Roots Rock/singer-songwriter. Percussive acoustic Guitar songs infused with moody excitement of electric violin and hammond organ.
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PETER SPINK/ARTIST BIO
From his first moments of memory, Singer-songwriter Peter Spink has heard music. The son of an accomplished Ragtime pianist, Peter began playing piano at age five. By age thirteen he was on his way to mastering the guitar by routinely stealing the instrument from his sister's bedroom when she was not around. Composing music came naturally to him, and it wasn't long before Mr. Spink began telling his own stories in song.
After earning a degree in English from Vassar College, Mr. Spink spent the next 10 years as a free-lance journalist. He had already begun honing his song-writing skills in high school, illegally driving the 45-minutes into NYC's Greenwich Village clubs to perform his songs on open-mike nights. Once a journalist, he began performing around his work schedule and it wasn't long before Mr. Spink's music found a growing audience placing him on the folk circuit, touring coffeehouses, colleges and concert series.
For Mr. Spink, it has been a 10-year road to Heartland, his fourth and latest release, which is strongly inspired by his years playing smaller venues as a duo with violinist Chris Tedesco. Sparsely orchestrated, Heartland is powerfully concentrated in its clean, wistful, evocative sound comprised only of violin, acoustic guitar, Hammond organ and voice. The songs are some of Mr. Spinks best storytelling to date.
Mr. Spink recorded Heartland on his own in the cavernous basement dining hall of a nearby 130-year-old Masonic Temple. Tight on time and money after the birth of his third child, he said it was the only way he could record and still perform while caring for his family. Using only his "free time" to record, the process took more than two years to complete.
Heartland follows Mr. Spink's widely acclaimed third release, Road Show: a collection of contemporary folk and roots-rock originals, honed over hundreds of outdoor summer concerts with his band. It was hailed as "an impressive compilation." by the Sunday New York Times and earned him comparisons with The Dave Matthews Band from ELLE magazine.
Mr. Spink's second release, All There Is, features performances by friends Ellis Paul, Cathie Ryan and Annie Burns. "The songs on this recording," Peter says, "tell of lives at the crossroads, of people wrestling with their demons or regrets". Peter's music, over the years has "opened up sonically and lyrically" writes Scott McLennan of the Telegram & Gazette. "It's adult fare, but with a definite kick". Rex Fowler, half of the legendary folk duo Aztec Two-Step, called All There Is, "Superb," containing "songs and a voice filled with urgency and passion."
In 1994, Mr. Spink released his first CD entitled, Won't Be Denied. The album, produced by bassist/pianist Scott Petito, contains eleven original "contemporary folk" songs by the artist and features some of today's finest musicians including Leslie Ritter on backing vocals; Jay Ungar (composer for the epic drama The Civil War) on fiddle and mandolin, and Randy Ciarlanti (of The Band fame) on drums. The CD was embraced by radio stations across the country with more than 40 AAA stations adding a total of seven cuts to their playlists. Composer David Amram called Peter and the album, "A breath of fresh air to the industry."
Following the release of Won't Be Denied, Mr. Spink was recruited by Michael Lang to perform in Woodstock Reunion '94. He has since shared the stage with scores of well-known musicians, including John Prine, The Doobie Brothers, The Moody Blues, Anne Murray, The Roches, John Gorka, The Bobs, Iris Demente, Loudon Wainwright III, Richard Shindell, Ellis Paul, Bare Naked Ladies, Vance Gilbert, Lucy Kaplansky, Cheryl Wheeler, Katie Curtis, and David Wilcox in various concerts across the mid-west and east coast.
In 1996 the owners of Chile Today - Hot Tamale (international manufacturers of spicy food products) approached Mr. Spink about doing a summer concert tour with a full band. As long-time fans of Mr. Spink's music, the entrepreneurs underwrote Peter's "Feel the Heat Tour",
allowed Peter's music to reach a larger audience. Of Peter's show, John Bates - Outta Sights & Sounds concerts organizer - writes "Peter is marked for greatness". The tour was such a success that it has become an annual summer event, now in its seventh year, encompassing about 40 shows in June, July and August.
Mr. Spink is the recipient of four Billboard Honorable Mention awards for song writing excellence. He has been awarded a national "Meet The Composer" grant Spring 1999. Mr. Spink currently averages 100+ performances per year. Plans for a third CD release of new songs and some "live" re-recordings are underway.
Mr. Spink resides with his wife and three children in Katonah, New York. You can
have a 'virtual visit' with the artist and his music on the World Wide Web at www.peterspink.com