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| Ross Jason Mark Casey Chad |
From the start, keyboard player, songwriter and vocalist Jason wanted something special. And sincere. “I needed a band that would be the straight deal - not just a band that would play at Grandma's birthday party,” he said recently, meaning no real disrespect towards his Grandmother. “That meant writing good songs and getting serious musicians to play them.” The first person he turned to was his younger brother, Jim. After Jason asked him for his help, Jim abruptly canceled plans to move to Florida and joined Jason as a sound engineer. “I had building plans for a new home in Sarasota,” Jim remembers. “I got a work transfer there when Jason called. He's my older brother so I said 'Sure.'
The brothers Teteak first brought in bassist Mark, a man tall in experience and tall in stature who had played in every situation imaginable, from highly-starched classical ensembles to the infamous (and drunken) Rattbelly. The group next set out to find a rhythm guitarist. After catching his bio on a local musicians' website and inviting him in for an audition, the band hired singer, rhythm guitarist, and songwriter Ross, a Madison native who had been writing and recording his own music for a few years when the guys called. Next came drummer Chad, an old friend and bandmate of Ross'. To complete the lineup, 8889 brought in Casey, a reformed glam rock guitarist and Hasselhoff enthusiast, who joined the group on lead guitar. The group immediately started rehearsals and, armed with a growing body of new material, began to play for audiences in the Madison area.
Since then, 8889 has created a sound all its own. Whether you think it’s retro, beautiful, sad, sweet, bitter, passionate, or joyful, it’s honest, and there’s something in it for everyone. With over three hours of all-original material and two critically-acclaimed LPs, 8889 continues to write, perform, and record in the Madison area.