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Primarily known for her incendiary vocals, Jaytee Minton also plays acoustic/electric guitar with an emphasis on fingerstyle picking as well as electric bass and is an accomplished songwriter. Her music career began early, with classical/folk guitar lessons from ages 6-14. Jaytee was active in music throughout her childhood, participating in every possible choir or band activity, and upon graduation she immediately joined her first band, Man Overboard. The first song she ever performed with a live band in a nightclub was Stevie Nick's "Edge of 17" at a small club called Howard's Club H. Jaytee was so nervous she kept her eyes shut throughout the song. But when enthusiastic cheers and applause broke out at the end, she knew she was hooked and her life as a touring rock musician was born. Several bands later, Jaytee hooked up with three Michigan natives to form The Task in the mid-80s. The Lansing-based band recorded a 9-song demo, received minor local airplay, and toured the tri-state "A" club circuit performing covers and highly-requested originals in the vein of Journey and Heart. Jaytee is a NW Ohio native and lifelong resident, leaving only to attend VIT, the vocal program at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, CA. After completing her studies, she returned to Ohio with the hope of reforming The Task, but life's pathways took the band members in different directions. She finally succumbed to her parents' wishes to attend college, receiving a BFA in Graphic Design in the mid-90s. But she always managed to fit one of several bands or recording projects in between her academic endeavours. The three most notable bands were Mind's Eye, Stages and BonesGarage (featuring former Damien members Kevin Kekes and Rob Brug). Each band's music seemed to move toward a heavier and heavier sound, from the progressive pre-Evanescence heaviness of Mind's Eye to the old school firepower of BonesGarage. In 1999, after years of singing heavy metal and harder rock, Jaytee felt drawn toward a lighter, more acoustic sound. She left BonesGarage and began writing songs for an independent solo CD. The songs span the range from a jangly country fingerpicked ode to her beloved horse ("We Become The Wind") to Sheryl Crow-style crossover country rock ballads ("No Matter What", "Otherwise") to more reflective undefinable rock ("Didn't I", "What Was"). A difficult family crisis forced her to put her recording project on hold for two years, but in August 2007, she resumed writing and recording. Jaytee recently emigrated from a Roland DAW to being completely computer-based (with Cubase Studio 4) and estimates the album is half finished. Past press releases from her previous bands can be found at the links below: |
