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Biography : Desiree' Apolonio Bassett

At first glimpse, Desiree' Bassett appears to be like any other kid living in rural New England. As cute as a button, straight-A eleventh-grader, who chats with friends on the Internet, rides horses and dirt bikes in the woods behind the house, and fishes for trout in the nearby Mt. Hope River. But there is more to Desiree' than meets the Norman Rockwell eye.

She's 16 years old, but already with a seven-year reputation as the kick ass guitar player the little girl, with repertoire filled with Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Joe Satriani and her original music, blows away nearly all who see her play in and around Ashford, Connecticut. Most recently, Desirees rock n roll career turned an important corner when Sammy Hagar and Living Colour bassist Doug Wimbish joined her legion of local fans.

"Off the Chain" is how Doug described the amazing little girl playing Jeff Becks Cause We Ended as Lovers. He, like so many before, was blown away by the maturity Desiree exhibited onstage, and invited her to play his in his show the following nite..

Desiree's father / manager Dan was happy to accept the invitation for Desiree'. She was always excited to play, but he was well aware of the opportunity playing Doug's Wim-Bash could be for his daughter. It could be a significant step in a career Dan has dreamed of since Desiree's third birthday, Sept. 11, 1995 the day he gave Desiree her first guitar, a half-size Stratocaster (with tremolo bar)

So imagine Dans excitement, knowing that the invitation for Desiree' to play the Bash comes from Doug himself, the bassist who has recorded with Jeff Beck and Joe Satriani, Rolling Stones, artists Dan has always held out to Desiree as musical role models.

In 1988, when Dan decided to leave the U.S. Marines to marry Desiree's mother Myrna, Satriani released Surfing with the Alien, the popular album that took an instrumental path away from Metallica, Guns n Roses, and Pearl Jam. So moved by the records shift toward fusion, Dan has used Surfing with the Alien as something of a template for Desiree's development.

The possibility of Desiree' actually collaborating with Doug was enough to raise Dan's anxiety level as he prepared for that Saturdays show, a more-relaxed evening for Doug and his friends, but for Desiree', the most important audition in her young career.And she probably did'nt know it, she just wanted to show her stuff.

Desiree' was characteristically cool as she and Dan arrived early for a short sound check. Even then, she caught the attention of those who were at Sully's for nothing more than an afternoon brew. Everybody wanted to know who she was.

Desiree stepped up between sets of Skip Little Axe McDonald's blues funk, and Doug and Will Calhouns bombastic dub attack they call Head >> Fake.

Once again living up to her reputation, Desiree' delivered another soulful, sophisticated Cause we Ended as Lovers, and then obliged the appreciative crowd with an even more intense version of Watchtower to close what Dan knew had been the most important set of Desiree's life.

For her part, characteristically unexcited, Desiree' did wear a big grin as she shyly entertained the questions and photo's from those in the crowd who wanted to get close to the starlet.

As far as Doug and his musical family were concerned, Desiree' had most certainly passed the audition.

In fact, Doug has invited Desiree into the studio to work on developing a few of her riffs into songs for a demo.

And for a taste of honest-to-God rock n' roll fame, Desiree' joined Living Colour to play out a screaming, standing-room-only show at New Havens Toad's Place, where she rocked with the band .

Not letting the moment fade, the next week, Doug invited Desiree' and Dan to Los Angeles at NAMM 2007 (National Association of Musical Merchants), the industries largest convention. There, Desiree played with Doug, Bernie Worrell, Will Calhoun, and TM Stevens. And maybe even more importantly, at least for Dan, audiences included Mary and Hartley Peavey, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Buckethead, Simon Phillips, John Taylor, Dave Ellefson, and last, but you know not least, Joe Satriani.

January 2008 found Desiree' in Scottsdale Arizona doing a music video shoot for her original songs

Spring of 2008 was spent primarily in the studio recording Desiree's material for the up coming cd release. Although she did manage to play at two music festivals and a few gigs while attending school.

June 2008 was a big for Desiree', having been invited to play with the Marshall Tucker Band was an honor and privelage not bestowed upon many. But Desiree' rocked their fans into another generation of MTB, flawlessly playing solos to songs she had never even heard before, indeed she made many fans at that show.

July 2008 saw Desiree' opening up for Jimmy Vaughn in her home state of connecticut.

July 2008 also provided the opportunity for Desiree' to play lead guitar for one of the biggest names in rock n' roll, Sammy Hagar at the MGM grand. Before several thousand of his fans Desiree' graced the stage and Sammy drops to one knee, bowing to the guitarqueen as she rips a lead thru his amp and stirs the crowd as the band and her break into one of Sam's favorite songs; Rock n' Roll by Led Zeppelin. This performance is a throw back to 1985 when Eddie Van Halen did the same song with Sammy at Farmaid: not many people can say they have done this. Sammy and The Wabo's are now huge fans !!

Not slowing down for a minute, Desiree' recorded and released her cd titled Power & Force two days before her birthday on 09/11/2008. Having spent the previous two years preparing for the day the cd would be released.She held a massive party at a restored theatre celebrating the dual occasion, which was a major success.

November 2008 saw Desiree' opening up for the Rick Derringer band and rocking the house as usual, adding his fans to her base.

Source : http://www.myspace.com/desireebassett