AdaM BieNieK

If soul had an edge, and the blues had a West Virginia twang, Adam Bieniek may have found his perfect sound.------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------At age three Bieniek was already entertaining his parents by spinning on their coffee table to the rhythms of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album. Growing up, Bieniek gained a wide appreciation for all spectrums of music, listening to such diverse bands as to the sounds of Bill Withers, Alabama, Led Zeppelin and Elvis Presley. By middle school, he began participating in the school choir and writing poetry. After high school, Bieniek moved to Huntington, WV, to attend Marshall University. There, his passion and love for music matured. Getting involved in a variety of sounds, Bieniek sang hooks on various rappers' mixed tapes, and attempted to get a solid band together. Instead, he would receive an education from the school of hard knocks, and piles of material from various projects began to accumulate.------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------Det ermined to take to his love for music to a larger stage, Bieniek moved to Jacksonville, Fla., where the singer/songwriter experienced moments of immense triumph and crushing defeat. Frustrated by his limited knowledge instrumentation, Bieniek decided to pick up a guitar and begin his journey as a solo artist.----------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --After honing his vocal skills in bands around the sunshine state, the 26-year-old Wheeling, W.Va., native decided to return to his roots: "Where I grew up, where it all began," and move back to West Virginia to play the music he loved.------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------He spent last winter holed up in the garage behind his Huntington home listening to Frank Sinatra records and sipping red wine, writing when the muse brought inspiration. By springtime, Bieniek had close to two dozen compositions and was ready to start building his dream career.----------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------Between writing, Bieniek converted that thin-walled garage into a rehearsal studio, which provided an intimate (and sweltering) setting for the first sessions with drummer Justin Carpenter and bassist Michael Calfee. The trio tightened Bieniek's material at open-mic performances around Huntington and Charleston, and invited guitarist Shane Browning to join the trio in late April.------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------Adam Bieniek and the Sound Assassins entered the studio in late May. With renowned local musician Bud Carroll at the helm of the production, the Sound Assassins recorded their debut, "The Stand By EP." Four diverse tracks that touch on the overall human experience: The opener, "Stand By," reminds us to "live in the moment" through a "slice of life storytelling-style." On the second track, "Down in the Valley" provides a foot-stomping homage to the good old days of growing up in West Virginia. And the third track "I'm Here," touches base with Bieniek's soulful side reflecting on many circumstances of doubt and despair. The final track on the EP, "Align," delivers a solid blow with hard-hitting rhythms and memoirs of a dreamstate.------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------Bieniek has passion, dedication and a strong loyalty to music. He has "found his own soulful funk-rock sound. And he plans to develop the uniqueness of it this winter and plans to concentrate on his first full-length album, slated to release in late 2009.------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ -----------------This biography was a colabrotive effort by Amy Burns (LabProductions.com), Mike Calfee, Erica Deligne & Jackie Bieniek (Mom). Thanks so much guys!