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JT Bates and Terence Higgins Join Wheelhouse Beats

JT Bates and Terence Higgins Join Wheelhouse Beats

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Charlie Hunter brings on new drummers for the metronome that grooves

GREENSBORO, NJ – April 18, 2023 – (GUITARpr) – JT Bates and Terence Higgins join an outstanding line-up of drummers for version 1.1 of Wheelhouse Beats. The app launched in September 2022 with eight players: Derrek Phillips, Carter McLean, Jeremy “Bean” Clemons, Corey Fonville, Chris Gelb, Brevan Hampden, George Sluppick, and Bobby Previte. The new beats are excellent for guitar players, songwriters, and anyone wanting to get a little funky.

Wheelhouse Beats is an app designed to act like a metronome, but groove like a drummer. Created by Charlie Hunter and Ben Singer, the app plays specially recorded loops made by some of the best drummers in the music industry. Using a custom audio engine, the app can play each beat unreasonably slow, unbelievably fast, and everything in between, without losing character or musicality. Most of all, this app is about good feel — hearing it and playing with it.

JT Bates is a drummer, producer, and teacher from Minneapolis. Growing up, JT played in his father’s big band, joining his two older brothers. JT moved into the creative and improvised music scenes, recording and releasing his own music. His drumming in the improv group Fat Kid Wednesdays was described in the New Yorker: “When he plays on an ethereally introverted modernistic piece, he sounds like a one-man Art Ensemble of Chicago, ready to use anything for the right sound.”

JT’s studio and performance credits are a who’s-who of indie folk and pop: Bon Iver, Trampled by Turtles, Andrew Bird, Phil Cook, Pieta Brown, Flock of Dimes, Bruce Hornsby, Tortoise, The National, Hiss Golden Messenger, and Taylor Swift. Most recently, JT has been active in Big Red Machine (Justin Vernon, Aaron Dessner, and Bradley Cook) and Bonny Light Horseman (Anaïs Mitchell, Eric D. Johnson, and Josh Kaufman).

JT’s beats for Wheelhouse are spare and straightforward. They are especially good for songwriters, giving an understated accompaniment still filled with musical intuition.
More about JT at https://www.jtbatesdrums.com/.

Terence Higgins was born and raised in New Orleans and is proud to continue in that city’s great musical tradition. He credits George Porter Jr. of the Meters for taking him under his wing, and Terence has performed with a host of musicians: Dr. John, Earl King, Marva Wright, Kermit Ruffin, Snooks Eaglin, Johnny Adams, The Wild Magnolias, Dave Badie, Ivan Neville & Dumpstaphunk, Jon Cleary, Donald Harrison, Allen Toussaint, Ed Perkins, Theryl “House Man” DeClouet, Robert Randolph, Treme Brass Band, Fats Domino, and more.

A former member of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Terence has helped bring New Orleans culture to the world. Most recently, Terence has been performing and touring with Ani DiFranco, John Scofield, The Warren Haynes Band, Tab Benoit and his own band Swampgrease.

In Wheelhouse, Terence’s sly, funky beats are fresh and energetic. Great for all kinds of instrumentalists, these beats are also a fantastic tool for drummers to learn grooves from an authentic source.
More about Terence at https://www.terencehigginsmusic.com/.

About the Makers

Charlie Hunter is a true innovator and guitar player like no other. In solo albums, small ensembles (Garage A Trois, T. J. Kirk), and collaborations (D’Angelo, John Mayer, Norah Jones, Kurt Elling) is always exploring American music and finding new ways to make a groove. Producing and recording for his new label, SideHustle Records, Charlie is dedicated to promoting new and talented artists. In Wheelhouse, Charlie serves as chief instigator and music supervisor.
More about Charlie at https://www.charliehunter.com/.

Ben Singer is a developer specializing in apps for music and the arts. His recent collaborations are: “Moving Sound”, an app that presents performances by contemporary flutist Erika Boysen; “Walking Venezia”, commissioned by the Swiss group ensemBle baBel to mix geolocation and music improvisation; and an upcoming app with a new approach to harmony by bass player Scott Dixon (The Cleveland Orchestra and Cleveland Institute of Music). Also a musician, Ben has performed his scores for silent films at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Orlando Fringe, San Francisco Fringe (Overall Techie’s Choice), and New York International Fringe (Overall Excellence Award for Music Composition).
More about Ben at https://www.bensinger.co/.

Wheelhouse Beats is available on Google Play and the Apple App Store. It supports most mobile devices as well as M1/M2-based desktop Macs.
More information is available at https://www.wheelhousebeats.app/.

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