"For those who worship the
ground that Jewel, Ani Difranco or any other independent female
artist walks on, you've been paying homage to the wrong diva."
- Adam Jonas, Iowa State Daily (Ames, IA.)
Tina Schlieske was born in Chicago and raised in the music
hub of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her mother - herself the daughter
of a Russian Opera diva, adored music and passed her passion
along to her children. Tina was weaned on 70's FM radio and
the music her Mother blasted from her stereo. Joni Mitchell,
Janis Joplin, the Beatles, and Elvis were all early inspirations.
But then an Aretha Franklin tape her sister Laura gave to
her sealed Tina's musical fate.
She had her first guitar at 13, and her first electric guitar
at 16 and taught herself out of the chord books she found
in her sister's piano bench. As a teenager with an independent
streak, Tina formed a band, Tina & the B-Sides, a rock/soul/blues
concoction that went on to become one of the most popular
bands in the Midwest.
Starting her own independent label Movement Records along
with an aggressive touring schedule of back-to-back two hour
plus shows and an onstage energy that ignited the crowds earned
Tina a reputation that was hard to ignore. Seymour Stein from
Sire records went to see a Tina and the B-Sides show at the
famed CBGB's in New York and she was signed the next day.
" A white soul singer from Minneapolis? Don't laugh.
Like Janis Joplin 30 years before her, Tina Schlieske collides
guitar-based rock with gutbucket R&B and puts on a frenetic
live show." - Terry Crawford, Shreveport Sun (Shreveport,
LA.)
Tina stayed with the label for 4 years and recorded 2 albums
with Sire, Salvation (produced by Paul Fox) and It's All Just
the Same (produced by John Fields). They had songs in three
major motion pictures, "The Traveler", "A Simple Plan" and
"Very Bad Things" as well as major TV commercials such as
Motorola. Tina and band shared stages with acts like Lenny
Kravitz, Susan Tedeschi, the Indigo Girls, The Wallflowers
and Etta James. Moreover, Tina had collaborated with such
diverse artists as Stewart Copeland, Me'Shell Ndegeocello
and Minneapolis native Dan Wilson. During that time, she was
also considered to play the role of Janis Jolpin in Paramount
Picture's "Piece of My Heart" a film about the late singer's
life.
After 12 years of fronting her band the B-Sides, releasing
8 records, selling nearly 100,000 CD's (mostly from word of
mouth) and touring for an epic decade-and-a-half in front
of throngs of passionately loyal fans, Tina wanted a change.
One of the changes was a decision to leave Sire and go back
to the band's grassroots once again. To celebrate their new
independence, Tina and the B-Sides played two nights at Minneapolis'
First Ave to sell out crowds and recorded the event. The result
was their 1999 double live CD, The Last Polka, which became
the band's swansong.
Tina moved West after the band's breakup and for all of 2000
she toured the country solo with just her and her acoustic
guitar, playing the small clubs that had been so supportive
during the B-Sides' reign. Additionally, she formed a cover
band to pay homage to her early inspirations, Lola and the
Red Hots. Lola released two CD's including the unendingly
popular Christmas album, "Have Yourself A Red Little Christmas"
She also began exploring new and different outlets for her
talents. In 2001, Stevie Ray Vaughn's band Double Trouble
approached Tina offering her the lead singer/rhythm guitarist
slot. Throughout that spring and summer Tina stunned hard-nosed
blues-rock fans and critics alike with her gritty voice and
passionate performances.
" The highlight of the set was when DT blew the roof
off of the Tabernacle with the cover of Led Zeppelin's "Rock
& Roll" sung by Tina Schlieske. If Robert Plant had been present
he surely would have shrieked and danced…" - Adam Geitgey,
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, GA.)
But Tina decided not to stay on permanently with DT, and
returned home to write new material for her solo debut, something
she had been putting off doing for too long.
With several records' worth of material, Tina is preparing
to enter yet another phase of her career, this time on her
own. "Music has been and always will be a huge part of my
life. I am so thankful for the longevity and the ability to
be able to continue this dream. I'm looking forward to the
next ten CD's!"