Guestbook

<p>Although it has been two years since the inception of SaltWater Gypsy, the development of the music and style has been a decade in the making. Kevin Schmitke was born in June of 1971, on a homestead in central Manitoba. Influenced early in life by both relatives and radio, music became an obsession. Acquiring a guitar by the age of fourteen, recording for local bands by fifteen, playing in local bars at sixteen and attending the Musicians Institute "GIT" program in Hollywood ,California by 18, Kevin graduated and went on to play, perform and record for multiple artists in Canada and the United States.<br /><br />What appeared to be an aspiring career ended abruptly at the age of twenty-four when Kevin became a father and at the age of twenty-six, a single father. A beautiful baby girl left Kevin with a decision and he chose to leave the industry and pursue a more stable career. Losing everything, including his last guitar, to keep his child, it was two years before another musician would donate a guitar just so he would keep playing. Eight hours a day spent working to become an automotive technician/ engineer and six hours at night as a DJ to supplement, it would be seven years before he would finalize his education. During the fourth year of Kevin's schooling he came to meet and lend acouch to Justin Spearing, who would not only become one of his best friends but also a participant in the raising of his child due to his lengthy stay on his couch.<br /><br />Justin Spearing was born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, in August 1981. Aspiring to be a writer, he was published by the age of ten after winning a national short story competition. Growing up a loner, often choosing to write over attending social events, when he was seventeen he put his creative aspirations on hold and moved across the country in search of a new life. At the age of twenty, fate would put him on the couch in Kevin's two bedroom apartment. Already musically inclined, Justin chose to take advantage of the opportunity of living with a seasoned musician and song writer. Constantly asking for direction and playing guitar for hours, days and eventually years, it was Justin's perseverance and persistence that pushed Kevin to follow through on a once lost dream.<br /><br />When we put SaltWater Gypsy together two years ago we already built a musical sound and relationship that will last a lifetime as we now consider each other to be family. Siblings who rarely argue, we have devoted extensive resources into building both a professional recording studio and a brand, SaltWater Gypsy. We truly believe in our music and in SaltWater Gypsy as it reflects many, many years of emotional suffering and a mountain of adversity with a profound happy ending.<br /><br />Savannah Rae Schmitke born Jan, 1996 in Winnipeg Manitoba. This is the baby girl, now fourteen, that had Kevin leave the industry to raise. She sings on two of the five recordings we have currently released, and has the most beautiful voice, making this comeback a truly inspiring story.<br /><br />This is a condensed version of a story to long for these pages. We hope this gives you an idea of who we are and the great lengths we are willing to go through to succeed. <br /><br />Thank you for reading,<br /><br />Kevin Schmitke/Justin Spearing, SaltWater Gypsy</p>