Project-43: BIO

Project-43 is the brainchild of Charlie Wardick and Steve M. Mann who are both located in the US. In late 2005, these two combined forces after ‘meeting’ each other on Usenet in the alt.guitar newsgroup. Initially, it was just an effort to refresh their playing skills and learn a little about home recording, but they quickly realized it could be much more. From it's humble beginnings, Project-43 would go on to become one of the first bands to record, mix, produce and release a music CD completely over the Internet, with none of the members ever having met in person. All while being separated in three difference countries and five locations around the globe.

After Charlie and Steve established the groundwork, the two soon enlisted the vocal talents of Antti Heikkinen from Finland. Antti gave the project a truly special touch that made the music come together like never before. His vocal talents should have landed him a major recording career long ago, thus eliminating any chance he could be part of the team. But, for whatever reasons, the stars were aligned and he was available for the project. That was a very fortunate set of circumstances.

The band then added Scott Wallace who is located in Scotland, to play drums and replace the canned ‘loops’ or programmed drums that had been used to this point. This also brought a whole new dimension to the music and the overall sound of Project-43. Christopher Bell-Boudreaux is the latest talent to join Project-43 adding his unique NYC guitar stylings and talent to the mix.

To date, Project-43 has created over forty original Rock & Roll songs that have an amazing quality that would challenge even the best industry professionals to know that these people have never played in the same room together. Their debut CD, “Silence the Quiet”, released in 2007, contains a collection of tunes in the hard/heavy rock genre. Their follow-up CD, "Ticket To Infinity", scheduled for release in January 2008, also contains a bit of a mix, but is certainly more 'metal' and modern. The combination of these two CDs makes it easy to see why their slogan, "Project-43: The Future of Classic Rock", may be more truth than marketing.

Up Close: Antti

I've been asked recently how I record my vocals. I now use an AKG C414 B-ULS studio microphone into a DBX 376 tube pre-amp. I ride it pretty hot to get a touch of that overdrive presence. Since the mic is really well suited for my voice and also top notch when it comes to frequency response, I don't EQ it much - a slight increase in bass sometimes. The mic can really take a pounding so I tend to sing pretty close to it... (read more)

Up Close: Chris

As I always mention first, I'm from New York City. I had a great run there playing with a bunch of original bands and recording in some nice studios. I played with guys from Blue Oyster Cult, The Plasmatics, The Dictators, and Type O Negative. For a spell - very briefly - I was in Roadrunner Artists Carnivore, and MCA Artists Manitoba's Wild Kingdom. However, along with those, and a disastrous audition with Lita Ford, I moved away from the bright lights to Western Maryland... (read more)

Up Close: Charlie

I began playing at age 6 thanks to my Uncle Bill however it ended the same day it began. He said "come back when your hands are bigger". Tried again myself at age 12 when I found an acoustic in someone's trash. That lasted about 2 days and then me and my buddy though it would be cool to do a Who maneuver on it. How stupid! I have no idea what kind of guitar it was, but it would be my luck it was some old Gibson, Martin or Taylor that got smashed that day.... (read more)

Up Close: Steve

I've been dying to be a rock star for nearly 30 years now. I started playing guitar back in early high school, sometime around 1976. I had a friend who lived on the other side of town that got me hooked on the wonders of the guitar. He had a Gibson Les Paul Gold Top (man, I hope he kept that) and a Marshall half stack. He and some other guys from the neighborhood would jam in his garage and I would soak it all in. Eventually, he started teaching me a few things on the guitar and one thing led to another..... (read more)

Up Close: Scott

I've been playing drums since I was 20. It all started when I seen my first pub band, and thought I could do that! Since starting out in the mid 80s, I've played in various local bands, doing rock covers and original material.... (read more)