PinkleTank

"Growing up around their family’s recording studio, the brother-and-sister duo of PinkleTank has been surrounded by music their entire lives. With constant access to instruments and recording equipment, the duo has crafted their passion for music into a sound they are ready to share with the world."
- KFVS TV Author: Amber Ruch

"Working Brilliantly caught up with PinkleTank to find more out about the band that consists of an eight and nine year old brother and sister. Their hybrid of rock, rap, pop and blues reminds us of the old school Beastie Boys and gets everyone rockin' when they perform live, with Tank singing whilst doing the duck walk and Pinkle energetically engaging the audience." - Working Brilliantly

"One day, the Gods of Rock and Roll will descend from their ethereal, transdimensional precipice to herald the Return of Metal. Their sinewy frames, borne aloft by hallowed magicks and darkness eternal, will raise a banshee's wail that echoes through time itself. And the Gods of Rock and Roll will peer into the hapless void that is Earth and they will speak but one word, in the softest of whispers:
"PinkleTank.""
- The Daily What

"Eight-year-old Pinkle and nine-year-old Tank make up the revolutionary rock band that’s known as PinkleTank. ALL BOW DOWN TO THEM." - @britt_mahaney, AND POP (Jul 26, 2012)

Poplar Bluff is home to more than a few rising stars, among them the brother-sister performing duo known as PinkleTank. Pinkle, aka Britney Bascom, is 8 years old and plays keyboard, sings and is currently learning bass guitar. Tank, aka Ricky Bascom, is 9 and plays guitar, bass guitar, drums, sings and does some songwriting.

While they may seem quite young to be performing music—not to mention signing album deals—parents Rick and Michele Bascom said that music runs deep in the family.

“I’ve always had a hobby of writing songs and the kids kind of grew up around it,” said Rick Bascom, father of PinkleTank. “So we wrote some songs for the kids to sing and it just sort of went from there.”

The children began playing music at about age 4, Rick said, and both Britney and Ricky competed in local singing competitions, often placing in the top three.
Before PinkleTank started in 2007, Britney and Ricky simply sang covers of popular songs at family parties and in their spare time. However, their parents quickly realized their potential and began helping the children write their own songs about their experiences in school and day-to-day life.

“I taught [Ricky] everything I knew about guitar. And then he turned 5,” Rick joked. “Ricky has loved music since he was young, and he has studied guitars and their history. He’s always just been consumed with music.”

Four years ago, Rick and Michele decided to record a demo CD of their children performing to see what would happen. The important part, though, was the name. PinkleTank is as original as it is personal to the Bascoms.

“My favorite colors are pink and purple, and so we combined them to make Pinkle,” Britney explained. “And Ricky, he was so big whenever he was a baby, my Uncle called him Tank. And we just sort of put them together to make PinkleTank.”

And so PinkleTank was born. PinkleTank released their first CD “Get Tankled” nationwide on Dec. 6. Their music is available on iTunes and in many other stores.

“I’d say their style is rap and rock with a bit of pop. There is some heavier and sort of rock stuff, and there are some [songs] that are definitely rap. And we actually have a texting song, which is pretty cool,” Rick said. The pair also have a blues song, with a few other genres thrown in the mix.

“When I saw [our CD in the stores], it made me happy because I knew that our parents would be proud of us,” Britney said.

But these small stars are not stopping there. “It’s really amazing because they just turned 8 and 9 and they’re playing their music live,” Rick said. “I mean, Ricky is playing guitar and singing at the same time, and he’s hopping around stage doing the duck walk… it’s unheard of for kids this age.”

Even with the recent release of their debut, PinkleTank is currently working on a second CD, which they hope to release next year. On their next CD, tentatively titled “Gateway to Your Mind,” Rick said he expects that the kids will write most of their own music, with less help from mom and dad. In fact, Ricky has already written the tunes for two of the songs they are preparing to record.

“I like recording the music and working out the guitar parts,” Ricky said. “And I like doing the duck walk on stage. That’s my favorite part.”

And he will have lots of chances to do it—Rick said that the duo is already booking shows for a U.S. tour this summer, while the kids have off of school.

“We hope that next year it’ll be international,” Rick said.

Who knows how far it will go, but for now, PinkleTank is here to rock.

Liz Ellis can be reached by emailing lizellis@semotimes.com or by calling 573-785-2200.

- Semo Times