The Court Jesters

The Court Jesters duo was formed in 2012 and is comprised of Tina Charest and John Hasnip.

Long ago, at an open mic not-so-very far away, there was a musician who recently moved to Maine from a small town in Olde England looking for a chance to do what he loved most…play music! John soon had the opportunity to host the open mic on a weekly basis, meeting a whole host of new friends in a strange country.  It was in this circle he met Tina, a Franco-American girl born and raised in New England who loved to sing more than anything. Together, with John’s passion-fueled guitar, Tina’s strong tambourine, and their shared love of vocal harmonies, duo magic was created!

John’s musical influences are Elvis Costello, The Beatles, and Colin Hay. While Tina’s are Linda Ronstadt, Anne Murray, and Karen Carpenter. Together, they make up The Court  Jesters, bringing you a mix of genres from their diverse backgrounds, and possibly a shenanigan or two. Their gigs are never the same, with energy and laughter filling up the evening. Cover tunes are blended with their own special style, and their originals are as heartfelt and genuine as they are.

A note from John:

Tina has been a songbird, singing gospel and in various bands, from the last Millenium into this current one! You could say she's a Singing Millenium Falcon! I wouldn't though... She also plays light percussion tambourine with plenty of vigor and dynamasism!

I may have invented the word dynamasism, as well as playing guitar and singing! By no means did I invent the guitar or singing. I have been playing and singing since 3:30 pm last  Thursday, across the world, from Winslow Maine, to Waterville.

We started at an open mic and soon took off from there playing bars, pubs, weddings,  corporate events, street corners, theaters, and county fairs and didn't get caught once! We always love getting out there, playing live, having a great time, and giving the audience a  good show, but not their money back!

Though it may not come across, we are experienced, professional, punctual, polished performers committed to giving everyone a memorable evening out...or in! Veterans of over 500 shows, The Court Jesters have a Trustpilot rating of 6 out of 5*. *(No Pilots were quoted or hurt in this poll)

Now the serious bit......

The Court Jesters - Can't Stop Now

Finally!! 4 years and 25 minutes in the making, the album is done!

The last note recorded, the last word sung! 4 years and 25 minutes of love, passion, harmony,  desire and energy, poured into 14 songs! There is something here for everyone, and that's a  genuine comment.

Well, it's my comment, but it is no less than the truth!

Pop, Soul, Jazz, Motown, Gospel, Country, and a smidgen of Western!

Acoustic, Electric, Eclectic…a collection that flows from tracks 1 to 14.

We have had help from Friends, Chris Click, Dave Teed, Doug Stackhouse, Jonathan Truman,  Keith Collins, Darren Hodson, Reg Squires, and Per Harald Kvandal. Their contributions have raised the quality of the songs immensely, and we are grateful for the time and talent they gave us so willingly. Isn't it great to have such jolly nice friends!

And the man who sat down patiently with me and helped tighten up the mixes and then mastered this fine album is Mr. Brad Truman! When I asked him how he would like to be  credited on this he said, and I quote:

“Tell them I am an opinionated bloke with a small amount of knowledge and a lot of  luck...Or is that a little wordy?"

Brad Truman is the Mastering King!

And so says all of us… Thank you!