Grace & Speed
Robby Cosenza: a wee bit of drumming...
Chris Sullivan: a clarinet here, a ukulele there...
Justin Craig: electrified guitar, machine gun drums...
tom waits :: bob dylan :: paul mccartney :: john lennon :: nick drake :: magnetic fields :: radiohead :: andrew bird :: leonard cohen :: tom petty :: scout niblett :: kitty hawk :: beatles :: kinks :: drinks :: things :: montybeast :: queen josephine :: johnny cash :: super furry animals :: neil young :: willie nelson :: david bowie :: feist :: joni mitchell :: c3po :: shel silverstein :: m. ward :: neko case :: beck :: flaming lips :: sesame street :: 3-2-1 contact :: the electric company :: the princess bride :: spinal tap :: the old testament :: saved by the bell :: pearl jam :: nirvana :: the shins :: the federal reserve :: the 90s :: the 80s :: the late 70s :: star wars, not star trek :: conan the barbarian, the destroyer, & the o'brien :: mr. show :: mr. rogers :: mr. garrison, my elementary school music teacher :: wesleyan hymns :: wesley willis hymns :: bruce springsteen :: michael jackson :: madonna :: madonna :: madonna :: lady madonna :: and other stuff too... like pink floyd :: and pink floyd...
VANDAVEER is the alt-folk song singing/record making/globetrotting project penned and put forth by DC-by-way-of-Kentucky tunesmith Mark Charles Heidinger. The son of a preacher whose father was a gambler whose father was both judge and US congressman, Mark Charles one day found himself in possession of a golden pocket watch owned, wound, and regularly counseled by each in this paternal line. On the backside of said watch was a family name engraved, passed down for a century or more like the timepiece that followed. That name was Vandaveer.
Vandaveer’s debut album, Grace & Speed, a mostly live, stripped down affair, swiftly entered this great big dusty world in the spring of 2007 garnering rave reviews and hyperbolic comparisons to Dylan, Waits, Drake, Simon, and the like. Touring continually on both sides of the Atlantic ever since, Vandaveer has played hundreds of shows, sharing stages with a host of humbling artists including Bon Iver, Alejandro Escovedo, Vashti Bunyan, Vetiver, Evan Dando, Scout Niblett, The Ditty Bops, Smog, Fleet Foxes, Alela Diane and his dear friends in DC’s ramshackle collective, The Federal Reserve. In addition to said Vandaveering, Mark Charles has been known to fraternize and conspire with other music-making hooligans, primarily as a bassist with fellow DCers These United States.
Vandaveer’s sophomore effort, Divide & Conquer, touches upon similar themes found in its elder sibling, winding timeworn themes of love & death, malice & goodwill, sin & perseverance into (mostly) four-minute vignettes. To see D&C through, Vandaveer enlisted the able assistance of longtime collaborator and producer Duane Lundy, brothers-in-arms/TUS bandmates Robby Cosenza and Justin Craig, and most notably, his fair sister Rose Guerin, supplying the loveliest harmonies this side of Eden. A decidedly more produced venture, D&C offers up a flourishing chamber folk companion to its bedroomy lo-fi folk/pop predecessor.
Divide & Conquer will be released in France, Belgium and Switzerland on April 6th, 2009 via Alter K. Records / Discograph.
Providence’s Supply & Demand Music will also release a limited edition 7” vinyl single in May 2009 featuring two tracks -- Turpentine b/w Woolgathering -- from the album, to be released in the US later this year.
Have a looksee here:
For more information and/or general browsing pleasure please visit
www.vandaveer.net
HOT OFF THE PRESS:
"You may not yet know the name Mark Charles Heidinger, but you should. When he's not tearing it up with The Apparitions, he's creating well-crafted modern folk music under the moniker Vandaveer. Grace & Speed is superb from start to finish, showing [Vandaveer]'s gift for storytelling and sense of economy." -- PERFORMING SONGWRITER MAGAZINE
"The Vandaveer name carries with it far more of Dylan's spirit than other contributors to the [folk] genre... This is a singer who can tell a pitch-black story in a way that makes it sound more like unfortunate happenstance than world-moving tragedy, as an observer rather than an interpreter." -- POP MATTERS
"This generation's Nick Drake." -- XM CAFE
"Very dark and beautifully grim. It’s like the Decemberists with a Tom-Waits-by-streetlight feel, and just a hint of Andrew Bird in the vocals.” -- YOU AIN'T NO PICASSO
US BOOKING:
Mark Charles Heidinger
dear.vandaveer@gmail.com
FRANCE BOOKING:
Add It Up!
Charlotte Nansot
charlotte@additup.fr
www.additup.fr
BELGIUM BOOKING:
Nada Booking
Simon Vanrie
simon@nadabooking.be
www.nadabooking.be
US PRESS:
Romo PR
Roberta Moore
roberta@romopr.com
www.romopr.com
919.321.8246
US DIGITAL MEDIA MARKETING:
Toolshed
Dick Huey
dick@toolshed.biz
www.toolshed.biz
NON-COMM AAA RADIO:
Dauntless Promotion
Jennifer Daunt
dauntless2@earthlink.net
www.dauntlesspromotion.com
503.841.5070
CMJ TOP 200 RADIO:
Terrorbird Media
George A Corona III
geo@terrorbird.com
www.terrorbird.com
415.369.9430
Mark Charles Heidinger (US)
dear.vandaveer@gmail.com
Alter. K Records (France)
Guillaume Heinzmann
guillaume@alter-k.com
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VIDEOS:
There are fine folks in this world, and then there are the finest folks in this world. Grandcrew, a crazy talented consortium of filmmakin' types based in Paris fall in both categories, for their degree of fineness knows no bounds. They're truly wonderful souls. And they've lended their talents and time to making a music video for Vandaveer. We shot this clip in a single day, with a fine young French director named Antonin Le Guay. Antonin was a saint. He is a saint. Just like them Grandcrew cats. You can see for yourself here... Magic!
We met a fine chap in Paris named Matthieu. He spearheads a fantastic little operation called Lavomatik Sessions, where he takes bleary-eyed music-makers into laundromats all across Paris and films them/us doing their/our thing. We had ourselves a dandy time... somewhere in Montmarte, I think. They say Johnny Depp lives in those parts. A lovely couple joined us towards the end of one of our tunes. They danced. We smiled. It was endearing. You can hear the whole kit'n'kaboodle here. A newer tune called "Dig Down Deep" and a not quite as new but still relatively new song called "A Mighty Leviathan Of Old".................
A wee bit of video'ed Vandaveer, somewhere in Germany, some time ago, on a westbound train, filmed by one J. Tom Hnatow... song's called "Woolgathering" and it's fightin' for a spot on record 2:
And yet another bit of Vandaveer on film, pickin' a tune called "Fistful Of Swoon", this time in Paris, shot, edited, and whipped into proper shape by Noah WEILL, Camille LEBOURGES, Simon BIRMAN, and the able folks at GRANDCREW.
RECENT NEWS:
Vandaveer & The Good Folks @ LA BLOGOTHEQUE
We have a crush on France. It's true. And one big reason is the fine folks who run La Blogotheque. Firstly, they've been more than kind to us here at Camp Vandaveer helping spread the good word to all corners of France and beyond for some time now. Secondly, and more importantly, they're as fine a people as you can ever hope to meet out there in the great wide open. I appreciate their support, but even more so I appreciate their friendship. You can see all the kind'n'caring attention they've given Vandaveer by clicking on their logo below, but all shameless self-promotion and megaphone cheerleading aside, I just want to say merci beaucoup to Alex and Chryde and the whole damn crew. Golden, each and every one of 'em.
Vandaveer on Daytrotter...
The fine folks at Daytrotter posted a fine little session we recorded almost a year ago with both Rose & Robby Cosenza on board... Have yourself a looksee down below, okay? It's been quite a while since we tracked these w/ DT, but, like Twinkies, songs don't have shelf lives, so they're as fresh today as they were the day the DT folks pushed RECORD... That particular day at DT was as busy as they come -- they were kind enough to squeeze us in despite having three other bands on the schedule... No rest for the doers of good, eh? Clicky, clicky below, s'il vous plait?
The Old Lonesome Sound: A Splice Today compilation featuring traditional folk tunes recorded by all sorts of good contemporary folks like Deer Tick, Phosphorescent, These United States, Adam Arcuragi, Wye Oak, some chap called Vandaveer, and many more is officially available for a "Can't Get Any Cheaper Than Free" Free download right here. As in below. Right there. Just below these words. Click, download, listen, repeat.
Vandaveer + A Nest Of Eggs = Teach For America.
Vandaveer loves teachers. Vandaveer also loves America. Vandaveer especially loves teachers who teach in America. And teachers who Teach For America. Vandaveer had this one teacher in 5th grade named Mrs. Clem. She was an angel. And a brilliant, loving soul. She taught in and for America. She taught well. Mrs. Clem passed away a few years ago. We miss you, Janet.
And because teachers (like Mrs. Clem) make the world go round, we were pleased as punch to participate in A Nest For Eggs' compilation "Before The Goldrush: A Project To Benefit Teach For America". Those Teach For America folks are golden, more valuable than any precious metal a miner could mine. For our part, we offered up our take on Leonard Cohen's "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye". Other folks offered up other tracks. Like Neko Case, and Dawn Landes, and Okkervil River, and on and on and on...
So...I had been dealing with a brutal headache for 3 weeks when we took our little road trip to Nashville. It subsided during your fabulous set that night and has yet to return. I do believe you and lovely Rose must have healing powers!!
Bonjour Mark and Rose, I was waking up and drinking my first coffee of the day and actually got surprised to see you in my news feed of Libération... and also playing No Surprises as a second song. Making a Radiohead cover was a gutsy choice. Probably the most famous english band in France and i'm not really sure people are ready to hear it "folk style". Can I ask why did you pick up this song? I just read a typical "Libé" comment (people always make stupid comments on this daily) comparing you to elvis presley on this cover... It made me laugh, you probably won't. Anyways I hope you'll be able to play in big french festivals like Les vieilles Charrues or Les Eurokéennes de Belfort to meet the public who will be able to get your music, your french public ;) I'll try to see you again if you come back in France in October and definitely if you show up in Toulouse. M*
Thanks you for the add. I'll post a video of me doing my solo to your song after I do it. June 12 will be it's debut. Thanks again, Haleema from Dunsmuir
The Montague Book Mill?! A jewel, for sure! Got your message today.. forwarded to me from Italy. We're excited. Mike will email you back! LOVE LOVE LOVe to you, b
Really love your musical work, beautiful quality... :o) I wasn't free to see you in Paris but I was there at the Divan Du Monde for the Dylan Mania, you were beautiful ! Great moment !!! ;o) All the best & hope to see you very soon... :o) Bluesy_Girl
