| Vandaveer |
| The Wild Mercury (19 February 2016) |
Vandaveer — The Wild Mercury (19 February 2016)
••★ Hearts won. Love lost. Battles waged. Demons cast. Fatherhood, fellowship and full circles. The winding road and the welcoming home. The great beginning, the great unknown and a lot of in–between, too. It’s all present and accounted for on Vandaveer’s fifth and career–defining LP, The Wild Mercury.
••★ Music makers... Traveling salesmen... Song singers... Escape artists... Mark Charles Heidinger.
Location: Washington, DC
Album release: 19 February 2016
Record Label: Mri/Red
Duration: 45:26
Tracks:
01 But Enough On That For Now 5:06
02 A Little Time Off Ahead 4:16
03 The Wild Mercury 3:44
04 A Little Worse For The Wear 4:14
05 Holding Patterns 4:23
06 Love Is Melancholy, But It's All We've Got 2:47
07 To Be Young, To Belong 4:26
08 The Final Word 3:34
09 Absolutely Over The Moon 5:50
10 A Pretty Thin Line 7:06
℗ 2015 Ramshackler Music
••» All tracks written by Robby Cosenza / Justin Craig / Rose Guerin / Mark Charles Heidinger / Tom Hnatow.
Credits:
★•• Robby Cosenza Composer, Drums, Keyboards, Percussion
★•• Justin Craig Bass, Composer, Engineer, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Keyboards, Loops, Piano
★•• James Diotte Design, Layout
★•• Matt Duncan Keyboards
★•• Kurt Gohde Artwork, Photography
★•• Rose Guerin Composer, Group Member, Vocals
★•• Mark Charles Heidinger Bass, Composer, Engineer, Group Member, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Keyboards, Piano, Vocals
★•• Tom Hnatow Bass, Composer, Engineer, Guitar (Electric), Keyboards, Pedal Steel, Piano
★•• TJ Lipple Mastering
★•• Duane Lundy Engineer, Mixing, Producer
★•• Vandaveer Primary Artist, Producer
AllMusic Review by Timothy Monger; Score: ****
••★ Following the rustic tones of 2013’s traditional murder ballad set Oh, Willie, Please…, Mark Heidinger’s long–running alt–folk project Vandaveer turns inward on what is perhaps his most personal and well–constructed collection yet. Joining him is longtime musical partner Rose Guerin on vocals, and the duo’s personal Wrecking Crew of satellite members Robby Cosenza, Justin Craig, and J. Tom Hnatow, each of whom instills The Wild Mercury with a warm, collaborative richness that enhances Heidinger’s vision. The heartfelt mix of introspection, wanderlust, and wit that have become Vandaveer’s hallmarks are laced here with themes of aging, parenthood, relationships, and the struggles of maintaining a musician’s nomadic life. Whether it’s the desire to put down roots on the buoyant “A Little Time Off Ahead” or reflecting on past bands, friendships, and follies on “To Be Young, To Belong,” Heidinger explores the complexities of the human condition with masterful precision and a poignancy earned through experience. Musically, Vandaveer exist in the loose associations of Americana, but their pop acumen is apparent in the thoughtful, clever arrangements of songs like “The Final Word” and the impressive title track. Atmospheric textures also play a part here, lightly coloring album–opener “But Enough on That for Now” and more heavily guiding the sublime “Absolutely Over the Moon.” On an album replete with highlights, Heidinger and Guerin save the best for last, intertwining their dusty voices to deliver the devastating closer “A Pretty Thin Line,” a seven–minute epic whose themes of anxious uncertainty and regret are underscored by the band’s beautifully spirited arrangement. ••» http://www.allmusic.com/
Biography:
Timothy Monger & Mark Deming
••★ Vandaveer is an indie folk project spearheaded by Washington, D.C. singer/songwriter Mark Charles Heidinger. A veteran player and bandleader, Heidinger has acted as the frontman for indie pop group the Apparitions and also spent time playing bass for These United States. Initially launched as a solo venture with the 2007 release of his debut, Grace & Speed, Vandaveer soon morphed into more of a collaboration with singer Rose Guerin who has been a full-time member since 2009’s Divide & Conquer. Heidinger and Guerin’s vocal pairing was heavily emphasized on the spare, lo–fi sounds of Vandaveer’s 2010 EP, A Minor Spell. The more country and Americana–inspired Dig Down Deep followed in 2011, furthering the band’s ongoing collaboration with Kentucky–based producer Duane Lundy. Heidinger’s affinity for roots music was always apparent and for 2013’s Oh, Willie Please…, he arranged a rustic set of traditional songs and old murder ballads. For his fifth album, Heidinger had initially intended to frame his very personal new material in a minimal setting, but after some rehearsals a fuller, more expansive sound began to take shape. He and Guerin along with producer Lundy recruited longtime friends and occasional bandmates Robby Cosenza, Justin Craig, and J. Tom Hnatow (all former members of These United States) to record The Wild Mercury which was released in early 2016. ~
Website: http://vandaveer.net/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vandaveer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vndvr
Press: Jeffrey Smith —
Agent: US — Joe Smyth — // France — Ben Fournet —
Interview, Feb 26, 2016
By Jeff Hahne: http://clclt.com/charlotte/vandaveers–childhood–influence/Content?oid=3727861
Albums:
★•• Grace & Speed (2007)
★•• Divide & Conquer (2009)
★•• A Minor Spell (EP) (2010)
★•• Dig Down Deep (2011)
★•• XMSEP 2012 (2012)
★•• Oh, Willie, Please... (2013)
★•• The Wild Mercury (2016)
•★••★••★••★••★••★••★••★••★••★••★••★••★••★••★••★••★••★••
| Vandaveer |
| The Wild Mercury (19 February 2016) |
••★ Hearts won. Love lost. Battles waged. Demons cast. Fatherhood, fellowship and full circles. The winding road and the welcoming home. The great beginning, the great unknown and a lot of in–between, too. It’s all present and accounted for on Vandaveer’s fifth and career–defining LP, The Wild Mercury.
••★ Music makers... Traveling salesmen... Song singers... Escape artists... Mark Charles Heidinger.
Location: Washington, DC
Album release: 19 February 2016
Record Label: Mri/Red
Duration: 45:26
Tracks:
01 But Enough On That For Now 5:06
02 A Little Time Off Ahead 4:16
03 The Wild Mercury 3:44
04 A Little Worse For The Wear 4:14
05 Holding Patterns 4:23
06 Love Is Melancholy, But It's All We've Got 2:47
07 To Be Young, To Belong 4:26
08 The Final Word 3:34
09 Absolutely Over The Moon 5:50
10 A Pretty Thin Line 7:06
℗ 2015 Ramshackler Music
••» All tracks written by Robby Cosenza / Justin Craig / Rose Guerin / Mark Charles Heidinger / Tom Hnatow.
Credits:
★•• Robby Cosenza Composer, Drums, Keyboards, Percussion
★•• Justin Craig Bass, Composer, Engineer, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Keyboards, Loops, Piano
★•• James Diotte Design, Layout
★•• Matt Duncan Keyboards
★•• Kurt Gohde Artwork, Photography
★•• Rose Guerin Composer, Group Member, Vocals
★•• Mark Charles Heidinger Bass, Composer, Engineer, Group Member, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Keyboards, Piano, Vocals
★•• Tom Hnatow Bass, Composer, Engineer, Guitar (Electric), Keyboards, Pedal Steel, Piano
★•• TJ Lipple Mastering
★•• Duane Lundy Engineer, Mixing, Producer
★•• Vandaveer Primary Artist, Producer
AllMusic Review by Timothy Monger; Score: ****
••★ Following the rustic tones of 2013’s traditional murder ballad set Oh, Willie, Please…, Mark Heidinger’s long–running alt–folk project Vandaveer turns inward on what is perhaps his most personal and well–constructed collection yet. Joining him is longtime musical partner Rose Guerin on vocals, and the duo’s personal Wrecking Crew of satellite members Robby Cosenza, Justin Craig, and J. Tom Hnatow, each of whom instills The Wild Mercury with a warm, collaborative richness that enhances Heidinger’s vision. The heartfelt mix of introspection, wanderlust, and wit that have become Vandaveer’s hallmarks are laced here with themes of aging, parenthood, relationships, and the struggles of maintaining a musician’s nomadic life. Whether it’s the desire to put down roots on the buoyant “A Little Time Off Ahead” or reflecting on past bands, friendships, and follies on “To Be Young, To Belong,” Heidinger explores the complexities of the human condition with masterful precision and a poignancy earned through experience. Musically, Vandaveer exist in the loose associations of Americana, but their pop acumen is apparent in the thoughtful, clever arrangements of songs like “The Final Word” and the impressive title track. Atmospheric textures also play a part here, lightly coloring album–opener “But Enough on That for Now” and more heavily guiding the sublime “Absolutely Over the Moon.” On an album replete with highlights, Heidinger and Guerin save the best for last, intertwining their dusty voices to deliver the devastating closer “A Pretty Thin Line,” a seven–minute epic whose themes of anxious uncertainty and regret are underscored by the band’s beautifully spirited arrangement. ••» http://www.allmusic.com/
Biography:
Timothy Monger & Mark Deming
••★ Vandaveer is an indie folk project spearheaded by Washington, D.C. singer/songwriter Mark Charles Heidinger. A veteran player and bandleader, Heidinger has acted as the frontman for indie pop group the Apparitions and also spent time playing bass for These United States. Initially launched as a solo venture with the 2007 release of his debut, Grace & Speed, Vandaveer soon morphed into more of a collaboration with singer Rose Guerin who has been a full-time member since 2009’s Divide & Conquer. Heidinger and Guerin’s vocal pairing was heavily emphasized on the spare, lo–fi sounds of Vandaveer’s 2010 EP, A Minor Spell. The more country and Americana–inspired Dig Down Deep followed in 2011, furthering the band’s ongoing collaboration with Kentucky–based producer Duane Lundy. Heidinger’s affinity for roots music was always apparent and for 2013’s Oh, Willie Please…, he arranged a rustic set of traditional songs and old murder ballads. For his fifth album, Heidinger had initially intended to frame his very personal new material in a minimal setting, but after some rehearsals a fuller, more expansive sound began to take shape. He and Guerin along with producer Lundy recruited longtime friends and occasional bandmates Robby Cosenza, Justin Craig, and J. Tom Hnatow (all former members of These United States) to record The Wild Mercury which was released in early 2016. ~
Website: http://vandaveer.net/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vandaveer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vndvr
Press: Jeffrey Smith —
Agent: US — Joe Smyth — // France — Ben Fournet —
Interview, Feb 26, 2016
By Jeff Hahne: http://clclt.com/charlotte/vandaveers–childhood–influence/Content?oid=3727861
Albums:
★•• Grace & Speed (2007)
★•• Divide & Conquer (2009)
★•• A Minor Spell (EP) (2010)
★•• Dig Down Deep (2011)
★•• XMSEP 2012 (2012)
★•• Oh, Willie, Please... (2013)
★•• The Wild Mercury (2016)
•★••★••★••★••★••★••★••★••★••★••★••★••★••★••★••★••★••★••