Brian Vander Ark
I Miss You, Disco
01/31/2012
Disco is a dirty word to my generation. The very mention of the word will bring a groan to the throat of any rock enthusiast over the age of forty, and justifiably so. It existed at a time when future ‘classic’ rock dominated the airways.In the early 70s, our country was in financial turmoil, marijuana was the popular drug, and our cars enjoyed the full bodied taste of ‘regular’ gas, at well under $1 per gallon. I don’t remember much of that, being too young to make money to buy weed or gas, but I do remember hearing my first disco song. It was “Rock The Boat” (don’t rock the boat, baby…) by Hues Corporation. I remember loving it back then, singing that catchy chorus at the top of my little lungs. A smattering of disco-lite followed on my AM radio, until full blown Saturday Night Fever took my little town, and the entire country by storm. I remember I wore a white suit to my ninth grade dance, in honor of John Travolta, and I hadn’t even seen the movie.Disco became so popular back then that a backlash was inevitable. That backlash culminated on the eve of Chicago’s Disco Demolition Night, complete with steamrollers and bonfires. Many of my colleagues remember that night, and a few were even participants.So what is it about disco that is so abrasive to the ears of my peers? Lame lyrics? Could be, though if you look at any song on Billboard’s Top 100 in 1974, you’ll find ridiculous novelty songs and sentimental nonsense. Fashion? Silk was the most unforgiving of fabrics, clinging to bodies that should have been hidden by wool. Or was it that most men didn’t want to dance, but dammit, there was never a more danceable beat then the beat of disco.Most men my age have teenaged sons and daughters, and let me tell you, I would much rather listen to The Bee Gees Jive Talkin’ then anything Katy Perry puts out. And yet, when I say that to my friends, they cringe.To me, the greatest merit to disco is the fact that REAL instruments were being played. That was a real drummer and bass player, laying down that beat. Take after take in the studio, trying to get the feel right. Those were living horn players, playing stabs and counter melody lines. And strings? Orchestras were in demand during the heyday. All of the elements had to fall into place in just the right way, under the sure hand of a producer, to create the energy and beat it took to get people on their feet.Today, drum machines, auto tuning and other technological trickery are manufacturing hit songs. Strip all of it away, and what do you have? Can I play I Gotta Feeling by The Black Eyed Peas on the acoustic guitar? (And do I want to?)The reality is that I am probably in the minority here. Ok, I definitely am in the minority, and that’s unfortunate. I still love to listen to my Earth, Wind and Fire records and marvel at the energy in those great recordings. I still stop surfing up and down the dial when I hear something from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. And tonight, in celebration of this blog, I’m going to create a Pandora channel around KC And The Sunshine Band, and see how far I get before I have to give a thumbs down. My guess is that it will take me up to the first few bars of “Ring My Bell”.Check out Brian Vander Ark’s non-disco musical side. He promises. It’s not disco.
On Another "Note"
01/24/2012
Seriously Random Thoughts About The Idiot Box.... I like television. Always have. It was the babysitter when I was growing up. Everyday, after school, the ritual would be have a bowl of vanilla ice cream and top it with Hershey's chocolate sauce, and plop down in front of it for a couple of hours. Ok, most times it was not ice cream, but ice milk, and generic chocolate, but you get the idea. Reruns of Gilligan's Island, Green Acres, The Brady Bunch were the everyday fare. I loved spending time with these characters much more than I enjoyed spending time with my own boring old family.Todays television is different, however not without its merits. Comedies like Modern Family, The Office and 30 Rock are favorites. The writing is terrific and the acting usually spot on. Although I am now at a point in my life where I would much rather spend time with my own "boring old family", it's nice to live vicariously through these characters that are so often over the top.So what is wrong with television? Why is it that we all treat it like its some sort of guilty pleasure? Statistically, an average of 5 to 6 hours a day is spent watching television. Now before you cry "Not me!", break your day down. Is the television on in the morning? Someone is watching Regis. Or CNN. Or Sports Center. There's an hour. Kids get home from school, do some homework, then spend an hour or two in front of the television before dinner (unless of course, there is an Xbox in the house - which in my opinion is far more evil than quality television.) After dinner, its prime time, and the majority of us plop down for 2 to 3 hours of our favorite comedies, medical or cop shows. I usually prefer to watch a movie during this time, unless one of my favorite aforementioned shows is on. So, its reasonable that the statistics are correct.I cannot help but roll my eyes to those people who say they do not watch television. Don't even own one! I often think, what a boring life that must be. Someone has an idea, they write it down, actors act it with the help of a director, and we watch it, and it makes us feel happy or sad. Does anyone else find this fascinating?!! My advice to America: Stop watching reality shows. The reality is, that if they were truly reality shows, no one would watch them. Real life is excruciatingly boring at times! On these shows, however, everyone is jockeying for the spotlight, saying and doing outrageous things to each other in an effort to break out as a star. This is doing nothing but teaching our kids that this kind of behavior is acceptable. And that has brought me to my final point. (believe me, there was no real point in this. I started writing in hopes that I would find a point. Isn't that what blogging is about?) It comes down to the parenting. Good parent's monitor their child's activity. Good parents are the "Big Brother". I believe we should spy on our kids often. We should check out their internet searches and history and cookies. We should watch what they watch. There was a period of time when my five year old daughter was watching her favorite shows on Disney (how bad could Disney be?) and she started getting obsessed with boys and marriage and clothes, and all of these other issues that should not be in her world for a few more years. Turns out, Daddy was letting her watch Miley Cyrus and Josh and Drake, and other shows on Disney meant for teenagers, or pre-teens. Bad Daddy.So, television isn't the problem. Poor TV has gotten a bad wrap over the years. It's just a piece of equipment. Not knowing and regulating what your kids are watching is the problem. If Gilligan's Island were on today, I would make my daughter watch it. After all, we should all know how to recharge dead radio batteries by vigorously stirring a clear liquid inside a half coconut shell with a tropical reed..Click Here to Check Out The Musical Side Of Brian Vander Ark
My New Twitter World
01/19/2012
It has been a year since I entered the Twitter universe, and I have decided to step it up. My career as a musician depends on interaction with my fans, and until recently, that interaction has been minimal. From what I understand, most followers view Twitter streams on their home computers or laptops, while many, like myself, check the feeds of those they follow on their smart phones. For those who follow on their computers, there is a good chance that they will miss a tweet or two (or three). For that reason, I repeat tweets. I understand that it can be annoying for those with alerts set, or for those who check tweets on their smart phones, but it is the only way to insure that the tweet is being seen. In an effort to reach as many people as possible, I have found it best to have multiple accounts. Below is a list of accounts, and descriptions of each. @brianvanderark1 This is my personal account. What I am doing, where I am doing it, favorite quotes, inspiration, etc.. will be posted on this account. If you are interested in what I thought of a current movie, or if you have a specific question for me, or a request for a song at an upcoming show, this is the best account to follow. @bvafreebies This account is run by me and my partnering PR firm. It was specifically created to give items away for free. Music, tickets to shows, etc. Every Friday is Freebie Friday, which means I will give you a free song from my catalog. Along with that free song, there will be a link to purchase the album on which that song appears. Many of the free songs will not appear on any album, and in that case, the link will direct you to the website. Once a month, I will record a favorite cover song, or a song requested by followers. That song will be a freebie as well. VIP tickets to shows (and guest list privileges) will be offered as well. Usually, I will tweet the offer of being put on a guest list, and the first person to respond with a "Pick Me!" or something of the like, will win the spots on the list. @infobva This account is run by me and my partnering PR firm. It was created to give the latest information on upcoming shows, recordings, etc. It will also have repeated tweets, directing people to the bio page on my website. Much of the new information offered on shows and recordings will be given on the other Twitter accounts, making this account superfluous for the old school fans. It is mostly for people who know very little about me. Well, that is about it. Thank you for your patience with all of the repeat tweets. We are in the process of stream-lining my twitter world to make it an efficient way to communicate with all of my very supportive fans. My best to you all! Brian
New Holiday CD with Lux Land
11/11/2011
Brian along with his wife Lux Land have released a holiday album titled "Wonderland" with 6 original songs and 2 traditional favorites. We'd like you to have a song off it called "All I Want" for free which can be found at this link... http://snd.sc/tPnsY2Also, the link to purchase the CD is http://www.ccnow.com/cgi-local/cart.cgi?bvamusic_WNDR1 and you will also be emailed a digital copy of every song as well after your order is processed through CCnow. You also can put in a message that you'd like them to autograph your CD with as well. We truly hope you enjoy this new collection!
New bootleg CD available....
11/08/2011
A new BVA bootleg CD is now available, it's taken from the sold out show at Meijer Gardens on my tour with actor/musician Jeff Daniels. Some say it was one of my best. Hell, I don't know about that, but I will say the energy of 3000 people made it a special night. Also included are a handful of other songs from performances on that amazing tour. Just me and an acoustic guitar, performing these 16 tracks: Little Man. Michigan Coast To Coast, Lily White Way, 1229 Sheffield, Love So Deep, On The Day I Fell, Another Good Man, Surrender, My Little Town, And Then You Went Away, I Don't Want To Be A Bother, Never The Same, Suppertime (from A Family Album), Colorful, The Freshmen and a cover of Paul McCartney's Maybe I'm Amazed. That last song is FREE when you resign up on the mailing list through Topspin (details below). Also - Because this is part of our "Bootleg" series, it has limited packaging (Cd and sleeve). However, when you purchase it, we will send you the digital files (mp3's) via yousendit at no extra charge!....Order BVA - My Little Town "Live in Grand Rapids" CD for $10
New BVA song and Holiday album upcoming with Lux Land
11/04/2011
Brian's recent West Coast show featured a brand new song called "Daddy's Girl" that was written about a father/daughter dance at a wedding. You can check it out with this link... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFrB8RMSJQs&feature=feedfAlso, Brian and his wife Lux Land have just finished recording a new Holiday CD with some original songs as well as some classics, more news on that very soon. They are planning a show of holiday songs in Grand Rapids on Dec 2nd and will have more details on that soon as well.
New Album MAGAZINE
07/19/2011
So happy to announce that Brian's new CD titled MAGAZINE is now available for online ordering today, if you have not seen the link to order, you can find it below. Brian once again went into the studio with legendary producer Bill Szymczyk in North Carolina to record this collection of songs. There is a sampler of the album in the player currently for you to check out. We hope to get the album to digital outlets very soon as well and will post here and on the various social media sites when ready.Order Link
The Verve Pipe on WKAR tv show
04/08/2011
Last summer The Verve Pipe filmed a TV show for WKAR's show and it debuted April 7th, the entire show is available online and basically features a full TVP show. This is not to be missed!http://video.wkar.org/video/1865723011#
Bullies Tee order info
01/22/2011
The Bullies on Vacation t-shirt for promotion of Brian's short film of the same name is now available, we are selling it in an Olive (or Army Green) color but there are some red and grey (ladies fit) available. Pictures are on the facebook page if you want to take a look. You can contact us at spoiledbratmanagement@hotmail.com if you have an interest in the other colors as we have a limited supply and didn't post links for those.Facebook pageand the link to buy at CCnow is here....http://www.ccnow.com/cgi-local/cart.cgi?bvamusic_BOVT001_continue-page
iTunes featuring TVP
07/08/2010
The Verve Pipe - A Family Album - is now being featured on iTunes in the Children Music area and in the New Music area. If you go check it out, give us some rating love! As of today, its up to #4 on the chart with a few singles in the singles charts as well, thanks for all the support!!http://itunes.apple.com/us/genre/music-childrens-music/id4g