Introducing... Vandaveer - musings from boston

photo by Sarah Law

Insightful observations about life and irresistible folksy and closely knit male-female harmonies. That’s the strong pull of Vandaveer. Their latest single, “But Enough Of That For Now” is from their upcoming album The Wild Mercury, which is set for release on WhiteSpace Records on February 19, to be distributed by MRi / Sony RED.

“Life is such a temporary thing, it is absolutely cruel and beautiful.”
– But Enough Of That For Now

The Wild Mercury will be the band’s fifth full-length release. So where has Vandaveer been all my life? Or the better question to ask is, “where have I been all their life?” But never mind that now. Singer-songwriter Mark Charles Heidinger and vocalist Rose Guerin create some aural magic when their voices wind together. Their music is very much in the Americana vein but with a pop sensibility and smooth production values. On this latest effort, they’re joined by long-time collaborator, producer Duane Lundy, and a few of their friends who worked with them to develop the music and explore the possibilities.

They began in 2007 with debut album Grace and Speed, and from the very start, their strength was in expressive personal storytelling. Divide & Conquer followed in 2009, with A Minor Spell in 2010, Dig Down Deep in 2011 and Oh Willie Please in 2013. The songwriting and those delicious vocal harmonies stayed true throughout, though their sound was more “stripped down” on these earlier recordings. Their latest incarnation brings in that larger musical palette and a fuller, more accessible sound, though they retain the magic of the duo.

A description of the subject matter follows: “These are songs from a father to a child, a musician to his muse, a bandmate to a brother–songs of parting and return, of joy and melancholy, of life with all its paradoxes, of beauty, both indelible and ephemeral.”

There will no doubt be touring in the band’s future when the album is released, so follow them and keep an eye out.