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, Heidinger 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 the watch was a family name engraved, passed down for more than a century like the timepiece that followed. That name was Vandaveer. Vandaveer will release Divide & Conquer through Supply and Demand Music on August 25.
Elvis Perkins / Shampoo
This is the first track on Elvis’ new record, and it bites and lurches with intensity. Black is the color of a strangled rainbow, as Perkins rightly points out. Why isn’t a song like this topping the charts? I just don’t get it.
These United States / I Want You To Take Everything
I’m cheating just a little bit here. These are dear friends of mine. From time to time I climb aboard the good ship These United States and make noise with ‘em ‘cause it feels so necessary and true. But this time around they made a new record without me, what with me being busy being Vandaveer and all. Anyway, this is the first track from their third record, and it’s just fantastic. I don’t think this record comes out until September or so, but you shall know it soon, you shall know it well, and you shall know it often.
Michael Jackson / Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
Yikes, another first track off the album selection. I’m learning a lot about myself here. As it turns out, it most certainly was too high to get over, too low to get under, and being stuck in the middle clearly brought with it thunderous amounts of pain. Despite all this, and before all this, Michael Jackson actually made ‘You’re a vegetable!’ sound cool in a pop song. That’s amazing.
Bob Dylan / Visions Of Johanna
The first thing I typically do when I walk into any bar is seek out the jukebox. The next thing I do is search for Blonde On Blonde. Then comes the fidgeting through the pockets for spare change, followed by the careful and deliberate selection of track three from said record. A bar can be adequately judged by the contents of its jukebox; every other record can be absolute shit, but as long as Blonde On Blonde makes an appearance, then all is right in that micro-corner of the cosmos.
Louis Armstrong / What A Wonderful World
What a wonderful song. If one were to attempt to compile a list of Top However Many Songs of the last century, I dare say/feel/think/command/demand that this one would be at, or damn near, the very top. Furthermore, children ought to be brought into the world with this song playing in the background. Silent birthers be damned. A little Louis never hurt nobody.
George Jones / She Thinks I Still Care
I grew up in the great state of Kentucky, but my exposure to country music as a kid was largely relegated to the hits of the day, like Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson, and whatnot. Nothing particularly inspiring to my young and spritely ears at the time. But beginning a few years back, on tour after tour, my good sister and singin’ partner, Rose, began introducing me to all sorts of golden country gems that somehow escaped me as a kid, despite all that Kentucky running through my veins. George Jones was one of the first, and the magnitude of heartache he wraps up in three minutes flat in this tune is astounding. There’s a back story ten years long in this one, but George is somehow able to sum up his despair in a handful of stanzas. Brilliant!
The Beatles / A Day In The Life
My goodness, what else can be said about this one that hasn’t already been said ten thousand and one times? The best of John. The best of Paul. The best of the Beatles. Quite simply, the best of the best.
Tom Waits / Little Drop Of Poison
Tom Waits is sonic cinema. He’s almost his own genre at this point. And as odd and left-field as he can get, every now and then he sneaks out a song so catchy and accessible it finds its way into a Pixar movie for kids (this one pops up in one of the Shrek flicks). Ol’ Tom bends rules left and right, and we’re all better off for it.
Tammy Wynette / D-I-V-O-R-C-E
If you can work the phrase ‘and it will be pure H-E-double-L for me’ into a song and make it sound both heartfelt and cool, you truly are a champ. And Tammy did and was just that. God rest her soul. And that nonchalant electric guitar lick that saunters through the whole song is so understated and appropriate. I just love this song. Another one Rose introduced to me on tour a while back.
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