Vandaveer
Vandaveer is the folk-rock brainchild of D.C. singer-songwriter Mark Charles. Taking evident pages out of the iconoclastic books of Bob Dylan, Nick Drake and Tom Waits, Vandaveer’s sound is simultaneously engaging, dark and artistically beautiful. Charles’ voice is tailor-made for alt-folk, complemented with simple and deliberate strokes of the acoustic guitar and an occasional full-band accompaniment. Vandaveer released their debut album, “Grace & Speed,” in 2007. Since then, Charles has contributed to the latest recording from fellow D.C. folk-rockers, These United States, with whom he currently shares the stage in a nationwide tour.
Get to know Vandaveer:
Who are your primary musical influences?
I suppose anything and everything I listened to as a child influenced me in one way or another, whether it was church hymns or Saturday morning cartoon music or the silly little ditties my younger brother made up by the dozens each day, but in these more recent and grown-up times my play lists always seem to include a healthy dose of Dylan, Tom Waits, Beatles -- that sorta thing.
Are you still living in D.C.?
Currently I'm living on a friend's couch in New York City, but I'll be moving out this afternoon to live on someone else's couch in Long Island. But I won't stay there very long, either. In fact, I'll be relocating several more times this week before I stumble back into our fair District where I will live for seven whole days before going on tour again. Makes my dog sad. Which makes me sad.
What is the biggest show you've ever played?
I had the distinct honor and pleasure of participating in this year's Glastonbury Festival over in Jolly Ole. I can't count too high, but I'm told there were 180,000 people gallivanting all across that giant party in the muddy hills of Southwestern England. Now, to be fair, most of those folks were there to see Jay Z, Leonard Cohen, Amy Winehouse, The Raconteurs and their ilk, but ole Vandaveer managed to convert a few of 'em into bona fide fans, too. Mayhem. Complete and bloody muddy mayhem. The best kind.
What's one thing you'd like our readers to know about Vandaveer?
I would sincerely like your readers to know each and every word to any number of Vandaveer songs. Then they could help me sing them at shows when my mind wanders and I forget what the hell I'm doing there. Oh wait, can that count as one thing? How about one collection of things? There, I think that works. Judges?
Is there any one thing you miss most about the District when you're on tour?
We have a fantastic coffee shop on H Street N.E. right around the corner from our house called Sidamo. Best damn coffee in the whole city. Maybe the whole country. I miss them. I also miss my dog, whom you met earlier in this interview. His name is Monty. He's my biggest fan.
