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Brian Vander Ark Benefit Concert at Ickey's - April 2, 2005
The Brian Vander Ark concert is now over... but what a great show it
was! Brian's new live acoustic album "Within Reach" has many of the same
songs that he performed for us on April 2nd at Ickey's... you can pick
up a copy of the album on his website
www.bvamusic.com
(hint, hint).
Sara’s Garden would like to thank Brian Vander Ark, Ickeys, Artist In
Mind and all of our sponsors for helping make this event such a
tremendous success! We are so very grateful for all of the support and
donations we received from each and every one.
We would also like to thank Austin and Melissa Sears for all of their
hard work and effort in putting this event together... along with each
and every person that bought a ticket and came out in support of the
concert.
Concert Photos (click to enlarge):
Brian Vander Ark was living the rock 'n' roll life
nine years ago as the frontman for the Verve Pipe with a hit song, "The
Freshman," playing radio stations across the nation.
Today, he's married with a child on the way, and content to occasionally
play solo acoustic shows at smaller clubs, where audiences listen to his
lyrics. We were were very fortunate to have this talented songwriter
come and perform for us.
Resurrection is marked by weighty lyrics and beautiful melodies, with an
acoustic/indie feel that is very different from the Verve Pipe's
hard-edged pop/rock. And because it isn't on a major label, it's a tough
sell to commercial radio. Vander Ark says he's OK with that, attributing
his more focused lifestyle of late to his wife, singer Lux Land.
"She introduced me to music that matters, written and performed by
people who are in it for the love of the music...not the sales of
records, or the adoration of fans, or the expectations of radio folks,"
he says.
The Verve Pipe has been relatively inactive in the past few years,
although the band does an occasional gig (Doug Corella, the Verve Pipe's
longtime keyboardist and percussionist just announced he'll be leaving
the band).
The Verve Pipe's rise to fame started in 1990 when Brian and brother
Brad Vander Ark were making a mark with a band in their hometown of
Grand Rapids. Meanwhile, Brian's distinctive voice (often compared to
Peter Gabriel) caught the ear of drummer Donny Brown in a competing
band. He eventually joined the Vander Arks and Verve Pipe formed and
blossomed in East Lansing.
Donny and Brian turned into a crack songwriting team. The band sold
50,000 copies of its first two indie CDs, catching the attention of RCA
records, which signed them to a record deal. Villains followed in 1996,
which went platinum and spawned the Top 10 hits Photograph and The
Freshmen. The band toured worldwide and lived the rock-star life.
Soon their music started popping up on movie soundtracks, and Brian
started a film career that continues to this day. He's acted in several
independent films, but his most visible role was as the bass player in
Rock Star, with Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston (Brian wrote and sang
"Colorful," which Wahlberg lip syncs in the movie). Recently, he signed
on to star in the Kevin Carrico-directed independent film, Dominick
Blue, for which he will also contribute two new songs and write the
score.
The band peaked in the late 1990s, after which members started their own
projects. Brian continues to write songs and tour in support of
Resurrection and his new live disc, Within Reach. |
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