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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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Mission: Helping God's Flowers Grow