- 1.Saints
- 2.The Cross
- 3.I Got Lucky
- 4.Wait
- 5.The Wrong Direction
"Artists you need to know, music you need to hear!"
- Alex Vans
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Profile Information
- City & State
- Arlington, VA
- Country
- USA
- Music Genre(s):
- Folk, Singer/Songwriter, Rock, Americana
- Bio:
- “DC-based troubadour Alex Vans creates a unique, shape-shifting blend of rock, folk and pop. His recent self-titled EP is lived in, warm and yet minimalistic, shaped by the hands of a master song-craftsman and high-burnished by the lungs of one of the Capital’s most promising young vocalists. Alex’s broad-but-never-bombastic voice is the first thing that strikes the ear, calling to mind Jeff Tweedy, or maybe even the kind of vocalist Conor Oberst might grow up into. At heart, though, Alex is a songwriter. Snatches of Leonard Cohen and Elliott Smith glaze over the classic-rock easiness of the finished track with a lived-in darkness, more comfortable than melancholy. Even when it rocks, this is music you’ll want to curl up into. The ever-changing speed and intensity breaks up the set, engages the audience and avoids the constant-tempo-as-signature-style pitfall. Alex Vans and his friends work a prolific tour schedule to make sure there’s always a chance to find something else in his music that you hadn’t heard before.” -Blake Warenik, July 2010
Links:
ReverbNation
Press:
“The thing that will surprise you about these EP’s is not Alex’s emotional voice or his masterful guitar playing, it’s just how versatile his songwriting is. The tracks span effortlessly between bright pop songs, wrenching and raunchy blues anthems (with harmonicas blaring) and delicately lamenting ballads. The common thread amongst these songs is a bare, exposed arrangement of chords and words that lets your ears know that what they’re hearing is utterly honest.” – Jarret Blankenship, The Deli Magazine
“With nothing more than a couple of guitars, a harmonica and his distinctive ragged-around-the-edges voice, Washington, D.C. troubadour Alex Vans has produced an impressive record marked by solid songwriting and an appealing mixture of rock, folk, blues and jazz styles. Eschewing flash for substance, Vans employs spare but impeccable guitar strumming and mature-beyond his years vocal phrasing on “I Got Lucky.” On “A Poor Man’s Time” Vans’ trenchant, observant songwriting – a lament about the declining state of America – is made even more compelling by his ability to create drama through tempo changes. A wailing harmonica on the same track evokes memories of Neil Young. As the EP progresses, it seems to grow in intensity as Vans’ electric guitar melds seamlessly with acoustic guitar and his singing grows ever more urgent and soulful. This is a promising singer-songwriter who easily evades the staid and predictable sounds that so many bring to the genre.” – Mike Coleman, On Tap Magazine
“Vans’ self-titled debut brings a raw groove and bluesy vocals to bare, a coup d’hendrix, if you will… Its a well rounded offering of catchy licks and lyrics, backed by inspiring guitar playing, clearly well educated and orchestrated. There is plenty of solid listening enjoyment to exact here, and I’d suggest it to just about anyone.” – Ben Aiken, IndieShuffle.com
Alex Vans's Photos
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