From Washington DC, Charles Hedinger aka Vandaveer write great songs between folk, country and americana. Already supported by the musical press, Vandaveer is also a touring machine. With minimal arrangements (drum machine, clarinet, sublte backing vocals), the songs are simple and captivating and even remind Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen. Official version revisited by Julien Plaisir de France to leak and interview below:

What is Vandaveer about, can you introduce yourself to our community?
Vandaveer is about singing songs, making records, hopping planes and trains, smiling, frowning, whispering, shouting, hugging, fighting, kissing, laughing, crying, drinking, and learning a bit of French. More or less…

What are you up to at the moment?
Dear me, I’m packing up my belongings. We have to move to a new house. The one we currently call home won’t be ours much longer, so we’re gearing up for yet another move (we do this a lot), then I’m off to tour the mighty US of A. Our new record comes out here in the states at the end of August, so we’ve got a lot of domestic highways to drive and stages to storm.

What is your album about, why should we listen to it?
“Divide & Conquer” is about all those things that Vandaveer is about, only in song form. It’s about 15€, too, and you should listen to it because you love music, and music loves you. And when two things love each other, well, it just doesn’t get much better than love.

How did you get into music, what¹s your musical background?
I got into music way back in the 1980s when I was wee little kid. First there was Michael Jackson, then Madonna. Then Bon Jovi. In 1987 my brother introduced me to Guns ‘n’ Roses & Led Zeppelin. I was bulldozed. When I was 14 I picked up a guitar and pretended to be in Nirvana and/or Pearl Jam. Eventually, I wandered off to college and fell in love with Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Radiohead, Tom Waits, and a thousand others… still falling in love, in fact…

How¹s the scene in Washington, who do you rate?
I love this town, mostly. The music scene is wide and varied, and there isn’t much needless competition to speak of. We have loads of talent here — John Bustine, Kitty Hawk, These United States, The Roofwalkers… But really, I could make a list a hundred names long.

Places of interest in your city?
Oh my, where to begin. The FDR Memorial is stunning. A nice place to sit and think. The National Archives — home to the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and a million other documents — is pretty damn impressive. The National Gallery of Art’s a fun place to kill a couple of hours. That’s all well and good on the touristy side of things. The Black Cat’s just about the best bet for good music each and every night. The 9:30 Club too, of course. The best cup of coffee on the planet comes from Washington, DC, surprisingly. A little place called Sidamo. Run by Ethiopian immigrants who are experts of the highest order when it comes to coffee. All fair trade and organic and served with a smile. Can’t be beat.

How is internet important for you today and how do you see it evolving
in the coming years?
The internet is the great equalizer. We’re able to do things today that weren’t feasible ten years ago, like build a French fan base from Washington, DC. But there’s much more white noise out there now too, as a result. Everyone can start a MySpace profile or a Facebook page and start competing for people’s attention. Now it takes a bit more to cut through all of that and carve out your niche. None of this is a bad thing; musicians just need to treat the web as one tool among many to develop and manage their art, careers, etc…

As an artist how do you use & see the web today, what would be the ultimate one stop place for all your need as a producer?
I think we’re all irretractably a part of the web now. It’s as integral as any other aspect of one’s career. I can’t imagine not being connected in fifteen different ways to a thousand different outlets spitting ones and zeros back and forth, back and forth. We are the web, really.

What are you currently listening to and recommend?
I’ve been listening to a lot of old jazz stuff on the radio lately. I put in Sea Change by Beck last night while we made dinner. That’s a fine record.

Do you live entirely of your music today?
More or less, yes. I don’t have a “real job” per se, but I also don’t make much of a living playing music. I have a kind and caring and patient wife who doesn’t mind me earning pennies to her dollars, so…

Best thing that happened to you last month?
We got ourselves a fancy new website! Looky here!

Are you a good cook and if yes what¹s your speciality recipe, if not
what¹s your number one junk food?
I love cooking. I can’t say I’m a good cook, but I’m a damn fine assistant. We make a ginger scallops in cream sauce dish, served over linguini that’s pretty damn tasty. I like to make Thai curries too.

Where is, for you, THE place to play live, if one (sound, lights,crew, friendly promoter, unlimited drink tickets)?
Any place that includes sound, lighting, crew, a friendly promoter, and unlimited drink tickets is THE place to play. Doesn’t matter where. You toss all of those things into one room and I’m a happy guy.

A movie you would like to watch now, right now?
Right now? “There Will Be Blood”. I still haven’t seen it, dammit. We just watched “No Country For Old Men” and “Blood Diamond” again. Both are fantastic. I’d like to watch “24 Hour Party People” again soon. I love the lore behind that entire Factory Records Madchester scene, even if the movie glamorizes it a bit.

Best place to stay when abroad?
On tour? Anywhere with a clean bed and a hot shower. But just in general? When traveling abroad? Merano, Italy is pretty nice. I’m partial to Tbilisi, Georgia, too.

Last album you enjoyed listening?
Well, that would have to be “Sea Change” by Beck. Otherwise I’m a liar.

What was the last (physical) book you readed and when was that?
I’m reading “As I Lay Dying” by William Faulkner right now, actually.

How do you know what time it is?
I don’t. I just trust the little gears and gadgets in my watches, clocks and computer to be telling me the truth.

The last non-comestible you bought?
I’m gonna be honest with you here. I had to look up “non-comestible”. We say “non-edible” over here. But now I’ve learned something for the day. I love new words. Now I’ll have to work “non-comestible” into my vernacular… But, to answer your question, I bought some transparency paper for screenprinting t-shirts last week. Rose and I are gonna make new Vandaveer t-shirts. Homemade is the best made!

How do you like to dress?
Appropriately.

Smoking or non-smoking clubs?
Non-smoking. Please. Those tar clouds wreak havoc on a set of singin’ lungs…

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