Divide & Conquer Vandaveer

Vandaveer is an indie folk project spearheaded by Washington, D.C. singer/songwriter Mark Charles Heidinger. A veteran player and bandleader, Heidinger has acted as the frontman for indie pop group the Apparitions and also spent time playing bass for These United States. Initially launched as a solo venture with the 2007 release of his debut, Grace & Speed, Vandaveer soon morphed into more of a collaboration with singer Rose Guerin who has been a full-time member since 2009's Divide & Conquer. Heidinger and Guerin's vocal pairing was heavily emphasized on the spare, lo-fi sounds of Vandaveer's 2010 EP, A Minor Spell. The more country and Americana-inspired Dig Down Deep followed in 2011, furthering the band's ongoing collaboration with Kentucky-based producer Duane Lundy. Heidinger's affinity for roots music was always apparent and for 2013's Oh, Willie Please…, he arranged a rustic set of traditional songs and old murder ballads. For his fifth album, Heidinger had initially intended to frame his very personal new material in a minimal setting, but after some rehearsals a fuller, more expansive sound began to take shape. He and Guerin along with producer Lundy recruited longtime friends and occasional bandmates Robby Cosenza, Justin Craig, and J. Tom Hnatow (all former members of These United States) to record The Wild Mercury which was released in early 2016. ~ Timothy Monger & Mark Deming