The discourteous among you might rightly wonder, “What’s happening just behind these two?” And I would not be able to tell you.

What I do know is that it doesn’t get a whole lot better then a roomful of your best friends at a hotel in Boston with a seemingly endless supply of beer.

Does it, now?
VdS(x)

Returning to the warm comfort of obscurity, I offer a lovely article by Rob Hayler from Leeds. He runs a great blog, Radio Free Midwich, and makes fantastic drone via his project, Midwich. Rob graciously wrote about VdS, despite our musics (though not our aesthetics) being thoroughly misaligned.

Also, I sliced my hand with a box cutter and had to get stitches. I took a photo that I was going to show you, but my finger looks like a beetle with a collection of sparse hair, and I don’t think anyone feels very good about that.

VdS(x)

VdS(x)

Sadly, some computer difficulties meant that only one of the three files from the session was salvaged- this recording of 66:

Have a listen. I’m off to bed.

VdS(x)

Otherwise, the VdS machine is in sleep mode. Some tinkering and plinkering happens here and there, but mostly, things are quiet. As ever, have a listen to the newest EP, Sixty Six, via the player below or by heading to the VdS bandcamp. The twitter feed (@allanlewis17) also makes for an eyeful on occasion.
We’ll see ya when we see ya.

VdS(x)

The piano loop for two of these songs was done on my old cassette four-track while waiting to go out for a bite with my folks. I didn’t think much would happen to the loop other than some aimless tinkering, but there’s something about its loping, ramshackle quality that kept me interested.

The three songs on this little EP are the result. Download and stream them here using the widget below. As usual, past releases, including Lowpass and Red Circle, can be had cheaply (i.e. free) at the VdS Bandcamp page. Do enjoy.

Be good, friends.

VdS(x)

The remainder of this note addresses: 1) updates; 2) celebrations; and 3) giveaways. Let’s go:

1) The new VdS EP, Sixty Six, is nearly done. It will be available via vandersaar.com, Bandcamp and SoundCloud on January 3rd 2012, when most of us are still at our post-holiday bleariest/weakest.

1a) You can now download ‘Your Friends Are Knives’, the first VdS release, in the ‘Recordings’ section. It’s an unpolished affair with some great songs and ideas that are fun to listen to from time to time.

2) Further to 1a, I realized in the summer that VdS is six years old. I remember recording Your Friends Are Knives in my parent’s basement in August 2005 before moving to Scotland. It’s pretty cool to reflect on this project’s progress since then.

3) Further to 2, I’d like to say thank you to everyone who comes here for a few minutes every now and then. Whether your interest is fleeting or fledgling, you’ve supported Van der Saar in some way over the last six years, and that’s huge. Below are a few VdS tunes for you to download that aren’t available anywhere else:

A Heavy House
Office of Hearts

The first is a wooly, grainy piano instrumental, A Heavy House, recorded on the old four-track. The other is a cover of the Guided by Voices song Office of Hearts, the only intended b-side from Red Circle that ended up fully realized. I’m not sure how to properly credit Bob Pollard and GbV for their work; just know that I didn’t write the song and don’t want any money for it.

Think of these tunes as me buying you a holiday drink. Thanks for your support. You guys rule.

Enjoy the holidays and best to you,
VdS(x)

It’s sad- they’re great guys. We didn’t quite agree on everything when it came to music and, as it sometimes goes with bands, we parted company.

I wish the boys well and hope that we’ll still get to drink together on occasion. The Youth Season guys are fun to drink with. If you see Andrew, Bevan or Jon, buy them a drink and get one for yourself. It’ll be worth your while.

Thanks boys.

VdS(x)