Most record company bio sheets and press releases should be ignored, but the reality is that most of what you read in magazines about bands is cribbed directly from these bio sheets, sometimes lifted verbatim. It’s usually a one-page description of an artist the way the record company – which stands to sell records if you believe what’s written or if it’s just simply true, either one. If a bio sheet suggests that said band’s album is a sonic mix of Black Sabbath and Roy Orbison, damned if you won’t see that very same insinuation made in print time and again. But here’s the funny thing about Secretly Canadian’s blurb about David Vandervelde’s upcoming debut record The Moonstation House Band — the first line of it was exactly how Daytrotter met the young Vandervelde. It reads, “David Vandervelde appeared before us one hot summer day like a dynamo.” Yes and yes. It was August 26 th and still hotter than shit, a pit fire and bejesus, combined. Vandervelde and his crack band of rebels swung into town on a Sunday morning after playing a one-off show with Death Ships in Iowa City the previous night. Death Ships lead singer Dan Maloney told me he had a show (a CD release party) set up with Vandervelde the same day I’d stumbled across his stuff on the wild prairie of the Internet. They were in a U-Haul van after a snafu with rentals. They had two front seats and then an open cargo floor for the other four members to rough it, using equipment as pillows. They fell out of the van and trudged up the stairs to the studio, worse for wear and spinning from the booze fest of the night before. Maloney drinks, ya’ll, and Vandervelde, plus the Moonstation House Band aren’t ones to turn down a chug-a-lug. Within minutes of playing, Vandervelde and the rest were bare-chested and hauling through incendiary (Cameron Crowe, by way of William Miller has nearly ruined that word for rock journalists, even when it’s fucking appropriate to use) takes of two songs from Vandervelde’s smashing, upcoming debut record, a Rolling Stones song that’s never been officially released (here’s what I’ve found out about the song, taken from the always fashionable Wikipedia, “ Cocksucker Blues” was the title of a song Mick Jagger wrote to be the Stones’ final single for Decca Records, as per their contract. Its context and language was chosen specifically to anger Decca executives. The track was refused by Decca and only released later on a West German compilation in 1983, although the compilation was discontinued and re-released without the song.” ) and a brand new song that was spelled three different ways in the studio (there was favor for “Fuckin’ ‘Round”). This, my friends, is spit and sweat and snot and sperm and every bodily fluid known to man personified into music. It’s all man, but it’s kind of beautifully monstrous at the same time. – Sean Moeller

First song
Cocksucker Blues — unreleased
This is a cover of a rolling stones bootleg. Played it at practice and it turned into a rocker quite naturally. (Downloads for this song were capped at 1500 copies.)

Second song
Feet of a Liar (David Vandervelde) [4.29MB] [2801 downloads]


– the original version is set to appear on Vandervelde’s debut record The Moonstation House Band, out on January 23
I think the lyrics to this song are self-explanatory, for the most part. I tried to compare being the liar in a friendship/relationship of any kind, to trapping someone underwater. Also, I wanted to create some images surrounding the guilt that goes along with telling lies. The water seems to feel colder in the morning to me when I’m guilty about something.

Third song
Fuckin' Around (David Vandervelde) [2.60MB] [2642 downloads]


– unreleased
A fantasy based, daydreamer’s funny chorus. Wrote it in a few minutes and couldn’t get it out of my head since. About a sexy girl that you can’t stop thinking about.

Fourth song
Jacket (David Vandervelde) [3.40MB] [2460 downloads]


– the original version is set to appear on Vandervelde’s debut record The Moonstation House Band, out on January 23
An actual situation about my first girlfriend and her rebellious high school years. She was so hot and never listened to her mom.