Vanderpark

Vanderpark is one of Ontario’s hardest-working independent bands: With no label backing, the Toronto-based quartet has sold out venues across Ontario, done three East Coast tours, opened for Little Feat, Tea Leaf Green and The Spin Doctors and released two full-length LPs, including 2005’s fantastic All Your Hands. By combining a staunch dedication to strong, clever musicianship with grasping hooks, tasteful improvisation and three-part harmonies, Vanderpark’s catchy, aggressive pop is strong, confident and exhaustingly contagious. “Our slogan is ‘groove rock for the masses,’” explains guitarist and principle vocalist Dave Stulberg, “but really, we’re just trying to write better pop songs every day.” With their syrupy, pop-dipped melodies bathed in layers of rock, funk, folk and soul growing stronger and a new album on the way for 2007, this is one exciting outfit. www.vanderpark.com - Shain Shapiro

View the article online - http://www.relix.com/content/view/1945/112/
- Relix – the Magazine for Music - Written by Shain Shapiro - 15th November, 2006

When Vanderpark was in its infancy, all its members were spread around Canada in different cities, going to different universities. This made shows nerve wracking for the band.

"We'd all get together in one city to do a show, practice by day and go on that night," says guitarist Dave Stulberg.

That was in their university days. For the past two years they've been based in their home city of Toronto.

Vanderpark is coming out east at the end of the month for their fourth time. The band's been together for four or five years now.

The band members, with the exception of their drummer, knew each other from growing up in the suburbs of Toronto together since they were eight or nine.

"Keeping the band together is not so easy.

It's like a relationship," says Stulberg. And like you have to do in every relationship, the band is willing to put the time into it. The boys, whose average age is 24, are committing to music full time. Most of them are just fresh out of university.

"We figure now's the time before we have to worry about mortgage payments and significant others," says Stulberg. Stulberg quit his day job editing TV commercials to put more time into the band.

"It's kinda scary," he says. "There's no real safety net right now. There's no plan B.

There's only plan A." To add to the challenge, Vanderpark has yet to truly find their market in the music world.

"We've sort of put ourselves in the jam market," says Stulberg. But he says they really can't pigeonhole their sound.

"We're not jam enough to be jam, we're not heavy enough to be pop rock," he says.

"We're not one type of genre." Stulberg likened the identity crisis the band is experiencing to what every young 20-something goes through - the struggle to find their voice, to find their niche.

Ultimately, what the band would like to see is for their crowds not to see them as a club band, but to fall in love with their songs.

The band is pushing its CD All Your Hands on the tour, which was released last year. Another is in the works as they write new material.

Stulberg says, they play more new songs than they do ones on the CD.

As Stulberg listens to old recordings of the band, way back when they first started playing together, he compares it to how the band sounds now.

"It's like we've really refined a lot of the jamming," he says. "We're trying to get more to the point." They still put a lot of energy into some jams, but they're more focused now, he says.

Despite the challenges, Stulberg and the rest of the members are confident they'll make a career out of their music.

"I don't think I woulda left my job otherwise," Stulberg says. "It's more than just a hobby."

Vanderpark is playing The Capital in Fredericton Thursday, June 22, The Sunseeker Ball on Saturday, June 24 and Neptunes in Saint John on the June 25.
- Here Magazine by Meghan Cumby

Roundin' up da funk
Some of the bands playing this year's Big Tent
By Panthea Lee and Spencer Ross
Published: Tuesday, January 13, 2004

Vanderpark

"McGill's got the finest ladies," exclaimed David Stulberg and Marcus Wong of Toronto-based Vanderpark, which took the stage Friday evening in the big tent. Tight fusion-pop grooves and formidable jams made beer-guzzling patrons forget about their cold pizzas and immerse themselves instead in the refreshing offering of jazz, funk and rock.

Vanderpark's sound was a perfect complement to SnoAP's ambience, and although the venue was far from ideal for a concert, the group's jams left audiences smiling. Reports indicate that asses were indeed a-shaking, though there was no official confirmation at press time.

Yet another eastern Canada tour is in the works for this five-piece group, with another date in Montreal in the not-too-distant future.

--PL
- The McGill Tribune

Jamming with the boys
Vanderpark’s latest gig in Ottawa shows off a new side of old friends.
by Gabe Eidelman
Fulcrum Staff



A COLD NIGHT in Ottawa was the setting for a hot night of tunes at Café Dekcuf
as the boys from Vanderpark were back at it again on Friday, delighting the spirited
crowd. The band, with members from Montreal and Toronto, came together for what has become an annual trip to the nation’s capital, bringing along a mix of rock, funk— and for the first time in concert, a hint of electronica—to the ears of its strong, Ottawa
fan base. “We love playing in Ottawa,” commented Dan Buchman, a.k.a. Booch, the man of a thousand sounds, the band’s percussionist. “That’s why we come back. Every time we play here we’ve had such a great response.” Buchman, along with the other band members—J.D., Marcus, Dave, and Alan—have been playing together for over three years. Despite all that time together, each member still brings something new to the band from their personal styles and influences each time they take the stage. “We all come from different musical backgrounds,” noted Booch. “J.D. was very jazz- influenced, I was more classically trained, and Marcus is self-taught, so we all bring in
different ideas.” As headliners, the band had plenty of time to journey through an eclectic set filled with long solos, even longer jams, and loads of tricks. For the first time, the band invited a DJ to scratch during the show. Combined with the electronic sounds of an air synthesizer nicknamed Cynthia (very clever), Vanderpark treated the crowd to a flurry of unscripted creativity. “We’ve always wanted to try something like that and with my little toy [air synthesizer] we’ve always wanted to try some electronic effects,” mused Buchman. “We know Sol [the DJ] and we like the music that he spins, and since he lives in Ottawa it was nice to invite him to jam in some of the tunes… I think it sounded pretty cool. The DJ wasn’t the only local showcased during the event. Alan Demsky, a U of O
alumnus, churned out smooth baselines all night. Demsky even paid tribute to his days in Ottawa, through song, in one of the night’s most memorable tunes, “Get Your
Hair Done”. The show included several old fan favourites such as the opener, “600 Reasons”, and “Without You”, as well as some new artistic endeavours like the band’s latest, “Getaway”. The boys also got the crowd bouncing to the sound of Tower of Power with a funky cover of “What Is Hip?” The antics continued later when Marcus Wong, lead guitar, walked into the crowd for a huge riff to roars of praise. Buchman attributes much of the fanfare in Ottawa and abroad simply to word of mouth. Moreover, their self-titled album along with a new demo CD—which can be downloaded online at www.vanderpark.com—has given the group a chance to add some studio time to complement their live shows. “I feel that with this new demo, which is not for commercial purposes, there’s definitely more of a mature song-writing aspect
to the tunes,” said Buchman. “We’re more comfortable playing with each other and
there’s more of a collaborative effort in the writing.” When asked what new listeners can expect from their latest work, Buchman chuckled. “It’s unique in the sense that when people ask, ‘what do you sound like?’ I can never say anything ‘cause we don’t sound like anybody. I like the fact that I can’t really describe it…It doesn’t sound like anything out there, which in my opinion is really good.” Judging by the reaction of the crowd on
Friday night, whatever you choose to call what Vanderpark plays, it still sounds sweet.
Buchman sums up his thoughts by saying, “We support the crew in Ottawa and they back
us hard and we love to play for them.”
- The Fulcrum

North York lads jamming way to top
(Posted Date: Tuesday, November 30, 2004)

By Sandie Benitah


A group of North York boys are making their mark in the music world, becoming one of the city’s most popular up-and-coming bands.
Vanderpark, who specialize in jam rock music, has just landed a monthly gig at Holy Joe’s pub at Bathurst and Queen St. Dave Stulberg, the lead singer of the band, said that although Vanderpark always had a cult following since they formed about four years ago, their success really took a turn this past fall. That’s when they added a new drum and organ player, known by their stage names Ben and Organist Dave. Stulberg, who graduated from Earl Haig Secondary School just before the band got together, is one of the original members of the group along with the bass player Demsky, a Newtonbrook Secondary grad. Lead guitar player Marcus and percussionist Booch — also North York residents — joined their friends in the band soon after.
The group’s chemistry and long history of friendship seems to be paying off.
They’ve recently started selling Vanderpark paraphernalia such as t-shirts, stickers and their debut CD at their shows, and so far, that too has been a hit.
Vanderpark hasn’t forgotten to say thank-you. The band played a charity show at Clinton’s Tavern earlier this month, where they encouraged their fans to bring canned food to pay for their admission. "It’s a good way of exposing the food bank, especially during this time of year, when there’s often not enough food for families," said Stulberg. "It’s cool because not many people associate live music with the food bank."
Stulberg and the rest of the band each have a hand at writing their own music, drawing from personal experiences for inspiration. "I feel most comfortable singing about what I know I can talk about," Stulberg explained. He said he also draws inspiration from different types of music, such as Pearl Jam, The Roots and Phish.
The boys have taken their live act across Ontario, hitting cities like London, Ottawa, Hamilton and most recently to Montreal, Que. That show drew more than 200 people.
"We have a pretty big fan base there because we’ve played for them a bunch of times," said Stulberg. "We try to keep going back as much as we can without wearing out our welcome."
The new year is looking just as bright for these local musicians. On Jan. 22, they’ve got a gig at Reilly’s pub and in the spring, they plan to hit the studio.
But for the time being, Stulberg said, the band is happy to enjoy the moment.
"Right now, we’re more concerned with making live music."
- Town Crier

Back in the glory days of Le Swimming, members of McGill band Vanderpark were part of the young and well-respected downtown music community. Now, after years of laborious studies, intermittent touring and some acoustic gigs at the Main's landmarks-Jupiter Room, Swimming and elsewhere-and McGill's famous Open Air Pub, the young gunslingers have graduated and are primed for the non-stop rocking lifestyles they've all been eagerly awaiting. After a snuffed Montreal show/CD launch, which fell through as a result of Le Swimming's unexpected closing, the band was back home Friday night to play for fans and old college buddies in a double bill with the Dust Jackets.

"University was actually like a blockade," admits ace lead guitarist Marcus Wong after the show. "When you're doing your studies, you're actually just waiting and saying, 'Okay, when we graduate we're going to take it seriously and jam every day.' That's the only thing I was thinking about for the past four years of my life. It was, 'When are we going to be able to hit the road and just make it really solid-play for as many people as we can and make it our full-time jobs?'"

Though the members of Vanderpark are only beginning to adjust to the idea of the band being the most central part of their lives, their stage performance would seem to indicate that it has been their full-time job for ages. The virtuous sextet skillfully weaves a sonic netting of sunshine pop, reggae, blues, funk and straight-up, uncompromising, downright catchy rock 'n' roll-all in a tightly-wound delivery that is guaranteed to keep feet tapping all night long.

To encapsulate the variety of styles and dynamics that enter into the band, singer/guitarist Dave Stulberg explains, "We all come from different places in Canada, we all come from culturally different backgrounds, and everyone brings in their own style and their musical influences to the table. So we may be playing a pop-rock song, but I have no problem throwing reggae in there, so long as it fits the tune."

Though the lads of Vanderpark have been around for ages, it is only recently that their act has seriously begun to pick up speed. With the nationwide launch of their debut album All Your Hands, the band reaches exponentially more ears across Canada with every tour date.

"We've had some ups and downs recently with the issue of having to find a new drummer-that's a really big blockade," Wong says of Vanderpark's inactivity over the past months. Though clearly jovial and passionate about his music, he observes with a more pragmatic tone, "You can't work on your promotion as much as you would like to if you're static. If there's no ability to play a show, there's no product to sell. That's our goal now. We have our new drummer, he knows our tunes, he sounds good with us. We're going to go as hard as we can from here on out, hopefully visit Montreal more often."

Judging by the audience's reaction to one of the band's few stops back home since their return to Toronto, they wouldn't mind a few more visits either.

Catch Vanderpark at McGill's SnowAP in January. All Your Hands is available from www.vanderpark.com or in most music stores. - The McGill Tribune

"Energetic, aggressive, edgy, and eclectic", this is how front man Dave Stulberg describes Vanderpark's new album All Your Hands, "I've been writing songs for the past 4 years." – starting around the time he formed Vanderpark with his Thornhill road hockey pals. "Some of the songs on All Your Hands are 3 years old, others are only 3 months old," he says "We're coming from the 90's generation of the grunge where we all had long hair and just loved that music." Though Vanderpark's music would not be confused with any grunge group, Vanderpark is very much a reflection of their rock, soul and funk influences.

Vanderpark is six member band that features members Dave (acoustic guitar/vocals), Marcus Wong (guitar/vocals), Dave Cohen on keyboards, Alan Demsky on bass, Dan "Booch" Buchman percussion, and Ben Weigensberg drums. The band's name was coined by a former bass player; which was his mother's maiden name. "Vanderpark is a Dutch word for "from the park'," Dave explains, "We all grew up between two parks in North Toronto; so the name stuck, even after many attempts to change it."

Although the band's material is written primarily by singer Dave and guitarist Marcus, Vanderpark is very much a collective. Vanderpark's newest release is a 12 song offering which showcases the band's tight ensemble playing, clever guitar hooks, radio friendly arrangements, a potent mix of keyboards, guitars, vocal harmonies and shifting dynamics. "I think the album has its own fresh sound, I'm most happy with the vocal harmonies and songwriting, and I believe we come across as a band that cares about the listener", says lead guitarist Marcus, a current student at York University's Music program.

Although Vanderpark's members hail from the GTA, for much of the past 4 years members have been scattered between Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal with members off attending University. It was this dynamic that helped the band develop a campus following throughout Eastern Canada. That mixed with a string of headline and supporting dates throughout the Ontario/Quebec club circuit, Vanderpark's sound is maturing very quickly. Dave credits the band's multiple tours to the band's success. "We're also moving away from getting the dance-floor moving to a more of an edgier songwriting approach," Dave admits, "Lyrically we're touching on some heavier topics and my lyrics are getting much darker"

Fresh off a 3 date tour with US blues-rock legends Little Feat and a debut performance at The Come Together Music Festival, Vanderpark is genuinely excited about their upcoming CD Release party with Brantford's Jomomma and Kitchener's Diesel Dog on Oct. 1st at The El Mocambo. What's most contagious about Vanderpark is their young energy and their simple joy of performing live. Upon meeting the band, their camaraderie and playfulness reveals the special bond between the members, all who have grown-up and gone to school with each-other for the past 10 years. This positive dynamic has allowed the band to grow together and capitalize on each others strengths. This energy translates well on stage, as the 6 member collective are having so much fun; you can't help but be engaged in their music.

Visit www.vanderpark.com for more. - Jay Cleary - 09-22-05

"The first four years of the band was spent in three different cities, so practicing mostly took place the day of the show or on stage during the show, explains Dave Stulberg, guitarist and principle vocalist for Montreal via Toronto based Vanderpark. "It was rough, but I think we learned a lot from that time. It helped our stage performance because we were collectively scared shitless of sounding bad. We really focused on stage because of that, knowing that it was the first time in a month or two that we were playing a particular tune at any given show. Finally, we all seem to be on the same page when it comes to why we do this, essentially to make music we enjoy and perform it in hopes that others will enjoy too."
?
Now University is no longer a time consumer for most of the members the melodically charged sextet, and
focusing full-time on the band has taken precedent. The result is a fantastic full-length debut four years post inception and finally, a solidified lineup free of cracks.

Along with Stulberg, keyboardist Dave Cohen, drummer Ben Weigens-berg, guitarist/vocalist Marcus Wong, bassist Al Demsky and monosyllabic percussionist
Booch round out the sextet. Relying heavily on the melodic and rhythmic sensibilities that erupted from the
early 1990s H.O.R.D.E. tour founders and the subsequent insurgence of harmonic improvisational music better known as frat-rock, Vanderpark create dance music for folks who cannot dance. Theirs is exemplary funk and soul for people usually bereft of funk and soul or better yet, funk for the Caucasian suburbanite.

Climactic and buoyant crescendos highlight the eclectic menu, beefed up with soaring dual vocal lines,
polyrhythmic percussion interludes and high pitched, cerebral organ work. The band's originals are as
engaging and hook-laden as a Coors Light commercial, maturely dusted down with the music preferred by its demographic consumers; the College twang of Dave Matthews, the syncopated melodic detail of Blues Traveler and a hint of cosmopolitan Latin, jazz and soul.

"We are definitely not trying to be a rock meets Latin, Electronic, funk, folk or punk band, but we are open to any style that moves us. I do not think we could have formed any other way,"? Stulberg notes. "We could incorporate a tuba, violin and a garbage can, as long as were happy with the sound that we are making."

That stylistic liberalism has wielded an impressively mature debut full length in the newly released All Your Hands, along with a few earlier EPs that the band consistently and furiously distributes for free at shows.

Now distributed nationwide independently, All Your Hands is a melodic marvel; thematically mature, gloriously choreographed and rambunctiously funky.

Highlighted by the staunchly upbeat title track and the rich and creamy free-flowing Getaway,? All Your Hands exemplifies its entitlement; atmospherically exclusive, openly intricate and most importantly, pretty damn funky. A gospel choir even makes an appearance on the
opening track, showing off the band's ballsy attitude into cajoling the audience in sheer melodic excess.

"I am thrilled with what we have done in the time we had allotted,"? Stulberg jokes. "I see the album like Hanukkah. We recorded and mixed it in eight days, which was a miracle on its own; and so far my parents love it, which is always good sign."?
Vanderpark will celebrate the release of All Your Hands at The Casbah with fellow friends Diesel Dog and Jomomma on Friday, September 30. 9pm, 19 plus. For
more information or to listen to the entire album for free online (or buy the sucker), visit www.vanderpark.com.

[SHAIN SHAPIRO] - The View Magazine (Hamilton)

Rating: A

Vanderpark is a group of long-time friends who have built up a following in Toronto and surrounding areas for their live shows. Few of the qualities that make them an incredible live band are lost on their debut album.

It’s difficult to use genre names to describe the music that Vanderpark plays. One bar of any song might draw equally upon jazz, funk, blues, and any number of other styles. One of the band’s many strengths is that it does not simply copy or emulate other styles or artists, but rather, they use them all to create unique combinations. Despite verse-chorus-verse structures on almost every song on All Your Hands, the uniqueness of their sound is what makes it all so interesting. Furthermore, many of the disc’s best moments result from each member getting his own groove going, not relying—but always in synch—with each other member. Typically, one will hear jazzy, complex percussion alongside funky five-string bass and keyboard-accented guitar riffs and melodic licks. There is a jam band philosophy present here without the typical “jam-band jams”; all members of Vanderpark seem to be both spontaneously responding to one another’s playing, and playing what has been practiced and written previously. Solos are kept to a minimum, and when they do spring up, they seem less like one member taking control and more like it’s just what the song called for. Unlike most jam bands, classic and otherwise, this band’s studio effort does not come across as an excuse to tour—the songs are performed in a certain way to be effective on an album rather than just the framework for live jams.

It is undeniable that Vanderpark has a rare ability—they can be diverse in style and atmosphere from song to song while putting together a track list that seems to flow logically and can be listened to as a whole. "For Years" contains hard funk riffs, a rocking chorus, and staccato licks without any shift ever sounding unnatural. "You and I" features a sparse jazz-chord ambience and melodic vocals all reminiscent of early Incubus. "y=x^2" begins as a Dave Matthews Band-esque easygoing jam piece, which eases into a section that brings to mind Phish, before the instrumental track ends around what sounds like a Latin-guitar interpretation of a lick that appeared earlier in the tune. Remarkably, nothing heard during these three consecutive tracks sounds out of place with anything else. Elsewhere, "Anchor" is so filled with catchy instrumental and vocal moments in an overall more or less pop-rock style that it’s a mystery it isn’t in the regular playlist of every radio station.

Vocalist David Stulberg has a knack for writing lyrics (usually) on the familiar topic of relationships, romantic and otherwise, without sounding clichéd. The stories told on this CD seem to be from the point of view of a young man who is 80% poetic, 20% street-wise, and 100% sincere. It is that naked sincerity and emotion in the words that saves All Your Hands from suffering much due to Stulberg’s habit of putting an unnecessary “rock ‘n’ roll accent” on his delivery. On a very positive note, he seems to always know when the vocals should be the main focus and when they should serve as just one element of the song’s total sound.

Bottom Line: All Your Hands documents a band that is not trying to fit into any genre or appeal to any specific crowd, save the kind of crowd that appreciates music in general. With a high-priced producer and record deal, Vanderpark could become a huge-selling group. If they maintain their indie sound and attitude, they could just be one of the best and most genuine indie bands in the country. - Adam Morrison - www.soundopinion.ca

Posted 5/9/2008 2:45:00 PM
**Remember, the forums are open in the Edgefest performers section. I know you’ve got something to say about the Edgefest 08 artists, so you might as well say it to everyone**
I was given Vanderpark’s first album, All Your Hands, in 2005 by a friend of the band. I liked the laid back, hook-filled pop rock right away. Everything that I read about the band gave me the impression that they’re well known for their live shows, so I went to one to see for myself.
The music that they played at the concert was obviously the same as is on the album, but the band performed with a loose vibe and a spontaneity that gave the songs a new level of enjoyment for me.
I saw Vanderpark live a few more times, and I got to hear them try out some new songs onstage. This got me looking forward to their next album, and I was blown away when I finally heard it.
Cherish Yesterday, which was released in 2007, is miles ahead of All Your Hands—keep in mind that I liked All Your Hands. The two lead vocalists/guitarists, David Stulberg and Marcus Wong, sound clear and confident when separate and when in harmony, and the rhythm section of Hanayah and Demsky keep it going throughout the disc. These songs are streamlined into incredibly catchy power pop rock, and the production gives Cherish Yesterday that “X factor” that’s missing from so many otherwise great indie records.
Vanderpark are doing a hometown show June 20 at The Central Café, with an acoustic set. They'll also be playing Two Doors Down in Brantford May 16.

You can listen to some more Vanderpark at www.myspace.com/vanderpark/ after you download “Believe” from Cherish Yesterday right here.


Posted by: Adam Morrison - Adam Morrison