Brian Vander Ark
Love Will Find You - Again
I was feeling like a has-been, a used-to-be, in 2001. My band, The Verve Pipe, had failed to regain the success we expected after...
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Brian Vander Ark
- Aug 31, 2021
- 3 min
Be Your One and Only Critic
When The Verve Pipe albums were released into the mainstream, we would get pretty good reviews. Don't ask me what they were, I don’t...
1,225 views14 comments
Brian Vander Ark
- Jul 26, 2021
- 4 min
The Cost (and Emotional Profit) of Rock and Rolling
When I got off the plane in Denver, I knew that on the flight home, the aircraft would be lighter. $5000 lighter. I was losing money on...
3,562 views10 comments
Brian Vander Ark
- Jun 27, 2021
- 7 min
Am I An…Alcoholic?
I’m an alcoholic? Me? A high-functioning, highly motivated, high-fiving alcoholic? You tell me. I mean, that pandemic thingy was a pretty...
2,336 views30 comments
Brian Vander Ark
- May 31, 2021
- 4 min
Slip Slidin' Away
The punk beauty rarely ever took advice, yet she considered the salesman’s pitch about what could potentially be the gift of a lifetime....
1,230 views4 comments
Brian Vander Ark
- May 9, 2021
- 4 min
You Can Go Your Own Way
I was thirteen in the summer of 1977 when my mom, my aunt Esther and me were sitting at the kitchen table, all of us with our hair in...
954 views9 comments
Brian Vander Ark
- Apr 18, 2021
- 3 min
A Confession: I Heard "The Freshmen" Before I Wrote It
At the risk of sounding cliche, I confess my song “The Freshmen” came to me like many other songs at the time; while taking a shower....
1,474 views18 comments
Brian Vander Ark
- Mar 28, 2021
- 3 min
The Weight of "Eruption"
The year my brother was a senior, and I was a sophomore, he often let me catch a ride with him to high school. It was a 20-minute drive...
803 views1 comment
Brian Vander Ark
- Mar 14, 2021
- 3 min
Carry On My Wayward Friends
In 1995, The Verve Pipe signed with RCA, and a few weeks later, I deposited over $300,000 into my savings account. I’m sure it triggered...
3,417 views17 comments
Brian Vander Ark
- Feb 28, 2021
- 3 min
Are You Comfortably Numb?
“No more washing my hair with hotel soap!” I exclaimed to the crumbling tile and shower curtain, stained brown at the bottom just above...
1,692 views4 comments
Brian Vander Ark
- Feb 17, 2021
- 3 min
The Message in "Black Hole Sun"
Among the cold, the dark, the damp—steal the warm wind while you can. It’s an excellent reminder to concentrate on the many sunlit moments.
757 views0 comments
Brian Vander Ark
- Feb 11, 2021
- 3 min
Pursue Your Passion - A Love Song For the Ages
Love is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches, reminding us of some of the greatest songs; soundtracks to our loving relationships....
517 views0 comments
Brian Vander Ark
- Feb 3, 2021
- 4 min
Find Your Focus
It was the spring of 1990 when I finally said enough is enough. Less than a month ago, I had performed at Farm Aid IV at Willie Nelson’s...
589 views0 comments