The Man Behind the Music
In a world where alt. country borders on formulaic, Drew Vass is a good dose of real. The Va.-based songwriter offers an organic formula that’s all his own. He has been described as a “living double entendre,” and his lyrics have solicited such critical comments as: “Never take anything this man writes at face value. His work always warrants a second glance—preferably over a glass of whiskey.”
The two sided effect of Vass’s lyrics figuratively places Bible and whiskey side by side, and may be inspired by a childhood steeped in individualism, yet drowned in Southern Baptist culture. His father, which he describes as a “tough loving man,” taught him to embrace a self-made mode of independence. This lifelong philosophy carried over into Vass’s songwriting, as he writes and records the majority of his works in private and on a solo basis.
rudimentary, Vass’s debut album, includes eleven original tracks, comprised of everything from acoustic guitar, bass and drums, to a vintage Selmer Mark VII saxophone—all played by the songwriter himself. While a modern Gibson L-1 remains his daily axe, he covers an array of musical instruments, predominately on an improvisational basis.
Vass’s musical experience spans more than 20 years. After an informal start on piano, he turned to saxophone for his formal training of more than a decade, before settling on guitar. Ultimately it was the jazz genre which led him to place his natural talent before technical training. The result is a remarkably unique and smooth blend of instruments, and an unorthodox style that’s filled with unexpected twists and turns. Vass undoes modern formulas, producing a unique strain of country-infused music.
The Life Behind the Man
Vass grew up on a small horse farm in rural Virginia, where he says he got an early start on life. His father, who he describes as a tough-loving, self-made man, began forming his oldest son by the same mold from a very early age.
“By the time I was remotely able to do physical labor of any sort, I was expected to carry my load around the house and farm,” Vass explains. The details lie within rudimentary’s eleven tracks, as well as in his countless works of poetry, many of which are published on SongsWithoutMelodies.com, Vass’s poetry site and the sister site to PoemsWithMelodies.com, where he publishes his music and other works.
Vass was raised in a small-town, southern Baptist household, where he says he was given an invaluable religious and moral base, though he admits that his personal thoughts and feelings began to deviate from his surroundings as early as the age of six or seven.
“I think this forced me to think a lot, question everything, and internalize those thoughts and feelings,” he explains.
Rather than being rebellious or outspoken, Vass says he privately formed dual personas, which he describes as a sort of self-induced, split personality–a sentiment that finds its way into such songs as “Love Starts a Lie.” Vass says this introspective characteristic may have helped to form him as an artist and influences his work to this day.
