I never expected to be writing this more than six months AFTER releasing my album, but … I think I may finally have “found” myself. I invite you to have a listen. [Audio Tracks Below] All I can say is: Better late than never.

If you’ve followed my blog (at all), then you know it’s been a long six months. Maybe it was due to life experiences; maybe it was due to personal growth (which is certainly yet to be proven); maybe it was due to mixing Ambien* with alcohol – all I know is, one day I picked up the guitar and everything changed. I don’t think you’re going to notice a huge difference in some songs; others you may hardly recognize. These tracks were created as an acoustic demo, meant to be sent out as a “what you hear is what you get” sample for acoustic performances. Little did I know I was going to reinvent myself in the process. But it felt damn good.

* By the way, don’t mix Ambien with alcohol. It can be dangerous.

Audio Tracks:

Love Is Easy

Whats Your Name

Swimming In Pairs

Love Starts a Lie

I Belong

PLEASE NOTE: All of the above files can be downloaded for improved playback. Don’t worry – it’s FREE! Just click the “download” button after playback begins.

To view this file, simply click on the link below. To download a free copy, right click the link below and select to download the linked file.

VASS Abbreviated Press Kit

August 5, 2010 (Richmond, VA) — Following the release of a new solo-acoustic set of demo recordings, Richmond, Va.-based songwriter Drew Vass (VASS) has since been featured in several U.K.-based podcast series.

“It was very telling,” Vass explains. “After making my debut album [rudimentary] available I received absolutely no play time or attention from productions. That isn’t necessarily my goal as a songwriter, but you would like to receive some interest from this segment.”

The prospect of performing on a solo-acoustic basis led Vass to rethink many of his arrangements. The resulting acoustic demo tracks, he says, are a more accurate representation of his goals as a songwriter.

“The day after I added this acoustic set, which is many of the same songs [found on rudimentary], but arranged and performed quite differently, I was suddenly being played,” Vass says.

After adding his new versions to an international database, the very next day Vass says he woke to a message notifying him that he had been aired on the popular U.K.-based Dalecast series. Subsequent airings followed, all in other U.K.-based productions. Vass says he accepts this interest as a sign that he is headed in the right direction.

“I had an incredibly positive feeling when I got done with these re-writes,” he explains. “When I went back and listened to them, I felt like I had finally discovered myself in some weird way. I’m much more comfortable with this sound.”

This latest set of acoustic cuts has earned me air time on a couple of U.K.-based broadcasts recently. Talk about a pleasant surprise. I consider this particular track to be my most natural vocal performance to date.

Have a listen:

Love Is Easy

See what you think and, as usual, I’d love to hear feedback.

Love Starts a Lie

In the past year, I have lost two big brother and father-like figures – both to the same disease and both far too early. This makes a man think.

I was involved in the planning for the most recent funeral, and I must say, for those of you who may not have been through this sort of experience – it’s hard. Not only is it difficult from an emotional standpoint, but it’s even harder to direct a process and service that’s meant to sum up another human being.

In the most recent case, we chose to use a minister who had never met the deceased (I’m choosing not to publicize names and specifics out of respect). In a meeting that lasted maybe an hour, several of us attempted to give this guy a sense of who are loved one was, how they lived their life and what they were like. This might sound simple, but the fact is – it’s not. It felt like trying to condense the Holy Bible into a thousand word article, all without losing any of its purpose and meaning. Never have a I felt so blank in all of my life. All I could think to do was to search for an event in my memory that best summed up this person in a single example, something that really showed their true character and purpose in life.

In the days preceding the funeral, a reporter decided to do a point-of-interest story for a local newspaper. As some of you may know, and others may not, I’m a freelance writer. When I considered the task, I realized this was a job I wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole. The idea of spending a few hours researching a person’s life, in order to give a one time-view and understanding of someone you never knew, is a mission impossible. This made me think …

“There’s a big difference in knowing the details of a person’s life and knowing their essence as a human being. One can be written in bullet points; the other requires an inordinate amount of time and a level of intimacy that’s backed by passionate friendship.”

Observing what a person does with their daily life is pretty simple; but understanding what makes them tick, what drives them, and what makes them do the things that they do – this is a lifelong task. Nonetheless, this is the level of understanding that is owed to true friends and loved ones – not in some twisted Freudian method – but in the spirit of truly knowing someone and adding their existence to your own life.

In the case of my most recent loss, a point-of-interest article seemed to paint the image of a highly driven, but somewhat shrewd workaholic. And I will admit, that was the story I came to at first as well. But through a slow and very genuine process, over the course of many years, I came to see what I believed to be another side to the story. In time, I came to view a 12 hour work day and a six day work week in an entirely different light. You see, there are key differences between the average workaholic, who stores up and personally enjoys as much wealth as humanly possible, and a person who chooses to live this lifestyle for the purpose of giving it all away. Therein lied the essence of one human being, and, as far as I’m concerned, the meaning of life.

Let’s be clear – I am not speaking strictly about money. Secondly, let me just say that a person can do anything they want in life (I believe), and whether it nets wealth or not, there is always a way to do it in the spirit of giving to others. The same principal applies to someone who makes millions, and gives the majority away to total strangers in need, and someone who barely scrapes by, yet somehow manages to work 30 hours a week doing volunteer work. And it doesn’t have to be that charitable on the surface. In the best cases, your actual job can be the method through which you care for and give to others. In this case, you care less about how much money you make, than what you accomplish for others through your work. It’s all the same. The point is, if what fuels you as a person is the art of giving yourself away, then you have the supreme essence. Take all of the silly rituals, socially-driven rules and man-made concepts of righteousness combined and, by comparison, they don’t amount to shit.

Well, I’m back with another one. And I’ve taken a more honest approach this time, with a song that was truly NEVER intended for solo acoustic. In fact, I thought long and hard about this one and realized that there was simply no way to pull off a solo version that would closely resemble the original. In the end, I think that’s just the dilemma I needed.

So, I just played. As it turns out, I decided to “skank” it up a little, so the guitar rhythms sound as much percussive as melodic. I also decided to take the reins off of my vocal chords and just do whatever I felt like doing. I think you’ll agree – it’s nothing like the original.

Whats Your Name

This is about as “unplugged” as VASS gets.

I Belong Remastered

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