Brian Vander Ark is an American singer-songwriter best known as lead singer for the band

The Verve Pipe The Verve Pipe is an American rock band from Michigan. It was formed in 1992 in East Lansing by Brian Vander Ark, Brian Stout and Donny Brown. History In November 1992, Brian Vander Ark of the band "Johnny with an Eye" signed a production dea ...

Music

Ark joined the band

His Boy Elroy His Boy Elroy (HBE) is an American alternative rock band from Seattle, Washington. The band's name is taken from the lyrics to the theme song of the American cartoon ''The Jetsons'', referring to George Jetson's son, Elroy Jetson. History The ba ...

as a guitarist. He eventually quit and started the band Johnny with an Eye with his brother, Brad Vander Ark. In 1992, he disbanded Johnny with an Eye to form The Verve Pipe with Brad, drummer Donny Brown and guitarist Brian Stout. The band recorded two independent albums ''I've Suffered A Head Injury'' and ''Pop Smear''. The Verve Pipe's major label debut, ''

Villains A villain (also known as a " black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character ...

'', featured the Vander Ark-penned single " The Freshmen", the group's highest-charting single and one of the most successful multi-format tracks of 1997. "Never Let You Down," the lead single from the band's 2001 album, '' Underneath'', was one of the Top 50 Most Played songs for Adult Top 40 and Modern A/C radio in 2001. Brian Vander Ark released his first solo album, ''Resurrection'', in May 2003. He toured extensively in support of the album, including a double-bill acoustic tour with

Butch Walker Bradley Glenn "Butch" Walker (born November 14, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was the lead guitarist for the glam metal band SouthGang from the late 1980s to early 1990s as well as the lead vocalist ...

. Vander Ark's second solo release, ''Angel, Put Your Face On'', was released in May 2006, followed by a self-titled third record in January 2008, produced by

Bill Szymczyk William Frank Szymczyk (; born February 13, 1943) is an American music producer and technical engineer best known for working with rock and blues musicians, most notably the Eagles in the 1970s. He produced many top albums and singles of the 1 ...

. Bill Szymczyk then produced Brian's followup, Magazine, in 2011. In 2016, Brian released an album of story songs with actor/songwriter

Jeff Daniels Jeffrey Warren Daniels (born February 19, 1955) is an American actor, comedian, musician, and playwright, known for his work on stage and screen playing diverse characters switching between comedy and drama. He is the recipient of several accol ...

Acting

Vander Ark acted in the film '' Rock Star'' in 2001. Vander Ark played bassist ''Ricki Bell'', of the fictional band Blood Pollution. The film also featured performances by

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, Blas Elias and

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. Vander Ark wrote the song "Colorful", which appears at the end of the film, sung by the Chris Cole Band, and simulated by

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. Vander Ark recorded vocals of this song on the film's soundtrack. The song is on album '' Underneath'', by ''

''. He has also appeared in several independent films, including director

Matthew Leutwyler Matthew Steven Leutwyler (born July 23, 1969) is an American writer, director, and producer. Life and career Leutwyler studied film at The San Francisco Art Institute. His first feature film was the dark comedy/road picture ''Road Kill'' starrin ...

's ''Road Kill'', ''Dead and Breakfast'', and ''Unearthed''. Vander Ark also composed the musical scores for ''

Dead & Breakfast ''Dead & Breakfast'' is a 2004 musical zombie comedy film directed by Matthew Leutwyler starring Ever Carradine, Gina Philips, Erik Palladino, Bianca Lawson, Jeremy Sisto and Oz Perkins. The film premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festiv ...

'' and ''Unearthed''.

Filmography

* '' Road Kill'' – Joey (1999) * ''This Space Between Us'' – Tagger (1999) * ''Mergers & Acquisitions'' – Larry (2001) * '' Rock Star'' – Ricki Bell, Blood Pollution Bassist (2001) * ''

'' – The Tall Hick (2004) * ''Bullies on Vacation'' (short) – Steve Vanderlaan (2010) * ''

House of the Rising Sun A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

'' – Detective Jimmy LaGrange (2011) * ''Eden Shattered'' (short) – President Dave Pellaton (2011)

Discography

Albums

*''Resurrection'' (2004) *''Angel, Put Your Face On'' (2006) *''Brian Vander Ark'' (2008) *''Magazine'' (2011) *''Wonderland'' with Lux Land (2011) *''Simple Truths'' with

(2016) *''Planet Sunday Sessions Vol. I'' (2016) *''Planet Sunday Sessions Vol. II'' (2021)

Live Releases

*''Within Reach'' (2005) *''Live at Schubas'' (2005) *''Live At Eddie's Attic'' (2006) *''Bootleg: Lawn Chairs And Living Rooms'' (2007) *''Night One: Resurrection'' (2009) *''Night Two: Angel, Put Your Face On'' (2009) *''Night Three: Self Titled'' (2009) *''My Little Town- Live In Grand Rapids'' (2011)

Singles

*"This Time" (2009) *"Daddy's Girl" (2012) *"Another American Down" with

(2016)

DVD Releases

*''Live at Aquinas College'' (2008) *''Lawn Chairs and Living Rooms'' (2012)

Sources

Brian Vander Ark's official website
* *
Second Motion Records

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vander Ark, Brian Living people 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers Alternative rock guitarists Alternative rock singers American alternative rock musicians American male singer-songwriters American people of Dutch descent American rock guitarists American male guitarists American rock songwriters American rock singers Singer-songwriters from Michigan People from Holland, Michigan The Verve Pipe members Guitarists from Michigan 20th-century American guitarists Year of birth missing (living people) Second Motion Records artists