Newspaper Article – Hastings Busker releases album

Hastings busker releases album

By Mike Butler
Staff reporter, Hastings

Hastings singer – guitarist Ari Vandenberg, who is often seen in the mall wearing his trademark leather hat and sitting on his amp, busking, has released an album of 12 original songs.

Invisible Friend, as the collection is called, is his third recording, but the first to be sold through record stores.

Vandenberg was born in Hastings in 1962, grew up in Havelock North, and taught himself how to play guitar after his mother showed him some chords.

His family is musical. His mother plays mandolin, guitar and piano, is active in the region’s choir scene and a member of the Sweet Adelines. One sister plays piano and the other the flute.

His song writing started when he created comedy songs for friends’ parties when he was a teenager.

His busking started in Amsterdam when he bought an old guitar in a street market and gave it a go on a tourist street, where he did “very, very well” considering he knew only a few old Neil Young songs.

He taught himself how to play blues harp while on a working holiday in Australia.

As well as busking in Hastings, he plays in cafes, bars and restaurants, plays folk, rock and blues doing covers of Neil Young, Bob Dylan and Eagles songs, with the odd original song thrown in.

His recording has grown out of a collaboration with an old friend, Aaron Cash, who has New Song Studio in Hastings. Cash saw Vandenberg busking and suggested that he put something on tape.

In a couple of hours his first tape, Busking Blues was recorded. To do this Vandenberg virtually busked in the studio, and what was recorded was what he does in the street… voice, guitar, drum machine and mouth harp. He distributed this under his busking name – The Rambler.

A second tape, Raw Deal, included bass guitar and drumming, played by Cash. He sold these tapes while busking with, as he said, “good success”.

Invisible Friend represents somewhat of a quantum leap in terms of production.

Sound engineer Cash played bass guitar, keyboards and drums, there is some nice guitar playing by Darryl Petrowski, some unexpected backing vocal flourishes, and skilful use of a voice processor to deepen mood of the otherwise uncomplicated songs.

The songs originated on acoustic guitar, but can be rocky. Most of the songs have a message, and can be criticised as being one-dimensional and often repetitive.

With a title of Invisible Friend, it is not unexpected that many of the songs are religiously, or spiritually motivated.

A prolific songwriter, Vandenberg already has material for the next album, which is likely to be a CD, and he is considering doing a cover song … for a change.

Photo caption – Ari Vandenberg … his first recording to feature full backing.
Photo: Duncan Brown.