New York, NY --- Vandenderg’s MoonKings and Mascot Records / Mascot Label Group will release Rugged and Unplugged globally on November 23. The album is a beautifully stripped back acoustic album which features songs from across Adrian Vandenberg’s career. From his first band Teaser as a 20 year old he has always used an acoustic guitar in his recordings, which along with the electric guitar creates the light and shade dynamic that is the cornerstone to all of his records.
“For me, the sign of whether a song is good or not, is whether it still stands up when it's completely stripped down to the bare essence of it,” says Vandenberg. He continues, “What I find with acoustic versions of songs you already know, is that they can touch you in a different way than the full band and even orchestral versions. You don't get 'impressed' by big guitars, drums and even orchestras. As a performer you can't hide behind all that, so what's left is the emotional content of the performance and the actual song.”
This project created the opportunity to strip down the big orchestral arrangements on songs such as ‘What Doesn’t Kill You’ and ‘Breathing’ to just Vandenberg on acoustic guitar and the voice of Jan Hoving. His 1983 hit ‘Burning Heart’ gets a stunning reworking, “my favourite singers ever since my teens have always been guys like Paul Rodgers and David Coverdale. Since I wrote this song in 1981, I've always pictured it sung by a singer with such a tone of voice and vocal abilities. Jan is absolutely such a singer as you can hear,” he explains. ‘One Step Behind’ has a graceful warmth and ‘Walk Away’ feels both intimate and anthemic.
Originally from Whitesnake’s 1989 album ‘Slip of the Tongue’, ‘Sailing Ships’ has a delicate beauty to it that makes the hairs on your arm stand up and has become a favourite and regular in the MoonKing’s live shows. ‘Out Of Reach’ is the only song that features drums, bass and violins and has a warm cascading elegance. The album closes with a new song, the instrumental 'Sundown'. Talking about it he says, “It was one of those beautiful early evenings in the late summer, the light turning pink, it was quiet and I was doodling away on my acoustic guitar. The melody that pretty much rolled off of my fingers really matched the vibe of that moment so I decided to record it and end the album with it. It felt like a very natural thing to do.”
Like the two MoonKings albums, ‘MoonKings’ (2014) and ‘MK II’ (2017) it was produced by Adrian Vandenberg himself. It was recorded between Vandenberg’s home studio and Jan Hoving’s farm which gives it the relaxed, intimate and natural feel, away from the clinical studio environment. It is Vandenberg and Hoving doing what they do and love the most, playing music straight from the heart.
The complete track listing features “What Doesn’t Kill You,” “Sailing Ships,” “Out Of Reach,” “One Step Behind,” “Burning Heart,” “Walk Away,” “Breathing,” and “Sundown.” The album will be available in LP + MP3, CD, and digital formats. A pre-order is now live here: http://smarturl.it/VDBMK-DSP
Adrian Vandenberg returns with his MoonKings for album nr 2!
Four years after Adrian Vandenberg made a spectacular comeback with Vandenberg’s Moonkings the band returns with a sophomore album, simply titled MK II. The album has all the qualities of the debut: once again the four-piece band manages to create a perfect mix of vintage seventies hard rock and current styles of heavy rock. Adrian Vandenberg shines as a bonafide guitar virtuoso, while the rest of the band also delivers in spades. Yet MK II has even more to offer than the highly praised first album. It shows how the band grew into a strong unit during the world tours of the recent years.
‘The last few years have been very important indeed’, confirms Adrian Vandenberg, who previously gained world fame as the guitarist and songwriter of Vandenberg and Whitesnake. ‘We just got to know each other when we recorded out debut album. I think we all exceeded each other’s expectations. But you really get to know each other while on the road. It was then that I really became impressed by the abundance of energy that this band has. We tried to capture this on our new album. At the same time, we all grew individually. I am really amazed by the way Jan Hoving has grown even more in his role as a singer and as a front man. I’ve played with the best bass players and drummers in my extensive career, but with all respect I dare to say that Sem Christoffel and drummer Mart Nijen Es form the best rhythm section I ever had the pleasure of working with.
MK II
01. Tightrope
02. Reputation
03. Angel In Black
04. The Fire
05. Walk Away
06. All Or Nothing
07. What Doesn’t Kill You
08. Ready For The Taking
09. New Day
10. Hard Way
11. Love Runs Out
12. If You Can’t Handle The Heat
Pre-order T-shirt bundles available.
