David Vesel's music emerges from a blend of European dance influences and American rock, navigating the nuanced territory between genres. His style defies strict categorization, existing neither as cutting edge nor retro, neither firmly in the '80s nor contemporary, and not distinctly New Wave nor Modern Rock. This singular approach has won him critical acclaim and successfully converted skeptics into fans.
To date, David has released five albums. His debut, Chivalry, came out in 1992 and saw over 100 copies sold through local consignment and online channels. His discography also includes Affection and Lust (1994), One Swell Foop: Instrumentalysis v2.0 (1999), and Calliope (2002). Prior to Chivalry, David produced several cassette demo albums, with highlights compiled in the 2005 retrospective The Best of David Vesel Volume One 1987-1994. He is currently working on his latest project, Your Mileage May Vary.
David was born on April 13, 1968, in Milton, Florida, while his father was stationed in the Navy during the Vietnam War. The family returned to Festus, Missouri, in 1970. He began playing the piano at the age of five and experienced a typical upbringing for a gifted but socially awkward child. His first musical collaboration was with high school friend Ken Fluharty in a band called Mindscape, which later merged into another group, The Situation, where he switched from piano to a Farfisa organ. Disappointed with the band experience, he chose to pursue his own songwriting and recording.
In 1987, David created his first tape, The Paradise of Anarchy, a collection of rudimentary overdubbed songs. While attending Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, he connected with an emerging organization known as the Computer Musician's Cooperative (now the Creative Musician's Coalition), which had a MIDI lab at Rox Bucklin's Keyboard Shoppe. This collaboration allowed David to produce his first two proper albums, New York State of Mind and It's All in How We Perceive the World.
Navigating the music scene independently proved challenging, as David faced financial struggles and a lack of equipment. During college, he produced a variety of demo albums, including Love, Truth, and Honesty, A Moment in Time . . . ., Integrity, Instrumentalysis, and Innocent But Corruptible. He made his first compilation appearance with "Picture-Perfect Valentine," which earned a spot on the cassette-only 1990 Usenet Compilation, showcasing sub-indie artists from the rec.music.synth newsgroup. Recognizing the potential of the Internet, David began using it to promote his music.
His significant breakthrough occurred in 1992 with the release of Chivalry, the first album he felt confident sharing publicly. He sold over 100 homemade cassette copies through local record stores and online. A favorable review by noted Internet synthpop reviewer Al Crawford on the Usenet newsgroup rec.music.reviews likely helped boost sales.
However, following this initial success, David faced a difficult period. After graduating, he felt pressured to pursue a conventional career in computers and struggled with clinical depression. He relocated to Deland, Florida, where he released the underwhelming Affection and Lust in early 1994. Although not completely devoid of merit, the album failed to resonate, leading David to step back from music and sell most of his equipment. He married his college girlfriend, Ann, in 1995 and moved to Portland, Oregon, in 1996.
In 1999, having managed his depression, David ventured back into music, purchasing a new synthesizer and producing the instrumental collection One Swell Foop: Instrumentalysis v2.0. In his absence from the scene, the Internet had evolved significantly, leading to the rise of online music distribution. David created accounts on mp3.com and later on Ampcast in 2000, posting tracks from One Swell Foop, including the single "Sensation," which reached the top 10 on mp3.com's Electronic Classical chart.
During this time, David discovered that the synthpop genre had not vanished but had transitioned underground. He found numerous like-minded artists online and decided to produce a new vocal album. A new single, "The Caves," which addressed his struggles with depression, garnered positive feedback, motivating him to continue creating pop music.
In 2000, David welcomed his son, Eric, and subsequently moved back to St. Louis, Missouri, where he began working on The Rape of Calliope. This album showcased his most sophisticated production to date, thanks to advanced digital recording technology. However, the original title—drawn from a Sandman comic story about a hack writer—was misinterpreted as misogynistic, prompting him to shorten it to Calliope.
Released in autumn 2002, Calliope initially had a slow sales trajectory but garnered favorable reviews from critics at Gods of Music, synthpop.net, and synthpop.ru. The album's third single, "Stained Glass," dominated the synthpop chart on Ampcast for over a year. Although not a commercial success, Calliope solidified David's standing in the Internet electropop community. In April 2003, he signed with 14:59 Records, although the label unfortunately folded in November before he could release any music.
After rebuilding his home studio, David began work on Your Mileage May Vary in December. However, a series of personal challenges delayed production. In March, his daughter Maggie was born, but shortly thereafter, Eric was diagnosed with autism. David also received a diabetes diagnosis and acknowledged his struggles with alcohol abuse, all within the span of 2004. Fortunately, 2005 proved to be more productive, and work on the album resumed in September.
Now scheduled for release in April 2006, Your Mileage May Vary is anticipated to be his most accomplished work yet. Further updates will follow.
