Discovering Dan Vasc
YouTube isn’t big enough for this guy
About a month ago I was idly surfing YouTube when I happened upon something titled Metal Singer Performs Amazing Grace. Hmm. Okay…
Look, I’ll admit it, in the photo the guy looked hot, especially with the long, long, raven hair. Yeah, I’m shallow like that. Whatever. I clicked.
(NB: You might want to click the link under the photo and listen before reading further, ‘cuz I’m about to spoil the whole dang experience for you…)
Well, Holy Heck, Hot Hair Guy! Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to see and hear what I did. For starters, he’s standing in what appears to be a vast, empty, black space, so there’s an echo as he sings the first verse a cappella. And, along with the black hair and facial scruff, he is dressed in black — a tight, sleeveless tank showing off fairly impressive biceps. It’s accessorized with black wrist bands. (I believe I started salivating at this point, i.e., before he sang a note.)
In the first verse his voice is deep and resonant, very accomplished and pleasant, a traditional rendition of a time-honoured Christian staple. We get background orchestration in the second verse and he amps up the power of his voice the tiniest bit, barely noticeable.
But then, in verse three he sings an octave higher in a natural, beautiful tenor with no difficulty whatsoever. Wow. This guy has had serious training and he’s very capable. Toward the end of the verse he reaches one hand behind his back and pulls something out of his pocket — huh?!?
Y’know how Amazing Grace is often performed with bagpipe accompaniment, or even as a solo bagpipe instrumental? No, he didn’t have bagpipes in his pocket, but a skilled harp (harmonica) player can produce a very similar effect. Takes incredible breath control. (I know, because my late friend, Monte, was one of the best blues harpists that ever lived, IMHO.)
So, we get this very moving musical interlude, reminiscent of traditional bagpipes and when it’s over the background orchestration ramps up and the singer’s posture changes to a warrior-type stance and he just powers into the next verse (When we’ve been dead ten thousand years, Bright shining as the Sun…) like it’s the friggin’ Anthem of Heaven or something, and the hairs on my arms stand up, I get goosebumps and chills run down my spine. (I think my mouth was hanging open too, which didn’t help with the drooling.)
But wait! He’s not done yet! He changes key and goes into a reprise of the first verse and every word intensifies, until we get that metal-fry growl on, “…a wretch like ME!” which is just a prelude to, “…but now I…SEE!” in a hypersonic scream. My heart is about to leap out my mouth, and I’m smiling like a loon when he drops back down to that deep, full voice in the last stanza and ends by holding the final notes for 22 seconds straight; yes, I timed it.
Whoa.
So, yeah, I’ve spent a fair bit of time since then watching and listening to about 200 of Dan Vasc’s self-produced music videos on YouTube. He’s been posting them for probably ten years. I don’t know how I missed him before this, but I can now confidently recite his entire life story. Amazing Grace has amassed over three and a half million views in the month since its release.
And here is the most astonishing thing of all: Dan can sing anything. Heavy Metal, sure (his band is called Fearless). Disney songs: check. Broadway show tunes: Phantom of the Opera, anyone? He does the most wrenching, dramatic cover of Gethsemane from Jesus Christ Superstar I’ve ever seen. And speaking of opera, his Nessun Dorma rivals (surpasses?) Pavarotti. Folk music? Also check. Dan formed an acoustic duo called Spyglass Inn with guitarist friend Gabriel Belozi to record things like Scarborough Fair and Loch Lomond. Songs written for and/or performed by females? No problem — he has a whole playlist of them and, man, can he hit those high notes! Songs from The Lord of the Rings, The Witcher, covers of Nightwish, Evanescence, Queen, Eagles, Journey, Bryan Adams, Bon Jovi, Belinda Carlisle, and on, and on. One of his earliest influences was Petra. He got to record a video with members of the original band, and he just beams through the whole thing.
I know you’ll probably think I’m obsessed with the hair and the muscles but trust me on this — you owe it to yourself to listen to this man.
And then explain to me why he isn’t already the best known, most successful singing sensation on the face of the Earth. Go ahead. I’ll wait.
