Adrian Vandenberg – Guitar
Jan Hoving – Vocals
Sem Christoffel – Bass
Mart Nijen Es – Drums
Many people thought that he’d said goodbye to music. That he’d retired his guitar. That he’d exclusively applied himself to painting beautiful works of art. But his passion for rock & roll always remained. It was only a matter of time, and that time is now: Adrian Vandenberg is back with a brand new band, Vandenberg’s MoonKings.
The band debuts in February 2014 with a hard rocking album, released worldwide by Mascot Records. Adrian is very happy with his return to the international music scene. “The last record I made was with Whitesnake in 1998. Now that I’ve announced my return, I am really overwhelmed by the thousands of enthusiastic reactions that I’ve gotten from all over the world. It amazes me how faithful the fans have remained. It’s just bizarre,” he says. And with a smile he adds: “And it just so happens that the MoonKings album is the best record I’ve ever made. Well, in my modest opinion, anyway. People probably expected the obvious classic rock, but I didn’t want to go that route semi-automatically. I wanted to build a bridge between the greatest rock of the seventies and that of today, and I have the feeling that worked out very well.”
It was around the turn of the millennium when Adrian Vandenberg reached a crossroads in his life. He had played with singer David Coverdale’s super group Whitesnake for thirteen years, topped the American charts twice and sold in excess of fourteen million albums, when that band took a break. The guitarist decided to focus on his other passion: Art. There was so much interest in his paintings, that several leading European galleries planned exhibitions of his work. These things take a long time to prepare, so that frustrated any musical plans. “But much more importantly, my daughter was born,” he says. “And I wanted to see Mickey grow up as much as possible.”
The guitar hero said goodbye to Whitesnake and lost himself in his art. However, he didn’t think it would take him this long to get back to making music. “In hindsight I must say that these last fourteen years or so simply zipped by. I really wanted to start playing a lot sooner, but time really flies. Looking back at it now, I do believe that everything developed in a completely natural way, that I subconsciously let my intuition determine that now was the best time to do this.”
The turning point came in 2011, when Adrian was asked to write a song for FC Twente, the football club from his hometown of Enschede that had become the champions of the Dutch premier league the year before. He wrote the stadium rock song ‘A Number One’ and looked for someone who would be able to sing it. He remembered reading a great review about a vocalist whose band had supported Whitesnake at a concert in Holland several years before. Adrian tracked him down and picked up the phone. Singer Jan Hoving remembers it well: “When I got a call from someone who said he was Adrian Vandenberg, I thought they were playing a joke on me.” The phone call changed his life: “When we met, we hit it off immediately, both musically and on a personal level.”
Jan sang A Number One effortlessly. Because the song was going to be performed at FC Twente’s victory celebrations for a crowd of 60,000, Adrian needed a rhythm section. A friend told him about Mart ‘Martman’ Nijen-Es. It turned out that Adrian met him in a previous life: “About ten years ago, I was a judge in a talent contest, and this 13-year old drummer just blew me away. I let him win. Turns out that was Mart!” Truth often is stranger than fiction, because incredibly, Adrian met his future bass player the same way: “Mart had a buddy he’d been playing with for many years, bass player Sem Christoffel. Believe it or not, I judged Sem in a different talent contest around the same time I first saw Mart, and he impressed me enormously by casually playing a Jaco Pastorius-like piece but with a rock attitude. And I let him win as well!”
Together with Jan, Sem and Mart Adrian performed at FC Twente’s championship celebrations, and again later, at a Football Player of the Year Awards show. Adrian immediately became convinced of the qualities of his new band members and started rehearsing the new songs he’d written for his up-coming album with them. “Right from the start of rehearsals I realized these guys are sensationally talented”, enthuses Adrian Vandenberg. “We went through three songs and they just came alive right then and there. I have always hated doing rehearsals, but this time around I get a kick out of working and hanging with these guys every time we get together.”
The four rock musicians started recording at the famous Wisseloord Studios near Amsterdam at the end of September 2013. For Adrian it felt like coming home: “I recorded my first ever album there, with my bluesrock band Teaser. At the time I was the same age as Sem and Mart are now, so I guess we’ve come full circle – and I’m starting a brand new circle right now. Also we recorded the MoonKings album pretty much live with vintage equipment. We worked with tubes compressors, we used a Neumann microphone from the sixties, and we recorded everything with a Neve desk from the seventies. Consequently the result sounds really rock & roll: exciting, fat, juicy and loud and completely analogue. But just as fresh, dynamic and explosive as the tightest rock bands of today.”
Adrian Vandenberg produced the album and created a very dynamic’in your face’ sound in collaboration with the talented Australian engineer Steve Bartlett and legendary mixing maestro Ronald Prent.
“In most songs I decided to not play rhythm guitars behind the solos for once, because if you have a four-piece line-up like ours, you’ve got to allow the music to breathe, instead of piling up instrument tracks. That way the spaces in between hit you just as hard as the decibels exploding from the speakers.” After getting hit in the head like this, the unsuspecting listener awaits a pleasant surprise: Whitesnake’s David Coverdale making a guest appearance with his beautiful rendition of the closing ballad Sailing Ships.
In producing the MoonKings album, Adrian Vandenberg’s main motivation was to make the music he really loves, without taking record company demands and commercial considerations into account. “I’ve let my intuition guide me,” he says. “You have to ignore what others think will sell or whatever. You have to make music from the heart, rock & roll that you yourself think is absolutely great. Then and only then there’ll always be other people who might love it as well”.
Vandenberg certainly succeeded in producing an album with his favourite music. So much so that he can’t wait to bring it to stages all over the world. “We’re going to tour our asses off!” he enthuses. “We’ll start in spring with Netherlands,Spain,UK,Germany and France,followed by Switzerland and Austria. In summer we’ll do festivals, followed by tours through America and Japan. It’s going to be a thrill to play with this band. I’ve been gone for too long, so I’m simply raring to go out there and rock everybody’s socks off!”
We can’t wait either. Because it just so happens that the Vandenberg’s MoonKings album is the best record Adrian has ever made…
Breathing
Vandenberg's Moonkings Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you standing all alone
Don′t know where your going
Where to turn to
When your world is up site down
And your feet are losing ground
Don't know where your going
As long as you are breathing
Flowing blood in your vains
Never stop believing that you can do anything
Yeah
You′ve got power to keep holding on
You've got strength
You need to carry on
Never stop believing
When your tired of holding on
Till your hope is already gone
Don't no where you′re going
Where to turn to
As long as you are breathing
Flowing blood in your vains
Never stop believing that you can do anything
Yeah
You′ve got power to keep holding on
You've got strength
You need to carry on
Never stop believing
When the walls are tumbling down
And you feel the weight of the world on your schoulders
Know I will be arround
Where ever your goning
Every door you try is closed
You keep running into walls
Don′t know where your going
Where to turn to
As long as you are breathing
Flowing blood in your vains
Never stop believing that you can do anything
Yeah
You've got power to keep holding on
You′ve got strength
You need to carry on
Never stop believing
Yeah
You can do anything
Yeah... Yeah
Never stop believing...
The song "Breathing" by Vandenberg's Moonkings is about overcoming obstacles and finding the strength to keep going even when everything seems lost. The lyrics describe the feeling of being lost and not knowing where to turn when your heart has no home, your world is upside down and your feet are losing ground. The song encourages the listener to believe in themselves and their ability to overcome any obstacles that come their way.
The message of the song is clear: as long as you are alive and breathing, you have the power and strength to keep holding on and carry on. The lyrics use powerful imagery when describing the feeling of walls tumbling down and the weight of the world on one's shoulders, but they also offer hope by acknowledging that there is always a way forward.
The repetition of the phrase "never stop believing" emphasizes the importance of having faith in oneself and one's ability to make it through tough times. The song serves as a reminder to keep pushing forward, even when the path is uncertain or the way forward is unclear.
Overall, "Breathing" is an inspiring and powerful song that encourages listeners to keep believing in themselves and to never give up on their dreams, no matter how challenging the journey may be.
Line by Line Meaning
When your hart aint got a home
When you feel lost and without a sense of belonging.
And you standing all alone
When you are isolated and disconnected from the world around you.
Don′t know where your going
When you lack direction and purpose in life.
Where to turn to
When you feel lost and uncertain about what steps to take next.
When your world is up site down
When everything seems chaotic and disorienting.
And your feet are losing ground
When you feel like you are losing your footing and slipping away from stability.
As long as you are breathing
Your existence is proof that you have the ability to persevere and overcome challenges.
Flowing blood in your vains
The tangible evidence of your strength and vitality.
Never stop believing that you can do anything
Maintain a positive mindset and a strong sense of self-efficacy, even in the face of adversity.
Yeah
Affirmation of the power and resilience within you.
You′ve got power to keep holding on
Your inner strength is enough to help you persevere through difficult times.
You've got strength
Reminding the listener of the inherent resilience within them.
You need to carry on
You are capable of continuing to move forward despite setbacks.
When your tired of holding on
When you feel weary and discouraged from persisting through difficulty.
Till your hope is already gone
Even when you feel hopeless and defeated, there is still a chance to reignite your motivation.
When the walls are tumbling down
When you feel like everything around you is falling apart.
And you feel the weight of the world on your schoulders
When you feel overwhelmed by the burdens and responsibilities of life.
Know I will be arround
You are not alone in your struggles and someone is there to support you.
Where ever your goning
No matter where life may take you, support and guidance is readily available.
Every door you try is closed
When it feels like every opportunity in life is passing you by.
You keep running into walls
No matter which path you take, you seem to encounter obstacles and barriers.
Yeah
Still asserting the power and resilience within the listener.
You can do anything
A mantra to inspire optimism and self-belief.
Never stop believing
Maintain hope and faith in yourself despite challenging circumstances.
Yeah...
Reemphasizing the strength and perseverance of the listener.
Writer(s): Vandenberg Adriaan
Contributed by Ruby B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
europetempest
To all people commenting about the autotune bullshit!
Open your ears!
You can use it to create an effect on vocals.
Something you hear a lot nowadays.
Jan is a really great singer and doesnt need autotune to sing in tune.
Half of the people commenting about autotune probably never heard of Jan before.
The guys is really great, this band is really great!
Proud to be Dutch!
See you in Zoetermeer, cant wait!
Chris Mydock
Absolutely phenomenal work from Adrian and the boys. Thank you gentlemen for sending out the goods to the world!!!
Costantino Andruzzi
An excellent classic melodic hard rock ballad. Jan Hoving's voice is remarkable!
Robin Lukenbaugh
I absolutely LOVE this song! I'm so, so, glad Adrian came back!
james hogue
What a great song! I love it! AV has always been one of my top guitar influences and a very underated player.
TheAura777
David Coverdale sent me and I am so glad. You guys are awesome. The song is so heartfelt for todays times. Mankinds miracles will soon be here and this song helps the heart to hang in there. Thank you sweet guys
Madmax13911
If Adrian is producing something, you can always expect quality!
mi Gian aventura
Hermosa canción!
Roadhouse Sound
Great song. I received mine early and the whole thing is great. Two songs on here are about this tempo and rest is rockin out a bit harder. Definitely has that Whitesnake vibe going and a little more than half way through, Chris Cornell comes to mind. Glad to have Adrian back in form, he was very much missed. From the sounds of this release he has some great guys onboard with him as well.
Fred Chapman
Thank you for this powerful and inspiring song! It means a great deal to me. ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Brenden Grant
WOW this is sooooooo good. Great to have Adrian Vandenberg back and hope this is more than just a one off thing. Rock On!!!