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Mark van Heeswijk - Guitar, Keyboard, Vocals
A REASON TO GO ON - A song about my tinnitus. My personal struggle and attempt to give my life a positive turn. Note: my hearing problem was not caused by loud music or other loud noise. It just happened to me with no particular reason.
Uploaded 1 year ago
How long have you been playing?
I started playing guitar age 17, in 1979. After learning three chords I started writing songs, because that was what I always wanted to do.
Through the years I tought myself mandolin, ukulele, bass guitar, piano and drums. I never had lessons, so I never learned all these instruments the proper way, but I don't mind, as long as I was having fun!
I'm not a great singer and a virtuoso musician, but I'll manage.
Through the years I tought myself mandolin, ukulele, bass guitar, piano and drums. I never had lessons, so I never learned all these instruments the proper way, but I don't mind, as long as I was having fun!
I'm not a great singer and a virtuoso musician, but I'll manage.
What was the first concert you ever went to?
1976. Fats Domino.
What gear do you use?
Electric guitars: Fender Stratocaster, Fender rosewood Telecaster, Rickenbacker 330, Gibson ES335, Gretsch Nashville 6120.
Acoustic guitars: Gibson J-200, Epiphone SJ200CE, Guild 12-string, Regal dobro
Mandolin: Kentucky
Ukes: Applause, Oscar Schmidt concert and tenor uke
Bass guitar: Hofner 500/1 Beatle bass
Piano: Yamaha digital, Royale acoustic
Keyboard: Yamaha PSR-S 900, Mellotron M4000D.
Acoustic guitars: Gibson J-200, Epiphone SJ200CE, Guild 12-string, Regal dobro
Mandolin: Kentucky
Ukes: Applause, Oscar Schmidt concert and tenor uke
Bass guitar: Hofner 500/1 Beatle bass
Piano: Yamaha digital, Royale acoustic
Keyboard: Yamaha PSR-S 900, Mellotron M4000D.
What are you looking for from Fandalism?
Appreciation for my old and new songs. I love to write, arrange and record songs as well as participating in acoustic jamsessions with my friends and most af all: playing in my band Haggleslagg!
Who was your biggest musical influence growing up?
The Beatles. My brother owned the records. I learned a lot from them. How to write music, how to sing and play the guitar and piano.
The Moody Blues and Electric Light Orchestra were my biggest influence in my songwriting style.
The Moody Blues and Electric Light Orchestra were my biggest influence in my songwriting style.
Are you in a band? Have you been in bands?
Current band: Haggleslagg. I play guitar, mandolin, harmonica, mellotron and I sing harmonies. One of the members is keyboard player Jos Bots, also on Vandalism.
Past: Showdown (1984-1987): singer, guitar, keyboard.
Past: Showdown (1984-1987): singer, guitar, keyboard.
If you could jam with anyone, who would it be?
Traveling Wilburys (strumming acoustic guitar and writing songs together).
Any old country picker, bluesman, folk artist.
Any old country picker, bluesman, folk artist.
You're stuck on a desert island and only get to bring one album with you. What do you pick?
Electric Light Orchestra - A New World Record. First album I ever bought (1976).
A lot of music within the music.
A lot of music within the music.



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar
Photo
Helmond, the Netherlands


Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar
Photo
Helmond, the Netherlands



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar
Photo
Helmond, the Netherlands
This photo is a couple of years old. Some of these instruments I do not own anymore (like that Gretsch on the left, the autoharp on the right and that Spanish guitar behind the Hofner bass).



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar
Photo
Helmond, the Netherlands



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar
Photo
Helmond, the Netherlands



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar
Photo
Helmond, the Netherlands



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar
Photo
Helmond, the Netherlands



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar
Photo
Helmond, the Netherlands



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar
Photo
Helmond, the Netherlands



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar
Photo
Helmond, the Netherlands



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar
Photo
Helmond, the Netherlands



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar
Photo
Helmond, the Netherlands
I just love my rosewood Telecaster!



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar
Photo
Helmond, the Netherlands



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar
Photo
Helmond, the Netherlands
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Dark December Days - Last year I've decided to write a Christmas song every year. So, this is the second one. It's about the mood I'm in each December, but still making the most of it.




Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar/keyboard/vocals
Video
Helmond, the Netherlands
One more time to live - Another Moody Blues cover. This one is from their album Every Good Boy Deserves Favour. Written by John Lodge. Moody Blues-songs seem simple, but they are not. It wasn't easy to figure out the vocals and arrangement, but I love a challenge every now and then!




Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar/mellotron/vocals
Video
Helmond, the Netherlands
Eyes of a child - Another attempt in recapturing the classic Moody Blues sound - be it a bit stripped down. This one is from the 1969 album To Our Children's Children's Children. Written by John Lodge.



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar/mellotron/vocals
Video
Helmond, the Netherlands
Question - Another attempt to play and record a Moody Blues song in a stripped-down version. Of course the 12-string guitar is tuned open C, just like the original.



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar/mellotron/vocals
Video
Helmond, the Netherlands
Out and in - Cover of a Moody Blues song from their album To Our Children's Children's Children. I am recording stripped-down versions (acoustic guitar and mellotron only) of a couple of Moody Blues songs, as a tribute to my influence in songwriting.



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar/mellotron
Video
Helmond, the Netherlands
Nights in white Satin - our first attempt. We thought: when you want to play this song, there HAS to be a Mellotron in it. So there it is. Unfortunately there is no flute - you can't have it all. But there is always Jos Bots and his Hammond!



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Mellotron
Video
Helmond, the Netherlands
Can't get it out of my head - Classic ELO song. First attempt with mellotron for the strings and choir.



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Mellotron
Video
Helmond, the Netherlands
Inside of you - A song about a troubled soul. My Moody Blues influence is quite obvious in this one. I even put a little doubled guitar solo in it, played on a Gibson ES335, just like Justin Hayward. I always kinda liked this one of mine. It has a nice flow and I love to sing it. Hope you like it too!




Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar/vocals/keyboard
Video
Helmond, the Netherlands
This place we call home - A recent song of mine about a man who discovers that his home isn't his home anymore. I've added an instrumental coda to it, so the song isn't over till it's over! Thanks for listening to my own 'Wonderful Tonight'!



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar/vocals/keyboard
Video
Helmond, the Netherlands
Your wish is my command - I wrote this one 32 years ago after watching the Heizel drama. Fans of Liverpool and Juventus got into a bloody fight. 39 People got killed and there were over 400 wounded. I was never a real fan of football (soccer) but the drama that took place on the 29th of May 1985 shocked me.
I had an arrangement in my head when I wrote the melody, but the song disappeared in a drawer and I ignored it. Finally, after 32 years I rediscovered it and decided to record it.



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Keyboard/songwriter/vocals
Video
Helmond, the Netherlands
STAND-IN FOR LOVE - Just a simple up-tempo song. There aren't much old-fashioned up-tempo sing-a-long songs anymore, So I try to fill the gap and have a go at it. Thanks for listening!



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar/keyboard/vocals
Video
Helmond, the Netherlands
Nightingale Avenue/Interlude/Deja-vu on Nightingale Avenue - Please listen and watch to the end! Two songs and an instrumental bit about an imaginary road called Nightingale Avenue. All fused together as a suite. It's about the passing of time; what it can do to a street of your hometown. In the instrumental interlude we go back in time when the abandoned avenue was crowded and busy. The second song is a dream. A Twilight Zone scene on the avenue about a woman who doesn't age in 40 years. Or does she?




Mark Van Heeswijk
- Keyboard/guitar/vocals
Video
Helmond, the Netherlands
Where is the wall - About the fall of the Berlin Wall and the fall of communism in general, from an alien point of view. I gave it an ELO-ish arrangement.




Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar/keyboard/vocals
Video
Helmond, the Netherlands
Hold on to your heart - In my band Haggleslagg I'm more of a rocker, as a songwriter I'm more or less a softie. In that case there is not much room for my songs in my band. No matter, I will publish them anyhow, if you like it or not!



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar/vocals/keyboard
Video
Helmond, the Netherlands
AUTOBAHN - Me and my band Haggleslagg (featuring Jos Bots on keyboards) play my surf arrangement of that old synth classic by Kraftwerk. It was during our try-out gig April 2nd 2017.




Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar
Video
Helmond, the Netherlands
SAIL AWAY - A quiet little song about losing someone you love. It can be anyone. Later I dedicated this song to my father and little sister who both passed away 20 and 17 years ago.



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar/keyboard/vocals
Video
Helmond, the Netherlands
Some other place, some other time - A tribute to the happy singalong hits of the 60s and 70s. I kinda miss the time that you could sing along to the hits.



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar/vocals/keyboard
Video
Helmond, the Netherlands
I KNOW WHO YOU ARE - What would it be like if I wrote a song for a James Bond movie? Maybe like this. I like to challenge myself in songwriting and arranging. But it's all just a joke, for a laugh, hahaha. Could somebody please call Shirley Bassey? :-)




Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar/keyboard/vocals
Video
Helmond, the Netherlands
ALWAYS THE CHILDREN - A sad song about child abuse.



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar/keyboard/vocals
Audio
Helmond, the Netherlands
WE WILL WIN (IN THE END) - Doom and gloom in the verses and a positive message in the chorus. Still relevant today, I think. I wrote this a long time ago.



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar/vocals/keyboard
Audio
Helmond, the Netherlands
ONE BRIEF SHINING MOMENT - Just describing the feeling of love, really. Tried to make a Beatles-like ballad with an unusual chord-change in the verses. There are at least 15 different chords in this song.



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar/vocals/keyboard
Audio
Helmond, the Netherlands
LONG IS THE DAY - Me in a very romantic mood with lots of strings and stuff. The song I wrote August 1986, the day before I met my wife. Pure coincidence!




Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar/vocals/keyboard
Audio
Helmond, the Netherlands
THE DARKEST OF EYES - My most Moody Blues-like song. I had a lush arrangement in mind when I wrote this one. Lots of strings and choirs. I have a soft spot for big orchestras and stuff. The lyrics are actually the original guiding lyrics to memorize the melody (I don't read music). I kept them that way ever since; didn't feel the need to change them. It's just about very dark eyes.



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar/keyboard/vocals
Audio
Helmond, the Netherlands
LIFE AIN'T NO PARTY - A heavier song of mine this time. It's me in Stones-mode. We also play this one with our band Haggleslagg.



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar/keyboard/vocals
Audio
Helmond, the Netherlands
SEE HOW YOUR FRIENDS PLAY - Written in 1991. I wanted to write an REM-like song. Recently I gave it a new lush approach. The lyric is a little bit autobiographic, except the last verse, for I do not own about half the country!
Excuse my off-key singing, for I'm not the best of singers and I don't have auto-tune. I always write with other singers in mind.




Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar/vocals/keyboard
Audio
Helmond, the Netherlands
THE RAIN - A happy sounding simple little song about problems from the past being washed away by the rain.




Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar/vocals/keyboard
Audio
Helmond, the Netherlands
Haggleslagg - Pipeline



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar
Video
Helmond, the Netherlands
CLOSE THE WINDOW TONIGHT - One of my most melodic songs, I believe. I suppose I am an old-fashioned melody man. It's about staying indoors and having a sheltered life.



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar/keyboard/vocals
Audio
Helmond, the Netherlands
NO WAY OF KNOWING - My own 'Pink Floyd' song. Based on the Phantasm main theme. Yes, I used that little melody and it got me inspired. I must re-record my lead guitar part someday (not quite satisfied), but you get the idea.



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar/vocals/keyboard
Audio
Helmond, the Netherlands
Homerun - An old song of mine, performed live during a Singer-songwriter Sunday event in my hometown... read more in the Netherlands, October 2016.



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar
Video
Helmond, the Netherlands
YOUR DYING DAY - Written in 1990, based on one chord progression throughout the whole song. Just having fun with it.



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Keyboard
Audio
Helmond, the Netherlands
PALE BLUE DOT - Demo of my song inspired by the famous Pale blue dot speech by Carl Sagan. It's one of the few songs of my own that my band plays.



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Guitar/vocals/songwriter
Audio
Helmond, the Netherlands
NEON GIRL - A new arrangement of a very old country song of mine. I gave it a Norah Jones-style touch instead of the original Eagles-like arrangement.




Mark Van Heeswijk
- Piano/guitar/vocals
Audio
Helmond, the Netherlands
WE'LL NEVER SEE THE LIKES OF THEM AGAIN - A new song about the many great losses in music in 2016.




Mark Van Heeswijk
- Piano
Audio
Helmond, the Netherlands
CORINNE - Trying to write a catchy song when I was 20 years old. I recently recorded a new demo. At the moment I am brushing off my old songs.



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Keyboard/ guitar/ vocals
Audio
Helmond, the Netherlands
SON OF THE DESERT - A new demo of a very old song of mine. Written in 1983. It's on the setlist of my band Haggleslagg.



Mark Van Heeswijk
- Keyboard/ singing
Audio
Helmond, the Netherlands
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