From the suburbs of Los Angeles, Ludvig Van is made up of TV, movie, video game, and music lovers who together make music to find a balance between loneliness and love. I'm Jonathan Sheldon, the 23-year-old writer, singer, guitar player and principal of the band which I formed after nine years as a violinist with the Topanga Canyon and Beach Cities symphonies. Like many from the suburbs, the members of this band grew up in houses of silence and anxiety in the face of dysfunction. We had all been exposed to a variety of music early in our lives, from Beethoven to Radio Disney, so coming together as a band seemed like a natural progression in our search for peace of mind. As such, I was joined by Allen Tavari: skater, aspiring doctor, and accomplished pianist who was performing Chopin's Revolutionary Etude after just two years of learning to play and Tyler Hammond: skater, superb drummer, and high school jazz teacher to record our debut EP: Hot Spring Moonlight Lady - released 11/11/2016.
The EP Hot Spring Moonlight Lady was recorded with Grammy winning engineer and producer Tim V. Hutton at The Canyon Hut studio in Laurel Canyon. It is a four-track EP featuring two songs and their instrumental versions. The title track is a modern-rock song about the search for love, or whatever we may be searching for. It blurs elements of rock and soul, strong vocals, and eclectic solos to create a melodic yet powerful sound. I composed the music, wrote the lyrics, and played vocals, guitars, and bass; Allen played piano and organ; and Tyler played drums and percussion. It was released with a music video directed by my brother, Alex Sheldon. The second track "In Time" is an R&B tune about dealing with a love found but slipping away. It draws from soulful sounds of decades past while incorporating more modern elements including its use of 808s. The track is a remnant of an R&B band Allen and I were members of called The Curve and the lyrics for this song were co-written by Robert Bryant and I. I composed the song and played guitars and backup/lead vocals; Allen played piano and organ (Allen and I sat at the organ together while I controlled the motor); Tyler Hammond played drums and percussion; and Tim V. Hutton was featured as the bass player. The horn was performed by Mark Bush who is currently the trumpet player for the ska band the Voodoo Glow Skulls. Some of the horn stops in the master were intentional while some were caused by the instrument actually falling apart in Mark's hands, as it was an old yet beautiful sounding instrument from the '20s. The future Since the time the EP was recorded, Ludvig Van has gained some additional members. Tobias Raksin plays lead guitar and occassionally bass. He is the lead guitar player of the hard rock band Silent Partner and is the grandson of the early 20th-century film composer David Raksin. Akito Taylor is now our lead bass player who's father is the guitar player of supergroup The Big 'Ol Nasty Getdown. Sean Boutte is a talented producer, guitar player, and piano/organ player. All of these guys, new and old, are such talented creative forces on their own and I am more than thrilled to work with them together in Ludvig Van. We are now in the recording studio working on our 2nd EP.
Ludvig Van Social links:
BANDCAMP: https://ludvigvan.bandcamp.com/releases
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ludvigvanband/
TWITTER: https://www.twitter.com/Ludvig__Van
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/ludvigvanband/