VANGOGO is composed of Nathan Mackinder (vocals/guitar), Jason Schaller (lead guitar/vocals), Paxton Olney (bass/vocals), and Jonah Brockman (drums/vocals).

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Their name is as unique as these veteran rockers, and it wasn't difficult to decide on it. They came up with VAN GO GO at the end of a night on the town when they saw a Van Gogh print at the top of a stairway. Schaller looked at the group and said, "How about Van Go Go?"

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Nate and Jason had shared the stage for over 20 years, 15 of which were successful years with their band South Normal, which broke up in 2007. Jason and Nate wanted to keep things going, so they auditioned some people to play drums and bass. That's when Paxton and Jonah came along, and Van Go Go was fully assembled.

Barely nine months into the inception of VANGOGO, Nate and Jason decided that they were burned out and needed a life change. At that point, VANGOGO called it quits, and Nate and Jason moved from Michigan to Florida to pursue careers outside of music.

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Twelve years passed before something cosmic reunited the band. In October of 2020, COVID-19 and the universe brought the guys back together. They had unfinished business, as well as unfinished music from 2008, and they collectively decided that it was time to finish the stories they had begun to tell before separating. "Music is in your blood, and for us, life just wasn't the same without it," says Nate.

The songs are as relevant today as they were when the band wrote them in 2008, and luckily, Chuck Alkazian at Pearl Sound Studios, where the band had originally recorded, had saved the original files. The band returned to Pearl Sound to finish the four songs from its first session in October of 2020, and this quickly inspired the band to return to the studio for a second round of new songs that were completed in January of 2021.

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The singles and debut release have received over 5,000,000 streams and YouTube plays in the short time that the band has been together. All produced, promoted, and managed independently by the VANGOGO Team. The band successfully launched 4 national radio singles. 

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What's different with the band today? "We're all business people with a love for music," says Jason. As you mature, you realize that life is about balance, and for Van Go Go and its members, they've figured out the perfect balance.

 

For VANGOGO, life has just begun.