HISTORY

Van Sereno likes to be known as a songwriter first and foremost, a singer and guitarist next;
and an all round entertainer/showman of the highest standard to top it all off. Van has worked
as session guitarist and vocalist on numerous recording projects; and has worked extensively
in various bands, both covers and originals (Evail, In Full Swing, Afrofunk, Jacuzi,
The Pop Experience, etc). Not new to the Sydney live circuit, he was most well known
for being the frontman for VAMPit, an original funk/groove outfit and his first vehicle for his songwriting.
Having founded VAMPit in June 1999, Van worked at his craft and slowly but surely Sydneysiders
accepted this band as a solid and funky dance group that would sustain the volatile live scene
for a further four years. On April 17, 2004, VAMPit played it's final performance to a capacity crowd
at Paddy Maguires Pub in Star City Casino, saying farewell to its loyal fans and signalling the end
of an era. Paying his dues with a host of talented musicians, (Joel Townsend, Kevin Mendoza,
Grant De Villiers, Shaun Clilverd, Gerrard Cole, Anita Gavranic, Zoe Velez, Angus Steventon,
Dan Noonan, Phil Dooley and Aaron Carruthers) Van regarded VAMPit as an invaluable experience,
a major chunk of his life where he learned the trade and grew up to be the performer he is today.

Strongly rooted to RnB and Jazz, Van is adamant to make music that means something, songs that
have a strong message with a catchy chorus (or a hook as he tends to call it). He mentions Babyface,
George Benson, Stevie Wonder, Bobby McFerrin, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Ronny Jordan & Tommy Emmanuel
as strong influences. These days he enjoys listening to Ben Harper, Ani De Franco, John Mayer,
& Jack Johnson among others - after attending a live show, many compare him to such artists.

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