MUSIC BIO

Vance’s first band was in junior high school. It was called THE DARK AGES. Vance was the lead guitarist. There was no bass player. The Dark Ages’ very first gig was getting paid ten dollars to play at a small private party of fellow seventh-graders. The kids threw cookies at them. That band was followed by several other local New Orleans bands. The most successful was THE COLD. This was about 15 years later and Vance had switched to bass. The Cold lasted about four years. This was the early eighties, the punk/new wave era, and The Cold was the most popular band in New Orleans. They released five singles and several albums. The first two singles were local hits in and around New Orleans.

After The Cold broke up in 1982, Vance played in APT. B, and then in THE BACKBEATS. The band released one EP. Their music video was directed by Steven Soderburgh. Two of The Backbeats’ members (Fred LeBlanc, Paul Sanchez) later went on to form the great band COWBOY MOUTH. (Vance toured with Cowboy Mouth in 1998 as an auxiliary member, playing keyboards and guitar. They toured with Barenaked Ladies and were part of The Horde Tour.)

Vance moved to Los Angeles in December, 1985. When the Go-Gos broke up Vance partnered with Gina Schock, the Go-Gos’ drummer. They wrote songs together and put together HOUSE OF SCHOCK, managed by Miles Copeland, who also managed Sting. The band signed to Capital Records and released an album in 1988, produced by legendary producer Richard Gotterer. The single, “Middle of Nowhere,” received moderate airplay and the video also got quite a bit of airplay. Several of the band’s songs were featured in the movies BULL DURHAM, and THE ACCUSED.

Vance wrote the song that opened the 1997 Grammy Awards, performed by Bonnie Raitt, Sheila E., Chaka Kahn, Me'shel N'degeocello, and Shawn Colvin, with a monologue by Ellen DeGeneres.

He also wrote the song "Nominated," that was performed on the 79th Annual Academy Awards in February 2007.

Vance was a member of Cowboy Mouth after rejoining in December 2006 and leaving in August, 2007 to accept an overall production deal with Telepictures Productions.