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| Here's a couple of Ben Kweller links to make your life complete: First stop, benkweller.com, Ben Kweller's Official Website. It's pretty. There, you can check out upcoming tour dates, download a handful of his songs, decipher a few of his more cryptic lyrics, order CDs, shirts, etc... If you haven't gotten the picture by now, it's the place to be, if you're interested in the wonderboy. After that, you might want to stop by kwellerlee.com, where you'll find dozens of mp3s by both Ben Kweller and "that other Ben", including entire shows. Check out tour dates on this site as well; sometimes more up-to-date than the one's on Ben's official site. Lots of other stuff too. So check it out. |
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| Cherub Rawk |
| "He's like a kid playing at a High School talent show," remarked my friend Anthony after seeing Ben rawk out at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ. True dat. |
| My Ben Kweller Story |
| Who's Ben Kweller? Some jabroni opening for Ben Lee and Evan Dando? Probably just some local schmocal. Whee. Those were just some of the thoughts that popped into my head when I saw the name "Ben Kweller" alongside Ben Lee and Evan Dando's names on the marquee. Okay... so there was no "marquee." But you get the idea. I'm not here to shill for Ben Kweller. That'd be too easy. His music sells itself. Just give it a listen. You'll see what I mean. He rawked. I was more than just a *little* impressed. I decided, as he was walking off-stage, to strike up a conversation with the lad. We talked about Weezer, "that other Ben's" cover of Butterfly, and how they're *so* underrated. Noticing I was smoking a clove cigarette, he asked if I had any extras. My friend, Deb, hooked him up and he was grateful. I told him I write music and we talked a little about recording, and I told him I did a lot of my recording and mixing on my PC, and he told me that most of his stuff he's recorded in his apartment (Which furthered my theory he was just some <ahem> "no-name" that just happened to be an incredible performer and songwriter.) I told him I'd buy a CD after the show. Post-show, I bought a CD from him ("Freak Out... It's Ben Kweller) and proceeded to *listen to it over and over and over and over* at home, in my car, and wherever else a CD player was readily available. So now I was a "fan." Did I mention I visited his website, benkweller.com, and found out he wasn't some "mid-carder" but a veritable wunderkind who, along with his band Radish, had played Lollapalooza, Letterman, Conan O' Brian, MTV's Oddville (Remember that one?), opened for INXS, had two singles on the UK pop charts and coined the phrase, "sugar metal", which he used to describe the poppish-guitar-driven sound of Radish? What a cool guy. |
| So, naturally, when I heard he was playing Maxwell's in Mid-May, I immediately made plans to drive up to North Jersey and be a part of the "Ben Kweller" experience. After suffering through amateur hour with the personality-inept Sandals, a local band who opened up for Ben, BK took to the stage and won a whole venue-full of new fans. I didn't even stick around for the closing band, Creeper Lagoon (Spin's 1998 Best New Artists, or something.) Ben's set made the two hour drive to Hoboken worth it. I caught up with Ben after the show and asked if he could sign my "Freak out..." CD. He looked at me kind of funny, like he was trying to remember where he'd seen my face before. Then he asked about how I got a hold of the CD. I said I'd bought a copy from him when he played in Philly with "that other Ben" and Evan. "Oh!," he said, and gave me a knowing jab to the arm. I let him know I was the one who hooked him up with a clove that night. "Oh yeah...," he said, then got this serious expression on his face. "Do you have any on you now?," he asked. Before I left, I made sure to get him to autograph my CD this time around. If I had access to a scanner right now, I'd include a picture of that autographed CD cover, but since I'm substitute teaching right now (The kiddies are watching, "Shakespeare in Love", gawking at Gwyneth Paltrow's teats.), that'll have to wait. Ben was really appreciative that I'd come out to support him. I told him he just writes great songs and learning the words just comes naturally. And I congratulated him on his record deal. And that's my story. Funny how someone who I originally started talking to because I thought he might introduce me to "that other Ben" turned out to be one hell of an amazing artist in his own right. Funny how someone I thought was just some coffee-shop employee from Philly with a knack for writing catchy songs turned out to be BK. Ben-f'n-Kweller. Rawk. |
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| Email Matt at hamsterlampshade@hotmail.com, or contact him at AOL screen name mdunn717. |