{"id":10605,"date":"2018-02-23T10:00:41","date_gmt":"2018-02-23T15:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.altwire.net\/?p=10605"},"modified":"2023-12-06T06:39:40","modified_gmt":"2023-12-06T11:39:40","slug":"altwire-interview-brandon-ben","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/ru\/altwire-interview-brandon-ben\/","title":{"rendered":"[AltWire Interview] Singer-Songwriter Brandon Ben"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brandon Ben<\/strong> is a singer\/songwriter from Toronto, Canada. He recently released an EP titled Songs from a Basement Apartment<\/em> and is now starting to work on a full-length release. Brandon is a multi-talented instrumentalist, formally studying the double bass, with talents in playing piano, bass guitar, and other instruments in a variety of styles ranging from classical, to jazz, to pop music. Brandon has spent most of his music career backing up other artists as a bassist, but is now breaking out on his own as a singer, songwriter, and guitarist.<\/p>\n

AltWire contributor Hannah Schneider, who also curates lesser known artists for her music blog Unheard Gems<\/a>, recently sat down with Ben to discuss a variety of topics. Check out her interview below:<\/p>\n

AltWire [Hannah Schneider]: Just to get to know your background story, can you tell us a bit about yourself and when and how you first knew you wanted to pursue music?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brandon Ben:<\/strong> I got into music on my own at a young age. When I was around 12 years old, all of my friends began playing guitar, so, I decided to start playing bass guitar so I could be in a band. Over the years I began picking up different instruments and getting really interested in pursuing music, and I eventually went on to study study music in University. I studied music education in my undergraduate degree, and majored in the double bass. Currently I’m finishing up a master of music therapy, and during this training I started to play a lot of guitar and began to work on my singing. I realized that people generally enjoy listening to me sing, so, I started to write music and perform, and here I am now!<\/p>\n

AltWire [Hannah Schneider]: How would you best describe your music and style in one sentence? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Brandon Ben:<\/strong> DIY singer\/songwriter, indie folk with nylon strings.<\/p>\n

AltWire [Hannah Schneider]: You just released your EP Songs from a Basement Apartment<\/em> this January, can you tell us a bit about that EP?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brandon Ben:<\/strong> Well, during the summer when I realized that I had some type of affinity for playing guitar and singing, I decided that I would try to write, record, and release a project as an experiment. The EP is just that, songs from a basement apartment! I wrote, recorded, and mixed everything by myself. The EP is a representation of me in a way, so, by listening to this EP you’re getting to know me without meeting me in real life.<\/p>\n

AltWire [Hannah Schneider]: Where do you get inspiration to write your music? What is your writing process like?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brandon Ben:<\/strong> I get inspiration from events that happen in my life, my friends, relationships, breakups, or I just make up whatever comes to my head! Usually, I make up a chord progression, and try singing over it just to see what comes up. Interesting story about the first track “Set You on Fire”, I literally improvised some of the lyrics as I recorded the track in one take. I liked it so much I kept it.<\/p>\n

AltWire [Hannah Schneider]: Is there a song on the EP that resonates most with you or was the most moving to write? Why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brandon Ben:<\/strong> “The Way It Is” is definitely the most meaningful, I wrote it when I was feeling pretty low and decided to just spill my thoughts into the song. It serves as a marker when I look back at how far I’ve come in life.<\/p>\n

AltWire [Hannah Schneider]: Any ideas for new music? Similar style and feeling to SFABA or do you think you want to try some other ideas or styles?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brandon Ben:<\/strong> I am just starting work on a full album, it will definitely have a similar feeling, but I want to do more. As in, add more instruments, more layers, and perhaps some features too. I never want to ditch my DIY attitude, but I want to be more professional for sure.<\/p>\n

AltWire [Hannah Schneider]: Are there any artists you are inspired by or who have influenced your music or the way you want to write music?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brandon Ben:<\/strong> Sufjan Stevens, Jack Johnson, and Bright Eyes<\/a> are big ones for sure. Those artists feel very human to me. I like to take bits and pieces from different artists I listen to. I am also super influenced by rap music in general, mostly because of lyrics and structure of the songs. I think it\u2019s very interesting to play with rhyming, pacing, syllables, etc.<\/p>\n

AltWire [Hannah Schneider]: Because I\u2019m all about finding and sharing smaller or \u201cUnheard\u201d artists, do you have any \u201cUnheard\u201d recommendations that we should listen to?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brandon Ben:<\/strong> Gosh so many! I recently found a singer\/songwriter named Okay Mann <\/strong>from Winnipeg Manitoba. I don’t know him personally at all, but came across his music on Spotify and I love it. Also I have to shout out artists I know personally, check out Romancer<\/strong>, Crown Lands<\/strong>, and The Funny Funk Band<\/strong> if you’re looking for new music.<\/p>\n

AltWire [Hannah Schneider]: Finally, where can people find you and your music?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brandon Ben:<\/strong> I go by @brandonbenmusic on Instagram, twitter, and Facebook. You can download by EP from brandonbensings.bandcamp.com<\/a> for free. I’m also on every streaming service there is (Spotify, apple music, etc.) just search Brandon Ben<\/strong>, I’m the only one! Soon I’ll be releasing a new track, and I’ll be donating all the revenue to a charity, so look out for that!<\/p>\n