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Ben Kweller
Kweller at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, 2006
Background information
Birth name Benjamin Lev Kweller
Born June 16, 1981 (1981-06-16) (age 26)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Origin Dallas, Texas, US
Genre(s) Rock
Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s) Vocals
Guitar
Piano
Harmonica
Drums
Years active 1993 - present
Label(s) ATO
Associated acts Radish
The Bens
Website www.benkweller.com

Ben Kweller (born 16 June 1981, San Francisco, California) is an American rock musician. The Austin City Limits Music Festival is an annual three-day music and art festival in Austin Texas 's Zilker Park. Events 1487 - Battle of Stoke Field, the last dying breath of the Wars of the Roses. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. Singer-songwriter is a term that refers to Performers who write, compose and sing their own material including Lyrics A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. The lead vocalist (or lead singer) is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles The piano is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with Felt covered hammers A harmonica is a free reed Wind instrument which is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes (reed chambers or A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music According To Our Records (or ATO Records) was founded in early 2000 by Dave Matthews (of the Dave Matthews Band) Coran Capshaw Radish was a band from Greenville Texas. The members were longtime friends Ben Kweller and John Kent and a much older bassist from Rockwall Bryan Bradford The Bens was a rock Supergroup consisting of Ben Folds, Ben Kweller and Ben Lee when they toured and recorded as a group for their Events 1487 - Battle of Stoke Field, the last dying breath of the Wars of the Roses. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a

Contents

Biography

Early life

Ben Kweller was raised in a Jewish family in Greenville, Texas,[2] and was exposed to music at a very young age by his father Howie. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Greenville is the County seat of Hunt County, Texas, in the United States. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. He began playing drums at age seven (so Howie had a drummer to play guitar with), and then took up guitar and piano. At age nine, he entered a songwriting contest sponsored by Billboard magazine and won honorable mention. See Billboard (Turkish magazine Billboard is a weekly American Magazine devoted to the Music industry [3] In 1993 Kweller became friends with another young local musician, drummer John Kent (who now acts as President of Blackland Records), and the two formed a band, which they named Radish. Radish was a band from Greenville Texas. The members were longtime friends Ben Kweller and John Kent and a much older bassist from Rockwall Bryan Bradford Radish played locally in and around Greenville and recorded two independent releases, Dizzy and Hello with Martin Baird at Verge Music Works recording studio in Dallas, Texas. Greenville is the County seat of Hunt County, Texas, in the United States.

Radish

Guitarist Nils Lofgren, an old friend of Howie Kweller's, was impressed with Radish and recommended them to Roger Greenawalt, who had produced Lofgren's most recent album at the time, Damaged Goods. For the Swedish scientist who developed the anaesthetic Lidocaine, see Nils Löfgren. Roger Greenawalt (born February 13, 1960 in Washington DC) is an American Music producer known for discovering singer Ben Greenawalt, who had also suggested the addition of bassist Bryan Blur to the lineup, took Radish into a studio where they recorded a demo tape which was subsequently shopped around to record labels nationwide, who were looking for "the next Nirvana". Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen Washington. After an unexpected bidding war, Ben Kweller, at the age of 15, and Radish were signed to Mercury Records. Mercury Records is a Record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Music Group in the US and are both subsidiaries of Regardless of a much-hyped beginning, which included appearances on The Weird Al Show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Late Show with David Letterman, Radish failed to strike big success with its first major-label record Restraining Bolt, despite a cult following in England, where the band toured several times (including opening a day of the Main Stage at the 1997 Reading Festival), and released two singles. The Weird Al Show is a short-lived Television show starring "Weird Al" Yankovic. Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an Emmy Award -winning American late-night Talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien on NBC The Late Show with David Letterman is an Emmy Award -winning American late-night Talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar In 1998 Radish went to Muscle Shoals Studio in Alabama to record the follow-up to Restraining Bolt, provisionally titled Discount Fireworks and then retitled Sha Sha after the song of the same name. Muscle Shoals is a city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. Alabama (formally the State of Alabama;) is a State located in the southern region of the United States of America. Recorded with producer Bryce Goggin, the album was never released, and Radish soon secured a release from their contract with Mercury Records. In the Music industry, a record producer or music producer has many roles among them controlling the recording sessions coaching and guiding the musicians organizing Bryce Goggin is a Record producer and sound engineer. He began his career in the early 1990s working at Baby Monster Studios

Solo career

At age 19, Ben Kweller moved to New York with his girlfriend Liz Smith, where he began his solo career. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous He played acoustic shows and self-released four EPs, comprising some of the unreleased Radish Discount Fireworks recordings and other songs recorded in his apartment on a laptop computer. An extended play ( EP) is a Vinyl record, CD, or Music download which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify It was one of these EPs, Freak Out, It's Ben Kweller, that caught the attention of Evan Dando of The Lemonheads, and Dando invited Kweller out on tour with him, playing across America and Europe. Freak Out It's Ben Kweller is Ben Kweller's self-released demo Evan Griffith Dando (born March 4 1967) is an American Musician, most famous for fronting the alternative rock band The Lemonheads The Lemonheads are an American Alternative rock band formed in 1986 by singer/guitarist Evan Dando, who has been the only constant member

In 2001 Ben Kweller signed to ATO Records, and released a 5-track EP entitled EP Phone Home. According To Our Records (or ATO Records) was founded in early 2000 by Dave Matthews (of the Dave Matthews Band) Coran Capshaw An extended play ( EP) is a Vinyl record, CD, or Music download which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify In March 2002, Sha Sha, Kweller's first solo studio LP was released. Sha Sha is the debut album of Ben Kweller's solo career following his self-released demo Freak Out It's Ben Kweller in 2000 and an EP An album or record album is a collection of related audio or Music tracks distributed to the public Sha Sha included the very radio-friendly and popular single "Wasted & Ready". Sha Sha is the debut album of Ben Kweller's solo career following his self-released demo Freak Out It's Ben Kweller in 2000 and an EP The record kept many of the familiar sounds of Nirvana, but also worked in other pop music influences such as Weezer [4] and Ben Folds. Weezer (ˈwizɚ is an American Alternative rock band from Los Angeles California formed in 1992 Benjamin Scott Folds (born September 12, 1966) is an American Singer-songwriter and the former frontman of the Band Ben Folds Five The album grew in popularity with a grassroots effort based on his website and a promotion group called TeamBK, which promoted via word-of-mouth advertising. A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages To support the release of the album and EP, he put together a live band, initially comprising Josh Lattanzi on bass, Fred Eltringham on drums, and Mike Stroud on guitar and keyboards.

Kweller performing at Ohio State University
Kweller performing at Ohio State University

In 2003, Kweller toured Australia with Ben Folds and Ben Lee as The Bens. The Ohio State University ( OSU) is a Coeducational public Research university in the state of Ohio. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Benjamin Scott Folds (born September 12, 1966) is an American Singer-songwriter and the former frontman of the Band Ben Folds Five Benjamin Michael Lee (born September 11, 1978 in Sydney, Australia) is an ARIA Award winning Jewish Australian The Bens was a rock Supergroup consisting of Ben Folds, Ben Kweller and Ben Lee when they toured and recorded as a group for their [5] The trio produced an eponymous four-song EP, with each member taking lead vocals on one song, and a final song in which they all contributed vocals. An extended play ( EP) is a Vinyl record, CD, or Music download which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify In an interview on October 14 2006 Ben hinted that The Bens may do another album.

On My Way (2004), Kweller's second LP, went in a new direction. See also 2004 in music (UK Musical groups established in 2004 Record labels An album or record album is a collection of related audio or Music tracks distributed to the public The album, produced by Ethan Johns, was recorded 'live' - there were limited overdubs and no use of headphones. Ethan Johns is a record producer engineer mixer musician and songwriter who has worked with such artists such as Ryan Adams, Kings of Leon, Ray LaMontagne [6] After the release of On My Way, Kweller embarked on more touring, playing to his largest audiences ever, including a US tour co-headlining with Death Cab for Cutie [7]. Death Cab for Cutie is an American Indie rock band formed in Bellingham, By this point, the lineup of his live band had changed to include John Kent on drums and Jason Roberts on guitar and keyboards, after Mike Stroud left to concentrate on his own band Ratatat and Fred Eltringham left to play drums in The Wallflowers. Ratatat is a New York City Electronic music duo consisting of Guitarist Mike Stroud and Synthesizer driver and producer The Wallflowers are a Grammy Award -winning rock band from Los Angeles California.

In 2006 he recorded his third LP, Ben Kweller with producer Gil Norton [8]. An album or record album is a collection of related audio or Music tracks distributed to the public In the Music industry, a record producer or music producer has many roles among them controlling the recording sessions coaching and guiding the musicians organizing Gil Norton is a British Record producer known for his work with such bands as Pixies, Echo and the Bunnymen, Foo Fighters, Unlike the previous studio albums, Kweller played all the instruments on this record himself. A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. [9] Kweller continued to tour to support his self-titled album, and expanded his band into a five piece, which grew to include Dan Horne on bass, Mark Stepro on drums, Jay Barclay on guitar and organ, and Jason Roberts on lead guitar. Kweller continued to play guitar and piano on this tour, but it also gave him the opportunity to just sing on certain songs. The Canadian group, the Sam Roberts Band, and New York based Hymns (band), opened for Kweller. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Sam Roberts (born October 2, 1974) is a Juno Award winning Canadian rock Singer-songwriter, whose 2001 debut release The New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Roberts did double duty on this tour, playing guitar for Hymns, and keyboards, guitar and glockenspiel with Kweller.

His tie-in "Trio on the Train Track Tour" included a new live band comprising Chris Morrissey on bass, vocals & keyboard and Mark Stepro on drums, vocals, glockenspiel, percussion & "whatever else he feels like" during appearances in the United States. Chris Morrissey is a musician currently living in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a Musical keyboard. A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells The glockenspiel ( German, "set of bells quot or "play-bells" also known as orchestra bells and in its portable During the Australian leg of the tour, the band was comprised of Jay Barclay on guitar, keyboard & vocals, Dan Horne on bass & vocals, and Mark Stepro continuing his previous roles. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a Musical keyboard. The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the

As part of his 2006 tour, Kweller played the Austin City Limits Music Festival, where he was plagued by severe nosebleed for the entirety of his set. The Austin City Limits Music Festival is an annual three-day music and art festival in Austin Texas 's Zilker Park. After covering his guitar in blood, he attempted to stop the flow by inserting a travel-size tampon thrown onto the stage by a fan, which expanded painfully during a performance of "This Is War. " After attempting to play "Falling" at the piano, which also became covered in blood, Kweller was forced to end the set early. [1] [2]

Throughout the summer of 2007, Kweller toured with the band Guster. Guster is an American Jangle pop band that is known for its live performances humor and cult following and was formed by Adam Gardner, Ryan Kweller also provided lead vocals on the 2003 song "I Hope Tomorrow is Like Today" from Guster's album Keep It Together.

On September 21, 2007, Kweller began recording his fourth full-length LP, Changing Horses in Austin, Texas. The new album is expected to come out in September 2008. [10]

His song 'Make It Up' is used in the Ray Ban sunglasses commercial.

Discography

Self-released EPs

Albums

EPs

Singles

Other releases

Appearances in popular culture

References

  1. ^ Incident photo at Blogcritics. org
  2. ^ [1]Rolling Stone review ACL performance

External links

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