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. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 398 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (400 × 602 pixel, file size: 60 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Ben Kweller at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, 2006 moments before his show-ending nose bleed. ... Austin City Limits logo, used for both the festival and TV program. ... is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... Dallas redirects here. ... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Rock music (disambiguation). ... The term singer-songwriter refers to performers who both write and sing their own material. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ... For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... A short grand piano, with the lid up. ... A harmonica is a free reed wind instrument. ... For other kinds of drums, see drum (disambiguation). ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... According To Our Records (or ATO Records) was founded in early 2000 by Dave Matthews (of the Dave Matthews Band), Coran Capshaw, Chris Tetzeli and Michael McDonald as a division of RCA. ATO Records is based in New York City and currently distributes its records through Sony BMG. ATO Records... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... The Bens 2003 self-titled EP The Bens is the name adopted by musicians Ben Lee, Ben Folds and Ben Kweller when they toured and recorded as a group for their The Bens Rock Over Australia tour in 2003. ... is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... San Francisco redirects here. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... For other uses, see Rock music (disambiguation). ... “Instrumentalist” redirects here. ...

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. 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.[3] In 1993 Kweller became friends with another young local musician, drummer John Kent, and the two formed a band, which they named Radish. 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. The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination... Flag of Greenville Greenville is a city in Hunt County, Texas, in the United States. ... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ... Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry. ... Flag of Greenville Greenville is a city in 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. 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". After an unexpected bidding war, Ben Kweller, at the age of 15, and Radish were signed to Mercury Records. 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. 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. Recorded with producer Bryce Goggin, the album was never released, and Mercury dropped Radish from its roster. Nils Lofgren is an American rock music singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the American grunge band. ... Mercury Records is a record label currently headquartered in the UK, and is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. ... The Weird Al Show was a short-lived television show starring Weird Al Yankovic. ... Late Night with Conan OBrien is an Emmy Award-winning American late night talk show that is syndicated worldwide. ... Late Show redirects here. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. ... Muscle Shoals is a city located in Colbert County, Alabama, USA. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 11,924. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... 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 and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Solo career

At age 19, Ben Kweller moved to New York with his girlfriend Liz Smith, where he began his solo career. 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. 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. This article is about the state. ... EP can stand for: EP is the IATA code for Iran Aseman Airlines Extended play, a music recording (usually consisting of several tracks, but shorter than a typical album) European Parliament, the parliamentary body of the European Union Evolutionary psychology, a belief that psychology can be better understood in light... Freak Out, Its Ben Kweller is Ben Kwellers self-released demo. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Lemonheads are an alternative rock band from the United States. ...

In 2001 Ben Kweller signed to ATO Records, and released a 5-track EP entitled EP Phone Home. In March 2002, Sha Sha, Kweller's first solo studio LP was released. Sha Sha included the very radio-friendly and popular single "Wasted & Ready". The title track "How It Should Be (Sha Sha)" reconciles his past career efforts with Radish and the difficulty of finding an identity as a 20-year-old artist beginning a musical career for the second time. 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. 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. 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. According To Our Records (or ATO Records) was founded in early 2000 by Dave Matthews (of the Dave Matthews Band), Coran Capshaw, Chris Tetzeli and Michael McDonald as a division of RCA. ATO Records is based in New York City and currently distributes its records through Sony BMG. ATO Records... EP can stand for: EP is the IATA code for Iran Aseman Airlines Extended play, a music recording (usually consisting of several tracks, but shorter than a typical album) European Parliament, the parliamentary body of the European Union Evolutionary psychology, a belief that psychology can be better understood in light... Sha Sha is the debut album of Ben Kwellers solo career, following his self-released demo Freak Out, Its Ben Kweller in 2000, and an EP titled EP Phone Home in 2001. ... An album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. ... Sha Sha is the debut album of Ben Kwellers solo career, following his self-released demo Freak Out, Its Ben Kweller in 2000, and an EP titled EP Phone Home in 2001. ... For the albums, see Weezer (1994 album) and Weezer (2001 album). ... Benjamin Scott Folds (born September 12, 1966, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina[1]) is an American singer-songwriter and the former frontman of the musical group Ben Folds Five. ... A website (alternatively, Web site or web site) is a collection of Web pages, images, videos or other digital assets that is hosted on one or several Web server(s), usually accessible via the Internet, cell phone or a LAN. A Web page is a document, typically written in HTML...

Kweller performing at The Ohio State University

In 2003, Kweller toured Australia with Ben Folds and Ben Lee as The Bens. [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. In an interview on October 14 2006 Ben hinted that The Bens may do another album. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This article is about Ohio State; there is also an Ohio University. ... Benjamin Scott Folds (born September 12, 1966, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina[1]) is an American singer-songwriter and the former frontman of the musical group Ben Folds Five. ... Benjamin Michael Lee (born September 11, 1978 in Sydney, Australia) is a ARIA Award winning Jewish Australian musician and actor. ... The Bens 2003 self-titled EP The Bens is the name adopted by musicians Ben Lee, Ben Folds and Ben Kweller when they toured and recorded as a group for their The Bens Rock Over Australia tour in 2003. ... // Extended play (EP) is the name typically given to vinyl records or CDs which contain more than one single but are too short to qualify as albums. ...

On My Way (2004), Kweller's second LP, went in a new direction. The album, produced by Ethan Johns, was recorded 'live' - there were limited overdubs and no use of headphones. [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]. 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. See also: 2004 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 2004 Record labels established in 2004 2000s in music. ... An album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. ... Son of legendary producer, Glyn Johns (Rolling Stones, Eagles) Ethan Johns is also a music producer who has worked with such artists such as Ryan Adams, Kings of Leon, Ray LaMontagneas well as Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt and others. ... Death Cab for Cutie is an American band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. ... REDIRECT Template:Infobox Musician Ratatat is a New York City electronic music duo consisting of guitarist Mike Stroud and synthesizer driver and producer Evan Mast. ... 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]. Unlike the previous studio albums, Kweller played all the instruments on this record himself.[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. Roberts did double duty on this tour, playing guitar for Hymns, and keyboards, guitar and glockenspiel with Kweller. 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 and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Gil Norton is a British record producer known for his work with such bands as Feeder, Counting Crows, Pixies, Terrorvision, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Triffids, Del Amitri, Foo Fighters, Jimmy Eat World, James, The Feelers, Dashboard Confessional and Span. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... Sam Roberts (born October 2, 1974) is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, whose 2002 debut release, The Inhuman Condition, became one of the bestselling independent releases in Quebec and Canadian music history. ... This article is about the state. ...

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. 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. Chris Morrissey playes bass guitar in Mason Jennings band who are a Minnesota based pop-folk band. ... A sunburst-colored Precision Bass The electric bass guitar (or electric bass; pronounced , as in base) is a bass stringed instrument played with the fingers (either by plucking, slapping, popping, or tapping) or using a pick. ... Piano, a well-known instance of keyboard instruments A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. ... For other kinds of drums, see drum (disambiguation). ... Most orchestral glockenspiels are mounted in a case. ... For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... Piano, a well-known instance of keyboard instruments A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. ... A sunburst-colored Precision Bass The electric bass guitar (or electric bass; pronounced , as in base) is a bass stringed instrument played with the fingers (either by plucking, slapping, popping, or tapping) or using a pick. ...

On September 21, 2007, Kweller began recording his fourth full-length LP in Austin, Texas.[10]

Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• New Jersey pop-punk band The Ergs! released Ben Kweller EP (2002). It includes a song called "Ben Kweller".

• Guster's album Keep it Together features Kweller on lead vocals in the song, "I Hope Tomorrow is Like Today".

• Rapper Talib Kweli sampled Kweller's "In Other Words," without permission, for his song "Ms. Hill". In part 7 of Kweller's video podcast series "One Minute Pop Song," Kweller said he found Kweli's use of the song "a little fucked up" due to the fact that it was sampled without permission. Link to episode

• At the 2006 Austin City Limits Music Festival, Kweller was plagued by a bloody nose for the entirety of his set. After covering his guitar in blood, he attempted to stop the flow by inserting a tampon, which expanded painfully during a performance of "This Is War". He then played "Falling" at the piano also covering it in blood and was forced to end the set early. ^{[1] [2]}

• Is left handed, but plays the guitar right handed.

• Kweller will be touring with Guster during the summer of 2007.

• Northwestern University's radio station (WNUR 89.3 FM Chicago) hosted a show entirely of Ben Kweller's music in November 2007.

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... See also: 2002 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 2002 Record labels established in 2002 // 2002 was marked by significant trends in rock music. ... Guster is an alternative rock band that is known for its live performances, unique sound, humor, and cult following formed by Adam Gardner, Ryan Miller, and Brian Rosenworcelin 1991 while attending Tufts University in Boston. ... Keep It Together was the final single from Madonnas Like a Prayer album. ... Talib Kweli (born Talib Kweli Greene in Brooklyn, New York City on October 3, 1975) is an American MC from Brooklyn, New York. ... Austin City Limits logo, used for both the festival and TV program. ... Guster is an alternative rock band that is known for its live performances, unique sound, humor, and cult following formed by Adam Gardner, Ryan Miller, and Brian Rosenworcelin 1991 while attending Tufts University in Boston. ... Northwestern University (NU) is a selective private, nonsectarian, coeducational research university with campuses located in Evanston, Illinois and downtown Chicago, Illinois. ... WNUR (89. ...

Discography

Self-released EPs

• Melange, 1999
• Sha Sha, 2000
• Bromeo, 2000
• Freak Out, It's Ben Kweller, 2000

Freak Out, Its Ben Kweller is Ben Kwellers self-released demo. ...

Albums

• Sha Sha, 2002
• On My Way, 2004
• Ben Kweller, 2006

His fourth album is expected to be released in March of 2008. Sha Sha is the debut album of Ben Kwellers solo career, following his self-released demo Freak Out, Its Ben Kweller in 2000, and an EP titled EP Phone Home in 2001. ... On My Way is the second album released by Ben Kweller. ... Ben Kweller is the self-titled third album by Ben Kweller, due for release in September, 2006. ...

EPs

• EP Phone Home, 2001
• Sundress, 2006

EP Phone Home is Ben Kwellers first mass-produced cd in his solo career. ... Sundress EP is an EP from the American rock musician Ben Kweller. ...

Singles

• "Wasted & Ready", 2002
• "Commerce, TX", 2003
• "Falling", 2003
• "The Rules", 2004
• "Sundress", 2006
• "Penny On The Train Track", 2006

Wasted & Ready is the debut single of Ben Kweller. ...

Other releases

• This Is Next Year: A Brooklyn-Based Compilation : Compilation track, 2001
• This Bird Has Flown - A 40th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles' Rubber Soul : Wait
• Stubbs The Zombie : A cover compilation of hits from the 1950s : Lollipop
• "The Bens with Ben Folds and Ben Lee

A compilation album is an album (music or spoken-word) featuring tracks from one or multiple recording artists, often culled from a variety of sources (such as studio albums, live albums, singles, demos and outtakes. ... This Bird Has Flown - A 40th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles Rubber Soul is an indie tribute album by a variety of artists that commemorates, as the title suggests, the fortieth anniversary of the release of The Beatles 1965 album Rubber Soul. ... Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse, or Stubbs the Zombie, is a third-person zombie game being developed by Wideload Games and published by Aspyr Media. ... // In popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition (performance or recording) of a previously recorded song. ... In popular music, a chart-topper is an extremely popular recording, identified by its inclusion in a ranked list—a chart—of top selling or otherwise judged most popular releases. ... The 1950s decade refers to the years 1950 to 1959 inclusive. ... The Bens (EP) is, as of 2005, the only release by the trio The Bens, consisting of Ben Folds, Ben Lee and Ben Kweller. ... Benjamin Scott Folds (born September 12, 1966, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina[1]) is an American singer-songwriter and the former frontman of the musical group Ben Folds Five. ... Benjamin Michael Lee (born September 11, 1978 in Sydney, Australia) is a ARIA Award winning Jewish Australian musician and actor. ...

References

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

External links

• Official website
• Official Ben Kweller Street Team on Fancorps.com
• Live Performances and Interview on Maniatv.com
• Daily Ben - Livejournal Community
• At YouTube
• Ben Kweller live on WOXY.com, October 13, 2006
• Comprehensive Radish and Ben Kweller discographies at Xanthein Archive fan site