Ben Kweller

In response to one of the several audience questions asked during the November 28th Craft event at Neumo’s in Seattle, Ben Kweller explained that, for him, the only viable career alternative to making music would be bass fishing. Bass fishing? It takes the Craft Artist Series to unearth such curious truths. Fortunately, the bulk of the evening was dedicated not to lake dwellers but to the power of song. And that made a bit more sense. On a stage that included a couple Marshall stacks and an acoustic piano, Kweller used everything around him to show, once again, that he is one of the most thoughtful and engaging practitioners of the pop song at work today.
Closing the evening with “Sundress” and “Penny On The Train Track,” Kweller’s intimate performance left the audience hot for the next Kweller recording, which will be the first official Ben Kweller produces Ben Kweller project. As he described, the new project employs pedal steel on several tracks and finds Kweller playing with his love for country. No doubt it won’t be anything that Nashville can take credit for. Kweller clearly remains the kind of pop songwriter who can fold in all kinds of musical traditions without losing the purity of his own voice as a writer and performer. I cast my vote for Ben Kweller as the real thing. Bass fishing? No doubt the kid plays with a lot of hooks. It was a great night to learn more about a fellow with many more chapters still to come in an already great story.