Published: May 13, 2009 9:44 PM EST
By: Isaac Davis Jr., MBA (Juniorscave.com)
New Music Spotlight May 2009 Edition
Ben Cooley Hall
Ben Cooley Hall
Ben Cooley Hall makes music that is fun, exciting, and appealing to the masses. His biggest appeals are his catchy lyrics, colorful tunes, and strong vocals. The Singer/Songwriter grew up in a suburb of Boston spending most of his days singing and playing violin from an early age and he has not stopped. In this recent interview with our Webzine, Ben speaks one on one about his music, family, and what's new with him in this ultra super cool spotlight.
Isaac: What was the best part of 2008 for you musically?
Ben: Recording my new CD, Owning Up To A Life. Because of time and financial constraints, I elected to create a bare bones recording studio in my own basement and record my record there. My wife's and my first child, our daughter Ren, was born last May, so I was being a new father and recording music at the same time. This was tough, but, with my wife's support, I managed to get it done, and at a fraction of the cost of working in a studio. I love these eleven songs, and it has been really gratifying to hear them come from ideas to fully arranged and recorded works.
Isaac: What do you feel was your biggest accomplishment for 2008?
Ben: Wow, I guess I already answered that: making my record.
Isaac: Describe the music scene in your area.
Ben: There are a lot of people making and listening to music here in Rhode Island. The problem is that there are relatively few venues that host live performers, especially performers just getting started or who don't have a big draw. Outside of Providence, cover bands seem to be what people want to hear, which makes it harder for those of us playing original stuff. Within Providence, audiences are more eager to hear new, original sounds. I am just barely connected to the musical community here, which is something I need to work to change.
I look forward to getting more connected to more musicians in this area, and to playing shows with them and helping get the word out for all of us.
Isaac: What has been the best venue to perform at and why?
Ben: Performing at the Perishable Theater as part of Bright Night Providence (our city's New Year's Eve city-wide arts event) was an eye-opener for me. For that night, the venue was billed as the Acoustic Coffeehouse. Until then, I had really tried to stay in the rock scene since I thought my music was definitely in the rock family and not in the folk family. For some reason, I was kind of insistent on that point. Beginning with that show, I have started to change my approach. The audience was so much more diverse (mostly in terms of age) and so much more attentive than at any of the rock venues I've played, which was really affirming. Since then, I've embraced coffeehouse formats, and have played in them as well as the rock venues. Another Coffeehouse, Cafe Blue Hills at First Parish in Milton, Massachusetts, was also a wonderful gig. I hope everyone who lives near there and who enjoys acoustic, roots, folk, country, and unplugged whatever will go check that out on the second Saturday night of every month from about September through June.
Isaac: Elaborate a little about whom were your biggest influences in the music industry and why?
Ben: Like most musicians, I've been influenced by lots and lots of musicians. From Bettie Serveert, I learned that you can rock hard and still offer your own tender, unique vision. From Gram Parsons, I was reminded of the richness and beauty of country music, and that you can blend it with rock or whatever else you want, however you want, both honoring the past and creating new things. From Clem Snide, I learned that you can be as quiet and simple and personal as you dare, and that this can be very powerful. From Juliana Hatfield, I've come to appreciate musicianship as a practice: an ongoing commitment to using songwriting and performing as a means of harvesting meaning from my life-both for myself and to share with my audiences-while still maintaining a high artistic standard.
Isaac: Let's talk about what you feel you will bring to the music industry?
Ben: My sound is a lot of things, but these are its most important
attributes: catchy, imperfect, well-crafted, honest, and insightful.
Because I write a lot about emotional life, people hearing my songs will feel a kind of new familiarity with themselves. They'll say to themselves, maybe realizing it for the first time in awhile, "Hey, yeah, that's right: I have been feeling a little lost," or a little sad, or whatever. Hearing my own experiences, presented honestly, will inspire people to be reminded of things about themselves, and maybe to take a closer and more careful look. I want to elaborate on what I mean when I say that my music is imperfect. I don't mean that it's slapped together carelessly. I put a lot of time and energy and love into making my songs how I want them to be. However, they are not computer-aided to get every single imperfection out, the way Top 40 songs are. They still sound like they're made by a real person, and a person who doesn't play every single note exactly right. It was hard for me to get used to this, but I realized that it's just what my sound is. And, ultimately, I think this is reassuring and very appealing to listeners. They hear a living human being who breathes just as they do, which gives them more of a connection to the musician and the music. On a completely different note (and to make it clear that you don't have to be an introspective, self-searching person to like my music), my songs are catchy and enjoyable; they get stuck in your head, and you have good music playing over and over in your ears. Lastly, what I really want to bring to the music industry is another example of a person who has come to terms with himself--who I am, who I am not--and is comfortable just being who he is, and sharing that generously and joyfully with others, including by cooperating and collaborating with other musicians.
Isaac: If you had an opportunity to work with one artist or group, who would it be and why?
Ben: Wow, what an amazing question that is. For some reason, I thought of Gillian Welch, though I don't know her music all that well. I sense that she is a master of songcraft and of conveying emotional truths through song. I would really love to collaborate with another musician, ideally a keyboard player, both in performing my own songs and even in composing new ones. I know that having another person's vision as well as her or his skill and technique would add another layer of richness. Working solo gives a lot of freedom, but it has its limitations.
Isaac: How would you describe your music to others?
Ben: I play melodic indie pop with heart and vision. It can also be described as acoustic rock, folk pop, or folk rock: tuneful and catchy, blending tight pop song structure with the more spacious vibe of Americana and folk. My songs tend to be about the often invisible core of everyday life--the place where chronic patterns collide to catalyze insight and, perhaps, growth.
Isaac: What type of feedback have you received from fans about your music?
Ben: I have heard from fans of many different ages that they love my music, and that they think it sounds better than a lot of what they hear on the radio. One fan shared that the emotional depth of my CD has given her a rich companion during a very emotional time in her own life.
Isaac: Where can fans locate you at online?
Ben: My CD is available at CD Baby at the following address:
www.cdbaby.com/cd/bch. My web address is www.bencooleyhall.com.
Currently, that forwards to my MySpace page, but my own web site will be up very soon--hopefully by sometime in June. Also, my songs will be available on iTunes very soon.
Isaac: What can fans expect from you in the next five years?
Ben: I hope to tour much of the United States and Europe, and perhaps elsewhere. In five years, I hope to make another record or maybe two.
I hope to work a lot with young people, sharing what I've learned about the importance of listening to your heart and gut and speaking up about what you know to be true. My songs get this across, and I am happy to discuss them as well. This could be with audiences of all ages, not just young people.
Isaac: Time for some shout outs to your family, friends, and fans…
Ben: Yeah yeah yeah! Thanks to my parents, without whom none of this would have been possible. Thanks to my friends and fellow musicians Bradf Akerman and Steven James Lawrence, who help and inspire me. Thanks to my wife, Stacy, who is the love of my life, and who helps me stay sane and grow into a better person. Thanks to my daughter, Ren, for awakening my heart anew, and for her patience with my ever-present musical work. Thanks to all the musicians in Providence and around the country who I'm meeting and starting to work in cooperation with.
Thanks to Michael Poorman at Strangeways Recording in Providence and Nick Zampiello at New Alliance East Mastering in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for their great work on the record. Thanks to the guest musicians on the record who shared their time and talent.
Isaac: Final words…
Ben: Pete Seeger is an inspiration. His life's mission has been to get us all singing together, and, through that, living lives of greater justice and love. I am so inspired by him to sing from my heart, generously, getting past the craving for recognition. It's a delicate balance to do that and still earn a living, which I am working on doing, but it seems crucial. I hope that I and anyone else who's interested can re-energize in ourselves and others the spirit of sharing and goodwill. There are so many wonderful people in the world; we just have to open up and welcome one another to our tables.
Thank you very much, Isaac/Junior's Cave, for taking this time with me, and helping me get the word out. Peace to you.
