Ben Wise

Unless you are very familiar with me and my musical tastes – or unless you managed to catch my Twitter account at just the right time one Monday – you may have never heard of Ben Wise. And that is a shame, because this gentleman happens to be one of the most brilliant singer-songwriters I have ever heard.

My discovery of Ben began with Joey Clement, and if you read my blog about the latter you know a little bit of this story. I knew Joey had once played with Ben, and I had seen several videos in which Joey appeared with Ben. Because I created a website for Joey and wanted a video gallery for it, I wrote to Ben (without realizing it was Ben!) on YouTube and asked him if I could use his videos. Ben responded affirmatively, told me a bit about his longtime friendship with Joey, and then offered me his own CD, Beside the Dial, on which Joey had played. I was very eager to listen to it, partly because I had heard his music from the videos and Joey’s MySpace music player, but mostly because I wanted to hear Joey’s bass in a studio-quality recording.

I wasn’t at all prepared for what I would hear when I first placed Ben’s CD in my CD player. It was nothing short of one of the most brilliant records I had ever listened to. I am not joking when I say that Ben’s CD ranks in the top 3 CDs I have ever heard – and it would have even had Joey not played on it.

It is difficult to pinpoint exactly what I find so incredible about Ben’s music. I think I would have to begin with the songwriting. Ben’s lyrics are a unique combination of honesty, pathos, cynicism, and hope. Yes, it’s difficult to believe you can find cynicism and hope in the same CD without it sounding bipolar, but in Ben’s case it is possible and true. The songs of Beside the Dial are a snapshot of the human condition and experience, and I found I could relate well to every song on the CD.

Next, let’s move on to the instrumentation. Being the number one fan of the bassist, I was and remain in awe of the stellar bass work woven into the fabric of every song. But my love of the record’s instrumentation goes beyond the bass line. Ben impeccably creates the perfect atmosphere of every song through its instrumentation. Whether the song is meant to be frantic, furious, topsy-turvy, or lonely, the instruments support it and create just that sort of feeling. I can think of three songs in particular in which this occurs: “Fleeing the Magnet,” in which the instruments contribute to the feeling of desperation to escape a situation; “Houston (We’re Losing Control),” in which you actually feel as though you are floating into space; and “Ride On,” in which the sparse yet rhythmic instrumentation lends to the feeling of riding a bicycle or horse.

Finally, let’s take a look at the voice of Ben himself. His voice isn’t pure or pristine, but it is one of the most hauntingly expressive I have ever heard. He doesn’t merely make sounds to represent the words on a page. He fully inhabits each song and every emotion with the power of his flexible, extraordinarily poignant voice. Ben’s voice might not be to everyone’s taste. But I personally have been entranced by his voice from the moment I first heard it, and I have yet to grow tired of it. (And believe me, Ben’s CD is one of the most frequently listened to in my catalog.)

Since I have regrettably been unable to see Ben perform live (never say never, but my being on the eastern side of the country and Ben being firmly ensconced on the west coast does not bode well), I can’t really speak much to that part of the Ben Wise experience. The videos I have seen do show that Ben has a lot of energy onstage and a great live voice, but I cannot tell much about his onstage presence, his demeanor, or anything like that.

Having said that, I do follow Ben on Twitter. You can’t necessarily tell everything about a person just from following him or her on Twitter, but I must say that Ben nearly always makes me smile. He has a very snarky Twitter voice, and it did at first take me a little while to get used to his sometimes biting humor. But it has grown on me, and I have found that I love following his adventures. He sometimes responds to me on Twitter; one time while he was traveling to Las Vegas he sent several Twitpics. I commented on nearly every one, and when he returned to LA he thanked me for all the messages. Once he responded to my comment on his late-night trip to Taco Bell (I made a comment about “FourthMeal”) by saying that FourthMeal was okay, but breakfast the next morning with Joey was even better. To this day I’m convinced he was trying to make me jealous. (He succeeded, of course!)

I really do believe Ben Wise should become incredibly successful. But I rather wish in addition that I could spend an evening hanging out with him. I’ve found him a fascinating young man who I can’t help thinking I would really enjoy spending time with. If nothing else I would love the chance to get inside his head and find out more about his songwriting.

I encourage you to spend a little time becoming acquainted with Ben’s music. Ben Wise truly breaks the mold of the traditional (if not stereotypical) singer-songwriter.

Ben’s official website: http://benwisemusic.com

Ben’s MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/benwiserock

Ben’s Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ben-Wise/38077640578

Ben’s Twitter page: http://twitter.com/BenWise

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