After traveling and touring through America, Europe and eventually all the way to Japan and back again, Ben Kweller realized that home really is where his heart is. Even though the acoustic pop singer/songwriter has been almost everywhere he's ever dreamed of, and has met and played with bands he once idolized, traveling the world and living his dreams taught him that the only place he yearns to be is back in Texas again.
BK, his initials still found on his albums and merchandise, he once painted on a poster in glitter as a backdrop when he was first starting his solo career in New York, have become a sort of emblem of his growth as an artist over time.
After first signing with Dave Matthews' label ATO in 2001 to produce his first EP “Phone Home” in 2001, his debut album “Sha Sha” came out a year later in 2002. Kweller went on to make “On My Way” in 2004 and later connected in 2005 with producer Gil Norton, who has done work for Pixies, Foo Fighters, Counting Crows and Dashboard Confessional.
Kweller's first hit “Wasted and Ready” included intriguing and bizarre lines such as “Sex reminds her of eating spaghetti,” which he drew from the 1995 movie “Doom Generation.” His latest album, in comparison, provides plenty of that same intrigue and sentiment, with perhaps a little less of the bizarre, and has provided him with what he considers his best and most personal song, “Thirteen.”
Lumino Writer Kelly Matlock approaches Ben on Sunday at Lollapalooza to steal a few minutes of his time before he performs. Although it's around 85 degrees and he is in a tweed jacket, everything else about the guy seems perfectly natural. Introductions are made and Ben asks to sit against the fence.
Lumino: So your new album, self-titled Ben Kweller, is coming out on September 19th?
BK: Yeah.
LUMINO: And along with that release, you have created the web broadcast “One Minute Pop Song.” Tell me about that.
BK: We shot a bunch of footage of me in my studio practicing for the album, because I play all of the instruments on it, and that was a new thing for me. So I had a friend videotape me practicing and then he went with me to the recording studio and he was with me while I made the album. So, we were like 'what should we do with this footage?' So I had an idea that we should make a little TV show out of it, and it would be just one minute clips, (and I decided) we'll put 'em up each week and we call it “One Minute Pop Song with Ben Kweller.” And I recorded a little theme song for it with two of my friends. And it comes out every Tuesday night.
LUMINO: I heard you are a new father!
BK: I am.
LUMINO: How has that affected your music, or inspired you in terms of writing your songs? How old is he?
BK: He's young, he's nine months. No, nine weeks. Nine weeks. I keep thinking nine months because he's growin' up faster than I can imagine. He's so beautiful, and he's so little and he smiles, and he's so happy, and he can hold his neck up now. And we do the airplane where I hold him up and he's just so happy. I've always wanted to be a father and I've always wanted to have kids, and it's in my music actually-talking about being a father, actually, even though I wasn't, I've mentioned it a few times because my music's really nostalgic as it is, ya know? I'm real warm and fuzzy inside…so having him has changed my life. It's definitely, probably going to come out in the music. I talk about life so much in my songs so there is stuff about being a father and dealing with real situations a lot, but nothing as far with him in what I've recorded on this new album. But (he) probably will be in the future. But right now I'm writing some songs for him, like little children's songs, so maybe I'll put out a kids album.
LUMINO: How would you describe your music?
BK: I would say it's very melodic, easy to sing along with. It's music about real people and real situations and it's about all experiences that you go through in life, and it's optimistic, my music. So I think that it can hopefully make people feel good when they're goin' through hard times, cause that's what music's always done for me.
LUMINO: Do you generally tour a lot, or are you usually home?
BK: I tour all the time. I've been off for one year recording and writing. So starting September 1st I go on tour, and that'll probably be for about a year and a half non-stop. And I'm bringing the baby with me.
LUMINO: Where are you originally from and where do you live now?
BK: I live in Brooklyn, New York. Me and my wife Liz, and Dorian, the boy. We live in a house in Brooklyn, New York. And we're thinkin' about movin' to Texas in about two years. To Austin. We wanna move to Austin.
LUMINO: Are there any bands or musicians you look up to, or that have influenced your music?
BK: Oh yeah. Oh God, I looked up to Bob Dylan and Neil Young, The Velvet Underground, Lou Reed, really the classics you know. Basically the Mozarts and Beethovens of our time. You know what I mean? All the classics. I listen to John Fogarty…and there's a lot of people out now, like a lot of friends of mine now that I actually really admire, like The Kings of Leon and The Strokes and Connor from Bright Eyes…um, Mason Jennings is a great songwriter…Wilco.
LUMINO: That leads me to my next question-were you looking forward to seeing anyone else perform here?
BK: Yeah, Wilco and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
LUMINO: Who have you played with or opened for in the past, and did you enjoy performing with anyone more than others?
BK: Yeah, a few years ago I went on tour with The Strokes and that was fun. Also, the Violent Femmes, I went with them and for one of their songs “Kiss Off” I went on stage and I played guitar with them and it was magical.
LUMINO: Your first album Sha Sha came out in 2002, On My Way was in 2004 and now your current album Ben Kweller the Album is out soon-what's changed about your music over time and across the albums?
BK: Well this one is a lot more direct and there's a lot more lyrics-it's more lyrical-I have much more to say because I'm grown up and experiencin' a lot more and I have a lot more to say. So there's a lot on my mind and I'm expressing that. I think as a songwriter I'm getting better and better at putting what's in my head out into the music. And that comes with experience I guess. One thing I'm real happy about this new album, when you listen to this, it's almost like looking in the mirror and seeing me, in a way. It's like you're really getting the real Ben Kweller.
LUMINO: Have you played in other festivals like this before, do you like playing at festivals?
BK: Um, festivals are great. I love that America is getting more festivals. Lollapalooza is one of the best. Austin City Limits is my favorite, it's the best. And I think it's wonderful that they're doing such a great job with this. The people that are putting this on are doing a great job. And great bands. Festivals are so cool because you get to see friends of yours that are in other bands that you never get to see, cause you're always on tour. Yeah you get to have a beer and shoot the shit and like sort of catch up.
LUMINO: Thanks, Ben. I appreciate it.
BK: Right on.
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