The boy’s got a voice, in both senses- a straining, expressive baritone and a unique, distinct personality and sound. Think “ Astral Weeks”, think Richie Havens. The songs are aimed at the heart and the gut – mantric, rhythmic, heartfelt, passionate, at their best even inspiring and uplifting. His music is DIY incarnate – Ben on percussive acoustic guitar and vocals, a girl supplying cello, keyboards, ukulele, bass and vocals and percussion a guy playing guitars, bass, double bass, drums, percussion, keyboards and accordion, another on drums. But in between studying/writing (snicker again) and catching waves, he’d sit on the beach and develop his intense, charismatic acoustic style, with lots of alternate tuning and percussive slapping and knocking, even holding the guitar in his lap. Eventually he studied journalism, getting credit for working on a surf magazine (snicker). Kind of.īen spent his youth making up songs on a bunch of different instruments and surfing. Well, this youngster Ben picked right up where John left off. ![]() Remember John? Intense, evocative, poetic, drunk, pounding the acoustic guitar, shouting his passion and his pain? 1987) grew up in the county of Devon, the southwestern tip of England, the surfing capitol of the UK (seriously) – listening to his mother’s record collection (she would read the second paragraph above), his musical landscape formed by the seminal artists mentioned there, as well as soulful acoustic singer-songwriters such as Van Morrison, Nick Drake, Richie Havens, Donovan, Al Stewart, and especially John Martyn. Ben Howard listens to John Martyn.īen (b. My friend Mel teaches college courses on 60s rock. My buddy Becca’s son makes electronica inspired by The Mamas and The Papas. She did it listening to a record tape cassette CD DoK YouTube Spotify link some music I gave her of James Taylor. My 16-year old granddaughter, on whom the sun rises and sets, recently told me that she spent an hour cleaning up her room (dayenu – miraculous enough in itself). We know on which side of the millennium our bread was buttered. Today we’re content to sit in our rockers on the front porch, corncob pipe in our mouths, watching the sun set and replaying in our minds The Beatles, Dylan, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, Brian Wilson. We’d sneak a look at each other and roll our eyes heavenwards. We patiently lived through people younger than us (that’s almost everyone now) waving Bic lighters for U2, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Brittney Spears, Taylor Swift and Eminem. ![]() You and I know that we were blessed to achieve consciousness during the ‘60s and ‘70s. If you’re a Baby Boomer, read this paragraph (but not the previous one) – You’ve transcended meaning, caring and commitment. Oh, you Millenials are such a cool generation. If you’re not a Baby Boomer, read this paragraph (but not the next one) – (Photo by Joby Sessions/Total Guitar Magazine via Getty Images)
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