And the Ben Kweller piece:
On his way
Despite looming stardom, Ben Kweller remains a humble guy – 'I'm just really lucky'
By Chris Nixon
May 13, 2004
Tearing through a noisy version of his latest single "The Rules" on the "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" show on April 14, Ben Kweller and his band ripped it up with a nationally televised, all-out performance.
Emanating a relaxed joy and a confident strut, the 22-year-old singer-songwriter proved his perfect garage-pop packages deserve their current attention and praise. Despite his demeanor onstage at "Late Night," performing on TV still freaks Kweller out a bit.
"It's never an old hat," says Kweller, during a concert stop in New Orleans. "Each show, you get more experience doing them, but I'm always just as nervous as the first time I stepped on a TV set. I've done Conan three times. His dressing room is full of guitars. Last time we were there, he was working on the (Beatles') 'Let It Be' guitar solo. So this time I asked him, 'Did you get the guitar solo down?' He said: 'Yeah, I got it down pretty good, but I can't sound like (George) Harrison.' "
Even though he's mingling with the lanky, red-haired comedian and other stars, Kweller remains down-to-earth and humble. Oddly enough, young Kweller, growing up in Greensville, Texas, listened to "Let It Be" constantly, drawing on the Beatles' ability to excel in a variety of settings.
After a stint as grunge rock's savior in his band Radish (which only released one album, 1997's "Restraining Bolt"), Kweller struggled to find himself as a solo artist. Basically forgotten by his label, the songwriter started his career from scratch to rebuild it his own way.
"You want to talk about the start of Ben Kweller, it all starts with me moving five years ago to New York City," says Kweller. "I didn't have any friends. I moved there with my girlfriend Liz Smith. We didn't know anybody. We moved into an apartment in Brooklyn. I made a record on my computer. I looked around the room and I didn't have a band. So I said to myself, 'I guess I'm a solo artist now.' "
Slowly, Kweller remolded his career. While playing solo acoustic gigs around New York, his self-produced album "Freak Out, It's Ben Kweller" found its way into the hands of Evan Dando, and the Lemonheads singer loved "Freak Out." On his next East Coast tour, the two hopped into Kweller's car and hit the road: "We put two guitars in my Volvo, and I drove him up and down the East Coast. And I opened up for him every night."
Experiences like touring with Dando and opening for Juliana Hatfield and Jeff Tweedy started a buzz around the young artist.
"There was this snowball effect. I'm just really lucky," says Kweller. "There were all these people and musicians who I loved so much taking me under their wing. There was no label hype. I was just doing it out of the trunk of my car."
Touring with his mentors gave Kweller enough exposure to hook up another record deal, but he wouldn't just sign with any company. O's Michael McDonald – who started the record label with Dave Matthews – approached Kweller after one of his gigs. The fledgling label's unconventional attitude and McDonald's personable style convinced Kweller to sign with ATO. The arrangement has proven to be a good decision for both label and artist.
"I was so set on building my own thing on my own. After the whole Radish experience, I wanted to be responsible for myself," says Kweller. "I just signed on the dotted line. I didn't look anywhere else. I just knew these were my kind of people. It really is a family."
The critics raved about the Brooklyn-based singer's ATO debut "Sha Sha," catapulting Kweller into indie rock singer-songwriter stardom. Mixing humor and heady lyrics, 2000's "Sha Sha" is an album of beautiful pop songs. Kweller sings: Don't bother me / When I'm watching Planet Apes on TV on title track "How It Should Be (Sha Sha)" and Lately I'm finding / I am the book and you are the binding on "Wasted & Ready." Not bad for a 20-year-old kid. Not bad for any songwriter.
After touring for two years, Kweller's act had morphed into a semi-collaborative band setting. The live shows set the stage for recording Kweller's follow-up album, pushing the band to recapture genuine off-the-cuff energy.
"I was on the road with my boys for two years, touring for 'Sha Sha,' and we got so tight onstage and so intuitive," says Kweller, who will perform at 'Canes Bar & Grill in Mission Beach tonight. "I would show the guys a new song every once in a while at sound check. We'd run through it once or twice and it would sound perfect. I would say to myself: 'Why aren't we in the studio right now?' We had one song we started playing live a lot and it lost that first-time spontaneity. Every one starts to learn their parts and it gets tight, but it can lose its soul sometimes."
So, Kweller decided to keep the songs a secret from his band until the day of recording. Producer Ethan Johns (Kings of Leon, Ryan Adams) also put the band in a room with no headphones. The result is 2004's "On My Way," 12 tracks of retro rock and soaring harmonies (see review on Page 22). With a live visceral feel and stellar songwriting, Kweller's album is an early candidate for best albums of 2004 lists.
On "The Rules," Kweller sings: Show me all the rules, girl / I just want to get 'em wrong / Show me all the rules girl, I just want to belong. From phenom to forgotten and back again, Kweller has learned the rules the hard way and he's better for the experience.
Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.
