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| Photo by Richie Arpino |
It is one of the reasons why, I'm interviewing Ben Deignan, a singer songwriter from Atlanta who despite having, or being all of the above, is still searching and patiently waiting on the rest of the world to figure out how amazing of a talent he is. While working on his music he also is on the Board of Directors for the Lance Tilton Foundation contributing his time and name to getting the word out there about the Atlanta based Foundation that bears the name of Ben's former drummer who died last year in a car crash.
I got to the Mansion on Peachtree early in order to find a good spot to watch him perform, and to gather my thoughts on what I'd like to ask the upward moving performer. All the good it did for me...but in any case he was gracious enough NOT to call me out on that.... so from his beginnings to finding a new direction in his music to his hope for his friend's Legacy, here's Ben.
GOTB: I'm fairly new to your music...so how long have you been playing?
BenD: I've been playing professionally here in the Atlanta area now for three to four years.But I've been playing since I was sixteen. I was basically that kid locked in my basement, playing music...trying to emulate my heroes. That was my thing. I also played sports...but I quit and just became a hermit working on my music all of the time.Then I started going to college at Georgia State, and went there for a year. But this was what I wanted to do, and I was getting busy enough to convince my parents that my music was legitimate enough to be able to quit school. I started working on an album with Jan Smith, who was my vocal coach. I'm not sure if you're familiar with who she is or not?
GOTB: I actually read about her, Beiber?...(embarrassed that I know that actually)
BenD: Yeah, well lately she's been with him like all of the time for his vocals and what not. But she has a long track record. But she was the biggest thing I had going, so I was cutting a record with her and she had a lot of connections that I felt might help me out. So we finished the record, and we started touring on it and ever since then I've been working on new material with a different direction like Money and Blue. So yeah, that's like the Cliff's Notes version of my career.
GOTB: Ok, Well, wow! You answered like five billion of the questions I had in my head...soo... what was the first instrument you learned how to play?
BenD: Well actually I had a cheap keyboard and I started playing on it. My parents said that if I learned how to play the keyboard they would get me a guitar. So we had like this little (song)book and I learned some Elvis song, like Love Me Tender. This was when I was nine or ten, long before I started playing for real, and really all I did was I just learned this simple three note melody and I played it for my parents. They thought it was, the cutest little -well what all parents think; they thought it was genius. I don't really come from a musical family at all so anything would have blown them away.probably.
So I ended up getting a little guitar, which sat around for years, until I wanted a way to meet girls; because I was socially awkward. And it turned into, what turned out to be, a real passion. So guitar basically, but that little story came to mind.
GOTB: Your year at Georgia State was that when you met Vandreena(super fan who is how I came to know of Ben's music)?
BenD: No, I didn't meet her at Georgia State. It was after that actually, it was once I started playing music around Atlanta. But she was like the first, or one of the first fans here in Atlanta, definitely. I did the 500 Songs for Kids four or five years ago. I played it by myself; I didn't know any musicians or have a band or anything, and she's the One person who showed up to see me. She was the only one -well there were tons of people there, but she came specifically to see me. And that was the night I met her, we had talked on like Myspace a little before that but yeah.
GOTB: Wow. Well, that(500 Songs for Kids) is your next performance right?
BenD: No, there will be stuff before then, they booked that pretty far in advance. So that's already posted. I'm actually going to be supporting my friend Nathan Angelo's CD release party on March 4th. You know, it's his gig, I'm just sort of showing support. I've always wanted to do a gig with him, he's really good. So that will be a cool thing, we'll be on a little bit earlier than normal, but that's the next thing coming up, like in two weeks or something...a week and a half.
GOTB: Cool, so you know my Blog is about Leadership. So how important is that in your career?
BenD: It's EXTREMELY important. I mean it's important for anyone to have the confidence to step out on their own. But as far as leadership it is very important because this all started with my particular dream of what I wanted to do. And then I've gone out and pulled other people in. And you've gotta motivate those people to get behind your dream, you know what I'm saying? And when you're dong that in the world of art, it's not like managing a furniture store, or even managing people. They need you, and they need you to work, and you need them, but it's a LOT stronger of you need each other when you're doing a music situation. From the band to the manager or whatever, it's gotta be a passion project for everybody. You've got to make it that. So you not only have got to lead, but you can't really lead with an iron fist either because everybody needs to be free to be creative on their own. So it's like leading but in a very passive way. I mean there's a time to step on the other guy's cleats but it's very choosy, it's probably a lot like a marriage I guess but I don't know it just seems like it.
GOTB: You said that your music has taken a turn, and I have actually read that on another Blog, how so?
BenD: The biggest differences -well in the beginning I was trying to be a singer/song writer like John Mayer and Jason Mraz. Nothing really different, but a really good, polished artist, singer/song writer thing. Although that opened doors, and got me busy touring and things like that, it didn't really work out or at least with that first record, it didn't put us into that place where I was envisioning it would.
GOTB: Is this the album that is on iTunes (self titled)?
BenD: Yeah. I mean this is still an album that I am proud of, but I wrote when I was like 18 or 19 years old, recorded it at 20...so yeah.
Then, during the process of still trying to get this record going, I knew of this producer, Derrick "Drop" Braxton, he goes by "Drop", through Bowe( His manager) and Bowe talked about, you know let's just go in for fun, I just want to create something different. I just want to try some therapy because trying to push this record is just stressful. So we went in and did like two tracks, and then we met again like a year later for a week and cut what ended up being the Dirty Laundry Mixtape. I went in with the idea that it would be a side project, but now it's become the Blueprint of where we're trying to go. It's opened up some new doors, and will take us deeper into it's world. It starts with hip-hop as the foundation, but it's a hybrid of hip-hop with rock, soul, r&b and a mastering of pop to be accessible...well that's my definition of what it is. We still have some work to do on it though.
GOTB: Why did you decide to put the Dirty Laundry Mixtape on BandCamp for free?
Ben: You know, I just understand that, that's just where things are kinda going. I don't have a problem with giving out free music. I even did a thing today where I put a Tweet up for folks to message me if they wanted a free track and I sent it out to like 30 people today who messaged me with their email. It was a track that has never been released before.
GOTB: I TOTALLY MISSED THAT!!!
BenD: Well message me and I'll send it because I think it's cool to do random little things like that. Because that's where the music industry is turning to. People are going to get their music for free, it's a lot cooler when the artist gives it to them. And here's a funny fact about that. Even though I put that out for free, when I finally end up putting out a record, I'll probably have it out for free and on iTunes, because it's actually proven that iTunes sales go up when the artist offers the same material for free. When you take it away from the free market, music sales actually go down. It's been true with every artist who has tried it. The artist becomes more appealing and their fans just love them and so they go buy it. And the music gets spread through more iPods and the appeal just goes up.
GOTB: Not to completely switch topics (That's exactly what I do here), but I know that you're involved with the Lance Tilton Foundation. You are the Vice President?
BenD: Yeah I am the VP and my role is actually going to be more for when we start doing public things. When they need someone to do a speaking engagement and things like that -about the Foundation. I hate that I missed the first engagement, I heard it was great. Were you there?
GOTB: Yeah it was really fun.
BenD: Yeah, I actually felt really bad that I couldn't be there, but I was in London working. But I mean the trip was booked months in advance, and nobody asked me (laughing). But, no really I am still excited about this, because it's giving Lance a Legacy that he so deserves. And I know he would love that. He always talked about kids playing music and he always encouraged kids to play music so this is perfect! It's cool to know that like, though his name and through how he inspired his friends and family that there will be kids out there who couldn't afford it, who can now. So I'm very excited about what's going on.
GOTB: I know that there is a summer concert and a CD in the works?
BenD: Yeah, we're going to do a big concert, well hopefully big, with a lot of acts on it. Lance had a lot of friends who are now big celebrities. And hopefully those guys can come through and be apart of it. As far as the CD is concerned, we are just going to keep releasing them. This first one will have Francisco Vidal, and Scotty Cram and a lot of the guys from the local Atlanta scene. The next one will have Collective Soul and David Ryan Harris I'm sure we'll squeeze ourselves on every one of them...because Lance would have wanted it that way.... Don't put that in there, off the record....just joking.
And there you have it, I wish I could convey the moments of laughter...mostly mine, but I don't think "LOL" and ":-D" would be proper form on here...LOL!! In any case there's plenty here to keep folks going until my next interview. In the meantime check out all of the links on here, most are supporters of the Lance Tilton Foundation in some way or another. Also, the performance afterward WAS amazing....again!! So definitely check him out as soon and as often as you can!
www.bendeignan.com
Click on the following to follow Ben on:
Facebook,
Myspace,
Blog
His next two gigs are here and here.
This is not to mention the 500 Songs for Kinds event at Smithe's Old Bar
And check out the work Ben and his band mates are doing for the Lance Tilton Foundation and become a Roadie...Groupie or buy an awesome T-Shirt
As always folk, Peace Love and Courage!!!
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