Ben Kweller Interview

The evolution of Ben Kweller
Interview
by Scott Bolohan
Staff Writer

After signing with a major label at 15, Ben Kweller has spent 11 years of his life in the music business. Now 26, Kweller is married, just welcomed his first child, and has released his most personal album to date, simply titled "Ben Kweller," which brings his 60s influenced pop to a deeper level. This doesn’t mean that Kweller is ready to grow up. He still collects baseball cards and his shoulder-length hair could allow him to pass for a high school student. But Kweller’s catchy rock sound has established him as one of the leaders in his genre. As a testament, his song "Penny on a Train Track" was named one of Rolling Stone’s "Top 100 Songs of 2006." He brings his energetic show to the Vic March 1 and 2 with Gomez. Kweller spoke to The DePaulia with a soft southern accent about growing up, the state of the music business and hanging out with Brian Wilson.

The DePaulia (TD): How’s the tour been going?
Ben Kweller (BK): It’s been going good, man. First, I want to say I had a good gig at DePaul University a while back. I remember I played there last year or something. I’m out right now as a trio. It’s called "The Trio on the Train Tracks Tour" and its f**king really cool, man. I haven’t played as a trio in years. It’s really fun to hear these songs stripped down. The band that I have is so f**king good. This bass player that I have is Chris Morrison and the drummer Mark Stepro from Ohio. They’re just blowing my mind.
TD: What’s the best concert you’ve attended?
BK: One of the best concerts was Weezer when I saw them back in 1996 on the "Pinkerton" tour in Dallas. It was great.
TD: It seems like the new album is commonly described as a more grown up record in reviews. Were you trying to make more of a grown up sound?
BK: No, I just record my songs the way that the songs want to be recorded. Basically, the first song I wrote for the album was "Run" and I heard all these bells and piano and snare drum with reverb on it and I wanted to make a more layered sound. I guess since it’s more raw and loose than "On My Way" and a little more focused on detail, people think that means it’s a little more grown up. I am growing up, but everybody is. We’re all getting older every year and we all get another birthday. I hope that my music is growing somehow. I would never want it to stay the same. But I don’t think about it one way or the other because the media, they say so many things. Like I could go put out a noise record with electric guitars with feedback and they would be like, "Woah, he’s regressing to being 15 again. So maybe he didn’t grow up."
TD: Was playing all the instruments on the new record more of a challenge for you?
BK: It was a challenge. It wasn’t my idea actually. It was the producer, Gil Norton’s idea for me to do all the instruments since the songs were so personal and autobiographical. He was like, "If you put your fingerprints on every track, it will be 100 percent Ben Kweller and it will be really honest." So I thought that was a good idea, so I went for it. I’m glad I did, but I think I’m going to go back to playing with a band in the studio. I don’t want to try to compete with this one right away.
TD: What’s it like having your songs played live by other people?
BK: I’m not such a stickler for parts. There are certain parts in songs that I want them to play. I let them do their own thing. The live show is different from the album. With the trio, we’ve really had to pick the most important hooks because we can’t get every bell and tambourine in with three guys. You get a real simple, focused version of the songs, but I think it’s still really powerful.
TD: You’ve been in the music business for over 10 years, how do you see the business differently than you did when you entered it?
BK: It has changed completely, 100 percent. I feel really bad for so many people in the business. I feel bad for the record companies especially because they don’t know what to do. We’re dealing with computers and technology so quickly. More than ever, it’s important for a band to be as self-sufficient as possible and not rely on backing from a record company. Now it’s so important to build a fan base organically and be able to tour. Record companies aren't making enough money to spend money like they used to. It’s just really hard, you have to do it all yourself. The flipside is there’s MySpace and YouTube that are making it easier for your band to be self-sufficient, but then the double edged sword of it is there’s millions of more bands, so you have to sift through a lot of s****y bands. (Laughs) It all kind of evens out. It’s hard to be successful in this music business. It was hard in the 60s and I think it keeps getting harder.
TD: Do you feel like you’ve "made it" in your mind?
BK: I have been very successful, but I think that as an artist, you can’t ever be totally content. You always have to strive for more. I still have the fire burning in me to get my music out to as many people as possible. There’s always goals. I don’t even have a gold record yet.
TD: What has been the biggest thrill of your career?
BK: I’ve met some really great people. I got to go to Brian Wilson’s house. That was really cool, hung out with him. That was a big deal. I played him some songs on the acoustic guitar and he played me "God Only Knows" on the piano. That was probably one of the biggest thrills.
TD: You covered "Wait" for the "This Bird has Flown" tribute album to the Beatles’ "Rubber Soul." Why did you choose "Wait"?
BK: Well first of all, because there were only two songs left. I love that song "Wait." I’ve always liked the last half of "Rubber Soul," I think it’s got some real interesting songs on it. The harmonies are really funky. It’s got a cool vibe to it. I love the Ringo drum fill. (Makes quick drumming noise) Wait!
TD: Why do you have a Pete Rose rookie card on your MySpace?
BK: Pete Rose is one of my favorite baseball players ever and I’ve always wanted his rookie card. That’s one of my dream rookie cards. I can’t afford it, it’s like $800. It’s like $1,000 in mint condition, there is no way in hell my wife is going to let me spend that money on a piece of cardboard. But maybe one day.
TD: Do you have any goals for the future?
BK: I have a goal that I’d like to buy some land down in Austin, Texas and I want to have a barn and build a studio and just start making my records down in Texas and get out of New York for a little bit and be creative. Another goal is to start touring in South America and Mexico.