Benanthrope
Louisville, Kentucky, United States | SELF
Music
Press
It's clear with one listen that lyrics drive and infest Ben's brain. Benanthrope is definitely driven by the words; each song is different painting that houses those lines. It's singer-songwriter music that experiments with the presentation of themes and ideas in the words, making for a pretty diverse listen, never staying within one genre, but jump-skipping from style to style. "Saddest of Bastards" wears like a jacket full of influences on its sleeve, much like other imaginative singer-songwriters pursue their muses. You can tell [Ben] listens to a lot of different types of music as the EP travels through outsider-hinged country, folk, blues, and just straight experimental presentations to express the ideas and the sounds that he's taking aim at. The full target is the song and the genre is wiped aside to find the perfect frame for that thought. I hear Tom Waits, "Mutations"-era Beck, Willie Nelson, and a host of other timbers for support, each meshing and mixing into music that makes for good medicine for a person intertwined into the idea of the song. Benanthrope is what songwriters for songwriters do; take everything around them and combine it into a whirl that becomes their own, like students of song. This EP definitely accomplishes that. It's interesting, creative, well-written, and time was definitely spent in its recording.
"Tuesday Morning Squared" and "Bomb Shelter in My Mind" walk stepping stones into country, finding footing on a mix of instrumentation that marks all five songs contained herein, hearing Lally's lyrics paired with steel guitar, banjo, guitar and keys. "Promised Land" is a slower tempo, with a down-timed piano and electronics supporting a spacey melody that doesn't shake until it melts at the end into that aforementioned medicine. "Like a Thoroughbred" takes a dark path, with Lally's vocals lowered and singing of being carried back to Kentucky through subtle blues/folk, the bass ringing like brush, creating a scene easy to see.
My favorite track is "Finally Don't Care," which sounds to me like a traditional melody sung by a down and out character on New Year's Eve with imagery that applauds the surrounding organ and [delayed fiddle], both of which seem to be have been drinking a little too much the night before, sauntering their way to a the grunt of an actual pig in the end. I think that's what that sound is; either way, it works as a hangover anthem for me.
Ben has roped in several great players to round out live performances for Benanthrope, including J. Glenn (who's latest album was reviewed right here on this very blog) on pedal steel, Andy Matter on bass guitar and upright bass, Rory Hanka on various styles of keys, and Tyler Little on percussion. Here's an upcoming show list where you can catch them (and purchase the CD):
Fri February 17 @ The Monkey Wrench (Louisville) with Randy Tuesday and the Opposable Thumbs
Fri March 2 @ Zazoo's (Louisville) with J. Glenn and Your News Vehicles
Fri March 16 @ Lynagh's (Lexington).
"Saddest of Bastards" can also be purchased at Benanthrope's bandcamp site, located here.
- http://www.blogger.com/profile/04029227035102399363
It's clear with one listen that lyrics drive and infest Ben's brain. Benanthrope is definitely driven by the words; each song is different painting that houses those lines. It's singer-songwriter music that experiments with the presentation of themes and ideas in the words, making for a pretty diverse listen, never staying within one genre, but jump-skipping from style to style. "Saddest of Bastards" wears like a jacket full of influences on its sleeve, much like other imaginative singer-songwriters pursue their muses. You can tell [Ben] listens to a lot of different types of music as the EP travels through outsider-hinged country, folk, blues, and just straight experimental presentations to express the ideas and the sounds that he's taking aim at. The full target is the song and the genre is wiped aside to find the perfect frame for that thought. I hear Tom Waits, "Mutations"-era Beck, Willie Nelson, and a host of other timbers for support, each meshing and mixing into music that makes for good medicine for a person intertwined into the idea of the song. Benanthrope is what songwriters for songwriters do; take everything around them and combine it into a whirl that becomes their own, like students of song. This EP definitely accomplishes that. It's interesting, creative, well-written, and time was definitely spent in its recording.
"Tuesday Morning Squared" and "Bomb Shelter in My Mind" walk stepping stones into country, finding footing on a mix of instrumentation that marks all five songs contained herein, hearing Lally's lyrics paired with steel guitar, banjo, guitar and keys. "Promised Land" is a slower tempo, with a down-timed piano and electronics supporting a spacey melody that doesn't shake until it melts at the end into that aforementioned medicine. "Like a Thoroughbred" takes a dark path, with Lally's vocals lowered and singing of being carried back to Kentucky through subtle blues/folk, the bass ringing like brush, creating a scene easy to see.
My favorite track is "Finally Don't Care," which sounds to me like a traditional melody sung by a down and out character on New Year's Eve with imagery that applauds the surrounding organ and [delayed fiddle], both of which seem to be have been drinking a little too much the night before, sauntering their way to a the grunt of an actual pig in the end. I think that's what that sound is; either way, it works as a hangover anthem for me.
Ben has roped in several great players to round out live performances for Benanthrope, including J. Glenn (who's latest album was reviewed right here on this very blog) on pedal steel, Andy Matter on bass guitar and upright bass, Rory Hanka on various styles of keys, and Tyler Little on percussion. Here's an upcoming show list where you can catch them (and purchase the CD):
Fri February 17 @ The Monkey Wrench (Louisville) with Randy Tuesday and the Opposable Thumbs
Fri March 2 @ Zazoo's (Louisville) with J. Glenn and Your News Vehicles
Fri March 16 @ Lynagh's (Lexington).
"Saddest of Bastards" can also be purchased at Benanthrope's bandcamp site, located here.
- http://www.blogger.com/profile/04029227035102399363
Discography
'Saddest Of Bastards EP'
The LP of the same name is due out in May.
Single
'Coffee In Your Whiskey Cup'
Single
'Beg For To Fade'
Single
'Armageddon Cotton Candy'
Several random singles appear on our soundcloud page as well.
follow us @ benanthrope.com, or one of our many other pages. thanx guyz
Photos
Bio
Benanthrope is comprised of:
Ben Anthrope -vocals, guitars, and harmonicas
J.Glenn -pedal steel guitar, vox
Andy Matter -bass, upright bass, vox
Rory Hanka -organ, rhodes, wurly, synth, etc. vox
Tyler Little -any and all percussion stylings, vox
J. Glenn, as the rest of them, is multi-talented and has eclectic musical tastes. He drummed for My Morning Jacket until 2000, and has continued to play drums, and just about everything else. He's a singer, songwriter, drummer, banjo, and guitar player. ...and on this project, he's pedal steel man.
Andy Matter lays down the bass with the finest; with the perspective of hearing it from behind a drum set and guitar, as he fills those rolls in his other bands.
Rory Hanka is Kentuckiana's fanciest of organ/keys ticklers... He is the hock of the ham in hammond B3, the dark sith of synth, and chancellor of the wurlitzer.
And, Tyler Little. Hands down one of the best drummers ever. Some drummers are drummers. Some are musicians who greatly contribute to all aspects of song and approach their instruments as tools of dynamics, transition, and direction.
...Benanthrope is the brainchild of singer-songwriter Ben Anthrope, who is an alternate personality of Ben Lally who years ago was dubbed Benanthrope by a kitchen supervisor.
Ben, being raised around bluegrass and classic country in small town Kentucky spent his youth trying to shake the stigma through getting into as much other music as possible from pop radio, to hair bands, to metal, punk, blues, funk, hip-hop, jazz, etc. Constantly searching for a new scene and identity he found himself jaded and lost until his wheel of misfortune landed him back to country and bluegrass; ironically, and inevitably kinda going full circle and being okay with that...
Since early childhood Ben was drawn to writing his own words set to his own music and speaking in 3rd person... At age five he wrote a song about an eagle with vocals and a casio and was made to play it to his aunts over and over.
Despite that traumatic experience, upon the purchase of Nashville Skyline, Sea Change, and Kid A at age 20 the infatuation with the lyric and song sprung up once more. Though it wasn't until 11 years and bands later that the fixation fully manifested. During those years wanting to write and record his own stuff, he kept his ear to the ground until he could get the right gear to record, while his more practical guitar skills were put to use in several bands ranging from progressive jazz, to blues metal, to nostalgic punk. While giving an honest effort to guitarmanship, -the night life, peculiarity, boredom with the norm and "an alternative lifestyle" kept drawing him away from his guitardation while pushing him closer to expression through lyric, instrumentation and arrangement. Via local college radio station he was able to draw on an eclectic pool of mercurial sources of inspiration ranging from Psychedelia, Kraut Rock, Be-Bop, Bluegrass, Electronic, Hip-Hop, Indie and Outlaw Country. You need not beat the bushes to find these influences and experiences in his songs.
During his time with the progressive jazz quintet known as the Sexual Disaster Quartet he built up a working, fundamental grasp of melody, rhythm, harmony, and song arrangement that you also need not search hard to feel in the voicings and structures of his freshman effort album 'saddest of bastards' and the live performance of it's contents. You will also hear the blues metal of The General Tso's blues project he was in, and lo-fi punk sounds from Randy Tuesday, as well as country, and western, and psychedelia - both new and old.
If you want a band that's real trendy or sounds like everyone else or fits perfectly in a genre box, you don't want Benanthrope. Some parts of their songs "jam out". Some are short and to the point with no instrumental breaks. Some songs are a little weird. Some songs are really straight-forward. Some are 3 minutes long, some are like six and a half. But, thus far... all songs have lyrics, structure, are at least moderately accessible to most crowds, and none of the guys in the band are complete screwballs: they're all professional-minded and proficient at their instruments. Currently they're doing only originals but if they do a cover it'll be in their way. They're easy going and in it for the fun and the pleasure of doing what they love.
Links
