BenBurgessBand

With all the political bickering of the upcoming presidential election and the war on terror gone completely awry, many Austinites have turned to one songwriter for peace of mind. Devoid of the anger that too many bands have filtered their music through, Ben Burgess found another route. His breezy sound resonates with the birds, the bees and the sunshine, but without the proverbial cheese. His lyrics are insightfully whimsical and eternally contented, with an under-current of the exploration on the meaning of life. His freestyle feel on the guitar is riddled with intelligent, folky chord progression with melodies inspired by everything from funk and reggae to ska and garage rock.
With a new single and two songs in the upcoming comedy flick, Sno Cone Stand, Inc., it’s no wonder this native Texan sings songs of optimism. “I got a synopsis of what [the movie] was about and I came up with a little jingle talking about the meaning of life… you know, happiness,” Burgess said in a recent YouTube video promoting the movie.
The Ben Burgess Band is a group comprised mainly of Burgess and Colin Roberts, a childhood friend and drummer, who Burgess refers to as the backbone to the collective soul of the band. Local musicians Kevin Platt, Nathanial Clarkman and Rodney Howle complete his sound.
Burgess began crafting his skills at an early age. “I started playing the guitar as soon as my hands could fit around the neck. My pops was my teacher…” he said.
Growing up in east Dallas, Burgess’ upbringing wasn’t all happy-go-lucky. But he did have the privilege of attending one of Texas’ premier arts magnet schools, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Grammy award winners like Erykah Badu, Norah Jones and jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove graced the same halls Burgess wandered. He knew he had a gift.
“…I had the choice of going to the ghetto local public school or the arts school downtown…The [arts] school was the perfect place for me…” Burgess said.
With the motto, ‘From the ground up,’ Burgess is looking forward to bringing his music to more people, “You gotta go for it. Life’s too short not to, right?”