Ben Fields

Born at home, on a bed upon which he slept on until late 2007, the life of Bennerfields started unusually as night crept through Halloween. Young, costumed beggars broke down the door of #123 of no particular street in New York, and life began for Bennerfields. His childhood was spent in the darkened hallways and covered walkways of a Zen Buddhist temple, where family and friends sat and examined the nature of thoughts, and mind. Mantras were spoken quietly, wooden drums held time, smoke coiled through the nose. A line stayed with him. “Gone, Gone, Gone beyond…”

The foremost of his years his lungs drank the dense New York air, but only to see what he describes as “The Great Continental Shift” when, at age 15, his family moved to Sydney, Australia. He arrived with a duffel bag, a laptop, and a guitar.
His writing reflects a lifetime of questions, so few of which he describes as “answered”. He crosses genres without hesitation. His comforting and powerful voice tells of longing and love lost, reflecting his grief and joy… Every note springs forth with dedication and conviction, and his songs change and grow with him. Here are his words, of his music.

Bennerfields studied music composition for 4 years before psychology and political economy became his focus. He was engaged to be married, and his life looked like it was supposed to. Dog, house, wife to be… It all looked just like you would expect. Though, as life does, things changed. In a matter of days all those things were gone, and he was left with nothing but his thoughts and a few guitars in a room that was only big enough for a futon and his clothes. He began writing. Furiously he composed, but not to write… This systematic release was his only way of understanding his loss.
He stayed in that room for close to 12 months before he was prepared to emerge. When he did, he carried a body of work with more depth than anything he had ever created before. His work is raw, unedited, and filled with the unmistakable sound of love torn apart.
These songs would have simply been his own reflective process if he hadn’t had one of them as his mobile phone ringtone. One night, a friend heard it and asked what it was… He told her he had written it and she begged to hear the rest. From then, he started slowly allowing people to hear what he had written. The votes were so close to unanimous, they could hardly be considered anything else. “These songs are extraordinary…” people would remark. He listened to their reviews. Timid and careful about revealing his soul, he began playing in Sydney. An onlooker new to Bennerfields was captured in a recording .“Where has this guy been???” she asked. Since 2009 he has been in pre-production for his debut album and sees this journey as “remembering the future…”
“This has already all happened.” He says. “I’m just revisiting a dream I’ve not yet had…”
2010 will see the release of his first EP and LP in quick succession, and a short North American tour to promote the album. He regularly plays with a selection of hand picked session musicians, and his recordings have seen him in the finest studios Australia has to offer. He prefers though, to record in his bedroom.
He is an independent artist without label or management representation, although offers have been made. He books his own gigs, and makes his own way. You’ll hear from him soon, one way or another.