Waiting on Ben
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Music
Press
Waiting on Ben (Cincinnati)
Usually when I go to a show and see the front man pull out an acoustic guitar, I roll my eyes and prepare for the worst (sorry, but the world has ENOUGH acoustic guitar players, if you know what I mean). But Ben Alexander is different. He has tunes that defy the acoustic guitar "indie" stereotype I'm so used to seeing. His songs are great (he avoids the cliche chord patterns like I-V-VI-IV that are endemic of bands like this) and he's a really versatile singer. Whether or not he's actually conscious of this, he can sound like John Mayer, or Michael Buble, he can do country, or even some dirty blues sounding stuff. And, he has competent musicians backing him up.
- Maurice (Moe) Thompkins (Of the Cincy Brass) - Metromix
Discography
Mr. Type A - 2009
Waiting on Ben - 2005
Trapeze - 2002
Underdog - 2000
Photos
Bio
“It’s pretty simple, really. I’m a singer/songwriter that tries to surround myself with great musicians and friends.”
-Ben Alexander
Waiting on Ben is Cincinnati’s quintessential “flex-rock” band. Named after frontman, Ben Alexander’s “alarm clock malfunction” before a gig one evening, this revolving cast of players is as diverse in its lineup as it is in its style. Actually, the ONLY consistent elements are: Ben Alexander, a microphone, and six guitar strings.
“After that, you never know who’s gonna be there!” says Ben, “I only have three rules about being in this band: You gotta be extremely reliable and loyal. You gotta be willing and able to sing. And you gotta be a whole lot better than me. I wanna be the worst guy in the band.”
So far, nobody’s contesting that!
Ben Alexander’s musical style has been compared to that of other acoustic-electric based singer/songwriters such as John Mayer, James Taylor, Dave Matthews, and Jason Mraz. But Ben, with a smile, modestly describes it as “music that you can crank up the volume if you want, but don’t necessarily have to turn it down when Mom comes in the room.” His listeners would probably say Ben failed to mention intuitive songwriting with well crafted hooks, solid guitar work, and sing-along lyrics dealing with the ups and downs of life, love, fears, frustrations, and the appreciation of the beauty of our surroundings.
Ben has played over 600 shows, released four independent cds, created a growing local following, and slowly built up his revolving cast of band members. Today, Waiting on Ben is: Josh Parker (drums, percussion), Devon Leigh (drums, percussion), Jude Hayden (bass, guitars, vocals), Jon Lattier (bass, guitars, vocals), Dave Swift (saxophones, keyboards, vocals), Carlos Vargas (guitars, vocals), Daniel Martens (keyboards, vocals), Paul Alexander (guitars, percussion, harmonicas, vocals).....and of course, Ben Alexander (guitars, harmonicas, vocals).
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