biographical info
The
matter of his songs tends towards the age-old subjects of love and
religion. Lyrically, a search for unity is expressed and sometimes
terminated in ghostly traces: "People walk around at the break of the
day / then they lie down in the air" and "Sacrifice is a word / that I
won't say again. / Sacrifice is absurd".
Ben presently makes his
home in Toronto where he has been performing solo since January, 2009,
and since then has earned respectful attention from the songwriting
community, performing weekly at legendary folk venue Fat Albert's and with a variety of folks from the Toronto songwriting community. After hearing him perform for the first time, Wiseman
thereupon invited him to perform at a tribute concert showcasing his
first album, "Bob Wiseman Sings Wrench Tuttle", to share a stage with
Ontario cornerstones Don Kerr, The Great Lake Swimmers and Ron Sexsmith.
influences
John Jacob Niles
Nina Simone
Paul Auster
Leo Tolstoy
Thelonius Monk
Laura Riding
Randy Newman
Charles Reznikoff
Regina Spektor
Bill Bourne