Leaping into the middle of the crowd of students in the basement of the Memorial Union on Friday April 30, Ben Kweller began his Hoodlums sponsored, mini-performance with guitar in hand, characteristic Texan cowboy boots, and soft, folksy tunes to keep the listeners entertained for the half hour set.
Pumping up the small audience with songs from his new album 'On My Way',
Kweller was in no need of his back up singers as a buzz from the crowd emerged with a perfect background harmony. Even with a broken G-strong, he wowed theaudience with witty stories behind his tunes from the 2002 album Sha Sha, andhis casual charismatic way of evoking laughter with every conversation.
Afterthe short lived set, he signed autographs for the line of people, laughing andtalking with his adoring fans.
Hoards of fans (all ages) waited outside the Marquee Theater that evening in anticipation of Death Cab for Cutie and Kweller. The small Texas band, Centro-matic opened with an Eels-esque sound filling the venue. Fans were amused at the lead singer's crazy ballerina leaps as he rocked to the mellow lyrics. The band played alongside Kweller when he was in the small band, Radish, before the days of his solo career.
"We are like a friendly family, all easy and wonderful," Centro-matic commented between sets. "We played in Austin and, although it was raining all day, it stopped right as we got on stage. It was as if the show was just meant to happen."
Kweller strode onto the stage and gave a performance that was so much more than just satisfactory for the fans. With enthusiasm that has grown immensely since the 'Sha Sha' tour, he leapt from speakers to the drum set, and rocked out on the keyboard for his quieter, yet incredibly sharp-witted songs.
With the slower ballads from both albums, lighters swayed throughout the air. Even with the small hiccup of messing up a verse in the title track On
My Way, the audience wasn't phased as he mumbled a "Shit sorry," and carried on with as much ease as he had started. For a brilliant and surprising last song,he brought out Nils Lofgren as a guitar addition to No Reason. The extendedguitar solos had all eyes glued to the stage and aroused the loudest and longest applause of the night.
The pitter-patter of twelve-year-old feet clothed in All Star sneakers fled to the front of the stage as emo band Deathcab for Cutie came on stage. The kids rocked out to them, while their parents waited patiently, smiling politely, on the outskirts of the room. Swaying to the whining tunes, they would have a hardcore story to tell their classmates in first period on Monday morning I'm sure.
Hanging around after the show like a groupie, sitting on the curb, I managed to snag a few minutes with Ben. After initially confirming to him that "I'm British not Australian," he told me the main influences of the new album are Beatles inspired with "'Let it Be' [being so] folksy and all over the place.
He also considers 'Velvet Underground' a "major influence." When I asked him of the differences between his boy band days and his sky rocketing solo career he said, with a laugh, "Radish feels like a lifetime ago!
"I have a clearer vision of what I want to achieve," Kweller added. I can speak my mind and really get my feelings out now."
Then came the toughie as I asked, "If there is any band you could tour with who would it be?"
"Oh man...I think I'm going to have to say Creedence Clearwater Revival. (Pauses as he looks up quizzically). Yeah definitely."
With 'On My Way' showing so much growth since 'Sha Sha', fans look forward to another classic 'Ben' album. Who knows what genre he will incorporate into new songs, and what he next will find to write about. From his first experience with Jaegermeister to his little apartment in New York, you can get to know the truly sweet and funny personality of Ben Kweller through his expressive lyrics, without ever having to meet him.
