Vents MagaZine Music and Entertainment Magazine
Related Articles
- Hi Ben, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?
I am lovely! Thanks for taking the time to cover the release of Echolocationism. Beyond excited to get this out into the world!!
- Your musical journey has taken you from The Terms and the early days of your career with producer Greg Ladanyi to years of touring, raising a family, and eventually finding your way back to Southeast Louisiana. Looking back at everything that has shaped you, how do you see this new chapter of your life reflected in your new material Echolocationism?
Echolocationism is definitely a reflection on all the different paths I’ve taken over the last 2 decades. I even went back and pulled a few old demos and reworked some songs that started writing right after The Terms came to an end.
But this new chapter of life definitely comes through in Echolocationism. I’ve seen and experienced more. I love being able to move in and out of different circles and interests because that lets you find new and unfamiliar places, faces and feelings. If you’re going to be a great songwriter, you must experience life.
- The new album is a notably stripped-down effort, built primarily around your voice and your grandfather’s Martin D-28 acoustic guitar. After years of working with bands and exploring different sounds, what drew you toward this more intimate approach, and did writing these songs acoustically reveal anything about your songwriting that you hadn’t fully recognized before?
The recording process was different for sure. You can’t hide little imperfections when it’s just your voice and a guitar. I rehearsed plenty before hitting record, but you can still hear some of the little imperfections, which I love!
I’ve always written lyrics and arrangements on acoustic guitar or piano first, so the writing process for that portion was the same. In the past, I would have taken these songs to rehearsals or writing sessions and sonically fleshed out rhythms, instrumentation, harmonies, etc. with my bandmates.
- The title Echolocationism is particularly intriguing, especially given your background in physics and control systems engineering and your fascination with acoustics and echolocation. How did that concept become connected to the album, and what does the idea of finding your way through sound mean to you on a personal or creative level?
Science has always fascinated me, and I had been playing with the idea of Echolocation and Echolocationism for a while. It doesn’t relate to music specifically, but it could be seen that music is the way humans can echolocate and feel through sound. I just thought it was a fun concept and went with it.
Echolocationism is not an actual word I don’t believe. Because I have so many songs, I often think about 3-4 next projects. I was going to (and still might) call the next one Echolocation, then the next Echo, etc.
- Your second single, “The Side Effects,” follows “Set a New Course,” a song about direction, circumstance, and the forces that shape our decisions. Both titles suggest an interest in how our experiences influence who we become. What inspired these songs, and how do they introduce the larger emotional and philosophical themes of the album?
Everyday life inspired these songs. I believe it was John Lennon who said, “Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.”
I’ve accepted that things will not always go my way and do my best to find meaning in all the moments in between the plans. Like I mentioned earlier, if you want to be a great songwriter, you must get in and experience all that life has to offer.
I also have a wonderful family and 3 kids. They have not experienced all that I have yet. While “The Side Effects” and “Set a New Course” may seem a little melancholy, I think they are incredibly optimistic and hopeful for the future. I want my kids (and any human being) to one day listen to these songs and hear some fatherly advice that I may not have ever been able to manifest when speaking.
- Your career has been marked by some deeply challenging experiences, including Hurricane Katrina, the 2006 car accident involving The Terms, and the loss of Greg Ladanyi in 2009. Without reducing those events to songwriting material, how have they changed your perspective on music, resilience, and the importance of continuing to create even when life takes an unexpected turn?
Yeah, those were and still are tough to think and talk about. Truly, when life-changing circumstances happen in an instant you never really know how you will come out on the other end. I think I am much more grateful for the little wins and moments now that I know they can change at any moment. I also think those instances have taught me to reflect a little deeper on the triumphs and tragedies of the human condition.
Also, I am now know I am a resilient fucker who was born to write songs.
- Greg Ladanyi was more than a Grammy-winning producer you worked with on The Terms’ Small Town Computer Crash; he was also a mentor who helped shape your ambitions as a songwriter. What lessons from your time working with him have stayed with you most, and do you find yourself drawing on his advice or creative philosophy when approaching a record like Echolocationism?
Yes, Greg was certainly more than just a record producer for us. We were really young, and entering a new level of recording, writing and touring that we had only dreamed about. There were temptations, roadblocks, disagreements and creative challenges that he helped us understand and navigate professionally.
Greg told me a song should be able to stand up and carry the same feeling with just a voice and acoustic guitar as it would with full production. Imagine hearing Don Henely play “Boys of Summer” with just his distinct voice and melodies. Same solid song.
- Louisiana has remained a central part of your story, from The Terms’ regional roots to your work with Ben Labat & the Happy Devil and performances alongside artists such as Cyril Neville and Tab Benoit. What is it about Louisiana’s musical culture and sense of community that keeps drawing you back, and how has living there shaped your identity as an artist?
Louisiana is just home. It’s very diverse and respects many different genres of music. You can come to a show here and see a band with an accordion and fiddle player hitting a Zydeco groove accompanied by lead guitars channeling David Gilmour and a drummer playing Like Dave Grohl. Gumbo!
- During the pandemic, you launched the Bayou Fever Sessions to help fellow Louisiana musicians generate income when live performances became impossible. What motivated you to create that project, and did the experience reinforce your belief that musicians have a responsibility to support one another beyond their own careers?
I was fortunate enough during the pandemic to have other revenue streams to support myself and my family while not being able to play LIVE. Musicians whose primary source of income was LIVE performance were literally out of work because of lockdowns. I had worked with many of these musicians in LIVE and studio settings before and wanted to help.
I recorded a handful of acoustic songs and then we passed around the session, and everyone recorded individual parts from their home studios. The songs came out great and we sold some merch to give back to everyone that played on the songs. We were able to raise a few thousand dollars and give each musician a few hundred bucks to help with bills.
- Beyond music, you’ve completed a degree at LSU, worked as a physics teacher and control systems engineer, raised three children, coached soccer internationally, and embraced CrossFit with your family. How do these different sides of your life influence your creativity, and has becoming a husband and father changed the way you think about the stories you want to tell through your songs?
The lens through which I see the world is still slightly rose-colored, but there is a more realistic filter applied for sure…lol. Like I mentioned earlier, I love being in and doing life with the ones I love and the new ones I meet. All the above have helped shape my mind, body and soul and that should hopefully come through in the music as well.
- With Echolocationism arriving on October 23 and intimate listening-room performances planned throughout Southeast Louisiana, you’re bringing these songs to audiences in a setting that seems especially suited to their personal nature. What do you hope listeners take away from hearing this album, and as you look toward the future, what does moving forward as an independent Louisiana musician mean to you now?
I love playing in listening rooms where people hang on every word and then start asking questions about the songs during breaks. I love it when my art performs on its own and then allows for me or any artist to elaborate and go deeper into the performance.
In a world where so much of what we see and hear is manipulated with technology, social media and advertisements. I felt it increasingly important to release music that was in every essence, human. There are no production tweaks or tricks in this collection. This collection of songs may move some to tears of joy and it may move others to skip the entire collection as fast as possible. That is perfectly fine. I am only the creator of something I feel is genuine and honest. I am not the judge. In an attempt to put words and melody to feelings that are almost impossible to describe, I hope the songs cause the listener to pause, reflect, adjust their view, stay rooted, move forward, step back, love deeply and loosen their grip, but mostly I hope that the listener feels connection and knows they are not the only ones feeling all the feels.
Being a musician from Louisiana will always be a part of who I am, but I want people to understand that my music is for everyone, no matter where they come from. These songs come from my own life and experiences, but I hope they can mean something to people all over the world. I have big dreams for where this journey can take me, and I’m working every day to get to that next level. One of my biggest goals is to get out on the road, reach new audiences, and hopefully one day tour alongside artists like John Mayer or Noah Kahan. I’m proud of where I come from, but I know there’s so much more ahead, and I’m ready to see how far this music can go.
