Contact: BenKweller@7smgmt.com
Indie icon, Ben Kweller, has captured the hearts of fans and critics for nearly two decades. His schizophrenic approach to music-making and refusal to be pigeonholed has given him a career that rolls on regardless of fads and trends. His latest album, Circuit Boredom, proves once again that when darkness comes, Kweller brings a melodic lantern.
In late 1999, the then frazzled 18-year-old arrived in New York City and was taken under the wings of rock n roll royalty. Evan Dando, Jeff Tweedy, Juliana Hatfield, and Gordon Gano were among the old garde who saw something special in Kweller’s exuberance and knack for melody. The newly formed ATO Records also identified with the artist and signed him to the label’s first exclusive world-wide deal. As the “BK buzz” grew around the city, a national spotlight shone down on the local scene as a whole. Kweller hit the road with his mates The Strokes, Moldy Peaches, and other fellow up-starts of the day. In the fall of 2002, MTV first aired the slacker anthem “Wasted & Ready” and Kweller went from Anti-folk darling to Alt-rock hero overnight.
Kweller’s genre-jumping catalog spans six albums, four EP’s, and multiple singles - all of which represent different facets of the artist. His musicianship is fully on display in the 2006 self-titled album where he plays every instrument inside a Jeff Lynneian sheen. His sparse 60’s zinger, On My Way (2004) is considered a classic of early 2000’s garage revival, while the countrified Changing Horses (2008), garnered 4 stars by Country Weekly Magazine (a first for ATO at that time). In 2010, Kweller left ATO to work with Austin-based label co-op, The Noise Company. Kweller’s love for art and design was brought to the forefront with his 2012 release, Go Fly A Kite. The physical release featured a fold-out diorama and songbook complete with lyrics and chords. It was an ambitious effort that ultimately paid off with a nomination for “Best Album Package'' at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards. Finally, it would be remiss to mention Ben Kweller without mentioning Sha Sha (2002), which is held by many critics as one of the great Alt-rock-underdog debuts - up there with Is this it, Marquee Moon, and Violent Femmes.
Over the years, Kweller has collaborated with many artists from many genres. In 2003, he teamed up with Ben Folds and Ben Lee to form the indie super-group, The Bens. He co-wrote “I Hope Tomorrow Is Like Today” with the band Guster, which became one of their fan favorites and a standout track in the film The Wedding Crashers. He played piano on Albert Hammond Jr’s solo debut single, “101”, and in 2007, he and Ryan Adams joined up with 70’s desert rockers, America, to lend overdubs to their album, Here And Now. Fellow troubadour, Conor Oberst considers Kweller an “honorary member of Bright Eyes” due to the various concerts and recording sessions that Kweller has contributed to. Kweller co-wrote the standout track, “Lost Without You” for Rhett Miller’s third solo album, The Believer, and has a handful of collabs set to release in 2021-2022.
Before the pandemic, Kweller spent 2019 opening for Ed Sheeran in stadiums across Europe and was summoned to the UK to perform at the pop star’s wedding. Sheeran requested the happy-teared “Thirteen” (one of Kweller’s finest) to be played during his first dance with his new wife Cherry Seaborn. In the fall of 2020, Kweller was featured on the cover Performer magazine and celebrated for his ingenuity during the pandemic. Kweller was quick to pivot online and nurture his fanbase virtually. His fanclub, Bright and Early, is a testament to his ability to create community outside of mainstream channels. A self-proclaimed “DIY Patreon”, Bright and Early, gives fans the opportunity to connect with Kweller and enjoy exclusive and unreleased music that isn’t available anywhere else.
As 2020 came to a close, Kweller, feeling restless, decided to drop an album as a gift to his fans. Circuit Boredom was released on January 1st, 2021, and with over 3,000,000 streams to date, Circuit Boredom is poised to become one of Kweller’s most successful album releases yet. The opening track, “Starz'' is a lighters-in-the-air anthem that has been in rotation across the US and reigned as the #1 song on Austin’s KGSR for 6 weeks straight.