about Ben Hammond
Born in the tiny town of Hiram, Maine and graduated in 2006 with a degree in Music Technology from McGill University in Montreal, Ben Hammond has since been touring (from his home in rural New England to New Zealand) and playing his unique brand of Acoustic Soul-Pop at a variety of festivals (Montreal Jazz Festival, Portland Old Port Fest) and hundreds of venues (Montrealās Sala Rossa and Metropolis, Town Hall in NYC). In March 2008 Ben completed his full length studio album ā[Reasonably] Honestā with a full band and Downbeat Magazine award winning mixer Reuben Ghose, which has garnered him radio interviews and airplay across the Northeast (see below). On June 10th, 2008 Ben played to a sold out crowd (200+ people, 17$ tickets, no opener) for his official hometown album launch at the breathtaking Stone Mountain Arts Center in Maine, which has featured such greats as Bela Fleck and the Indigo Girls.
Schooled in jazz, raised on rock, immersed in soul, and fascinated with music the world over, Ben can just as easily be found strumming and singing a ballad as he can live looping an a cappella improvisation of Tuvan throat singing, beatboxing, and harmonized scatting. When performing his composed material, either as a soloist or with his quartet, the music features Benās engaging, soulful vocals weaved within a framework of genre-shifting instrumentation, providing a platform for his subtle, contemplative lyrics.
www.benhammondmusic.com
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posted October 2nd at 11:54am
For updates on gigs, free mp3s, and more cool info, check out my full blog at www.benhammondmusic.com
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Review by Darryl Gregory at Indie-Music.com: - [This] singer-songwriter does a lot more than just play guitar; he beat boxes, circuit bends and writes damned good songs his new CD, [Reasonably] Honest, has ten tracks that weave in and out of jazz, rock, reggae, rap and pop while staying true to a sound that is definitely Ben Hammond. [He] sounds, vocally, like Jamie Cullum and John Mayer and has a bouncy guitar style with great backbeats that remind me of Jack Johnson. The thing that sets him apart from those guys is his ability to blur the line between jazz, pop and hip-hop and do it so that it doesn't sound forced.
October 2nd at 11:58am- [This] singer-songwriter does a lot more than just play guitar; he beat boxes, circuit bends and writes damned good songs his new CD, [Reasonably] Honest, has ten tracks that weave in and out of jazz, rock, reggae, rap and pop while staying true to a sound that is definitely Ben Hammond. [He] sounds, vocally, like Jamie Cullum and John Mayer and has a bouncy guitar style with great backbeats that remind me of Jack Johnson. The thing that sets him apart from those guys is his ability to blur the line between jazz, pop and hip-hop and do it so that it doesn't sound forced.
October 2nd at 11:57am