Known for his hooky, melodic, Beatle-esque rock songs, Ben Kweller will unveil a separate side to his artistic talent with his forthcoming album, "Changing Horses." Still in the opening leg of his latest three-month tour, Kweller is performing one night only tonight at 9:00 p.m. at Boston's Paradise Rock Club.
Kweller, now 27, caught the attention of bands and critics alike when, at the age of 19, he released several short EPs. He gained recognition via the Internet with his promotions team, Team BK, and his One Minute Pop Songs, videos he recorded exploring his musical roots and his life. To date, he has performed with musical acts such as Guster, Gomez and Ben Folds, and has recorded three studio albums.
Set for release in early 2009, "Changing Horses" is being categorized as alternative country, a genre unfamiliar to most Kweller fans. Kweller, however, said in an interview with the Daily that he has been writing country songs for "years and years" and he had first collected all the "country songs that would pop out of me" and then simply compiled them for "Changing Horses." "It's not like I woke up one day and said ‘I'm making a country record,'" he said. "It's been something that I have been planning on doing for a long time."
Kweller also noted that several of his previous albums include singles with "country twang" and cited country influences, relating some of his songs to country icons such as Hank Williams, Roger Miller, Waylon Jennings and Leon Russell, as well as more contemporary country artists like Garth Brooks. Yet Kweller also called some of the music on his album "gospel-ly" and "bluesy," and he personally would not label "Changing Horses" as alternative country.
"People probably call it alt country because they can't think of anything better, or because I come from a rock ‘n' roll background," Kweller said. "It's actually just deep in country and western and very traditional folk music."
Kweller recorded his previous, self-titled LP (2006) independently; he played each instrument on his own and pieced together the separate parts. For his new album, Kweller reverted back to playing with a good old-fashioned band, his "favorite way to record music" because he likes to play "with other humans."
"There is just something that happens in the studio that is really magical," Kweller said. "You have people playing off of each other and reacting musically to what the other person's doing."
The uniqueness and core of Kweller's usual music will still be retained in Changing Horses and will simply be enhanced with a slightly different genre. The soft melodies, natural flow and raw emotion that characterize Kweller's songs will remain evident throughout his fourth album. He implied that Changing Horses, however, would have "heavier" subject matter, including a song about his friend who passed away and several songs about drug addiction.
As for the tour, Kweller said it has been "really fun" and that his "fans have been so wonderful [and] have really enjoyed the new material." He has been especially excited about Whitley, an Australian singer who has been opening for and touring with Kweller, and some future collaborations, including one with Bright Eyes' lead singer, Conor Oberst. Raised in Texas, Kweller has traveled all over the United States and is eager to return to Boston, as he insists he "can't wait to play the Paradise again."
Tonight's concert will give fans a chance to experience Kweller in a small venue, filled with mostly student-age fans from all over the Boston area. Kweller will be previewing his new album while mixing in some old songs with a new "Changing Horses sound."
Don't miss Kweller's pit stop in Boston tonight, as it is a rare and exciting opportunity to experience his new sound before he jets off to Europe to play for audiences who have never even heard of alt country.
