Ben Hammond is schooled in jazz, raised on rock, immersed in soul, and fascinated with music the world over. Whether strumming a ballad or looping a beatbox improv, Ben's engaging vocals weave within a framework of genre-shifting instrumentation to provide a platform for contemplative, understated lyrics.
Ben Hammond
(benhammondmusic)
-- Lead Vocals, Guitars, Theremin, Beatboxing
Nico Dann
-- Studio Drums
Danny Berglund
-- Touring Drums
Gabe Nespoli
-- Keys
Kelly Muse
-- Touring Bass
Dan Fortin
-- Studio Bass
Dan Brock
-- Touring Bass
Cort Farris
-- Steel Pan
ABOUT THE BAND - 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 extensively (from his home in rural New England all the way 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 (Montreal's Sala Rossa and Metropolis, Town Hall in NYC).
In March 2008 Ben completed his full length studio album "[Reasonably] Honest" with a full band and Downbeat Magazine award winning mixer Reuben Ghose, which has garnered him radio interviews and airplay across the Eastern United States and Canada. Tracks from the album have also received multiple awards, most notably in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. 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. In just over one year since it's release, "[Reasonably] Honest" has sold over 1,500 copies and continues to sell while Ben prepares for the next album.
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 throat singing, beatboxing, and harmonized scatting. When performing his composed material, either as a soloist or with his quartet, the music features Ben's engaging, soulful vocals weaved within a framework of genre-shifting instrumentation, providing a platform for his subtle, contemplative lyrics.
Remember: to hear the music play you will need your browser to allow pop-up windows for the music player to appear. This will let you browse the web while listening to music.