Howard taught Ben how to play the drums when he was just a seven-year-old. For the next year, the father and son would jam together almost every night after Howard got home from work. With Howard singing and playing guitar and Ben keeping the beat, the duo would play songs by The Beatles, The Hollies, Jimi Hendrix, and other artists of the 60s. Howard also has been a long-time friend of Bruce Springsteen associate Nils Lofgren, the two having gone to high school together.
When Ben turned eight, someone showed him how to play the chestnut "Heart And Soul" on the piano. The youngster immediately began to create his own songs using the same chords. By the time he was 9 he had a dozen original compositions under his belt and entered a songwriting contest sponsored by Billboard magazine. Kweller won honorable mention.
In 1993, Kweller became friends with another young local musician, drummer John Kent, and the two formed the band Radish with bassist Ryan Green. The trio played locally in and around Greenville, Texas and recorded two independent releases, ''Hello'' (1994) and ''Dizzy'' (1995), with Martin Baird at Verge Music Works recording studio in Dallas, Texas. Around the time of ''Dizzy's'' release, Ryan Green decided to leave the band and focus his attention on school. Lorin Hamilton filled in for a few months until Bryan Bradford AKA Bryan Blur joined on for most of the band's career. Ben sent a copy of ''Dizzy'' to Nils Lofgren. Nils was impressed with Radish and recommended them to Roger Greenawalt who was producing Lofgren's album at the time, ''Damaged Goods''. Greenawalt took Radish into a studio where they recorded a demo tape which was subsequently shopped around to record labels nationwide, After an unexpected bidding war, Radish eventually signed to Mercury to release the album Restraining Bolt.
Radish made appearances on ''The Weird Al Show'', ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and ''Late Show with David Letterman'', but despite the much-hyped signing, the band failed to strike big success. Radish earned a large cult following in the United Kingdom with their top 40 hit "Little Pink Stars". The band toured several times in Europe including opening slots for Faith No More and Main Stage at Reading Festival '97. Radish released two singles. In 1998 Radish became a quartet featuring Joe Butcher (Polyphonic Spree, UFOFU) on lead guitar and Debbie Williams on bass. Radish went to Muscle Shoals Studio in Alabama to record the follow-up to ''Restraining Bolt'', provisionally titled ''Discount Fireworks''. The band recorded with record producer Bryce Goggin (Pavement, The Lemonheads). While mixing ''Discount Fireworks'' in NYC, Kweller and Kent met bassist Josh Lattanzi who would become Radish's 5th and final bass player. As a result of Polygram's merger with Universal Music Group, the 18-song album was never released and Radish soon secured a release from their contract with Mercury Records.
At age 19, Ben Kweller moved to New York with his girlfriend Liz Smith, where he began his solo career. He played acoustic shows and self-released four EP's, comprising some of the unreleased Radish ''Discount Fireworks'' recordings and other songs recorded in his apartment on a laptop computer. It was one of these EPs, ''Freak Out, It's Ben Kweller'', that caught the attention of Evan Dando of The Lemonheads, and Dando invited Kweller out on tour with him, playing across America and Europe. Jeff Tweedy, Juliana Hatfield and Guster also began to notice Kweller and took him on tour with them
In 2001 Ben Kweller became ATO Records's first worldwide signing and released a 5-track EP entitled ''EP Phone Home''. In March 2002, ''Sha Sha'', Kweller's first solo studio Album was released. ''Sha Sha'' included the very radio-friendly and popular single "Wasted & Ready". The album featured John Kent on drums, Josh Lattanzi on bass, and showcased a wide variety of sound from Quirky Pop music to Folk to Punk. The album grew in popularity with a grassroots effort based on his website and a promotion group called teamBK, which promoted via word-of-mouth advertising. To support the release of the album and EP, he put together a live band, initially comprising Lattanzi on bass, Fred Eltringham on drums, and Mike Stroud on guitar and keyboards. Towards the end of the ''Sha Sha'' album cycle, the four-piece performed on PBS's Austin City Limits
In 2003, Kweller toured Australia with Ben Folds and Ben Lee as The Bens. The trio produced an eponymous four-song EP, with each member taking lead vocals on one song, and a final song in which they all contributed vocals. In an interview on October 14 2006 Ben hinted that The Bens may do another album. Later in 2003, Kweller provided lead vocals on the song "I Hope Tomorrow is Like Today" from Guster's album ''Keep It Together''. Kweller and Guster co-wrote the song after a late night jam at Gusters' Brooklyn studio. The song is prominently featured in the movie The Wedding Crashers.
''On My Way'' (2004), Kweller's second album, went in a new direction. The album, produced by Ethan Johns (Ryan Adams, Kings of Leon), was recorded 'live' - there were limited overdubs and no use of headphones. After the release of On My Way, Kweller embarked on more touring, playing to his largest audiences ever, including a US tour co-headlining with Death Cab for Cutie. By this point, the lineup of his live band had changed to include John Kent on drums and Jason Roberts on guitar and keyboards, after Mike Stroud left to concentrate on his own band Ratatat and Fred Eltringham left to play drums in The Wallflowers.
In 2006 he recorded his third album, ''Ben Kweller'' with record producer, Gil Norton. Unlike the previous studio albums, Kweller played all the instruments on this record himself. Kweller continued to tour to support his self-titled album, and expanded his band into a five piece, which grew to include Dan Horne on bass, Mark Stepro on drums, Jay Barclay on guitar and organ, and Jason Roberts on lead guitar. Kweller continued to play guitar and piano on this tour, but it also gave him the opportunity to just sing on certain songs.
His tie-in "Trio on the Train Track Tour" included a new live band comprising Chris Morrissey on bass and Mark Stepro on drums. During the Australian leg of the tour, the band was composed of Jay Barclay on guitar, Dan Horne on bass and Mark Stepro continuing on drums.
As part of his 2006 tour, Kweller played the Austin City Limits Music Festival, where he was plagued by a severe nosebleed for the entirety of his set. After covering his guitar in blood, he attempted to stop the flow by inserting a travel-size tampon thrown onto the stage by a fan, which expanded painfully during a performance of "This Is War." After attempting to play "Falling" at the piano, which also became covered in blood, Kweller was forced to end the set early.
In the Spring of 2007, Kweller co-headlined with his label-mates Gomez. He continued through the summer with his own string of headlining dates which eventually ended at another appearance at ACL fest. This time no bloody nose, however, commemorative T-shirts were sold at the merch booth with fake blood stains that said "ACL 2007: The return of Ben Kweller".
Immediately following his performance at ACL, Kweller began recording his fourth full-length LP, ''Changing Horses'' in Austin, Texas on September 21, 2007. The album features the trio on the train tracks, and Pedal Steel/Dobro player Kitt Kitterman. In 2008, Kweller re-signed with ATO Records who released ''Changing Horses'' in early 2009.
Kweller's fifth studio album, entitled "Go Fly A Kite," was his first release produced solely by his own record label, The Noise Company. In earlier interviews, Kweller had stated that it would be released as early as March or April of 2011. However, after that the manager of The Noise Company stated that the album was now set to come out either late January or early February of 2012. Kweller confirmed on stage at Stubbs in Austin on 4/16/11 that the delay in release is a result of Kweller's parting ways with his former record label, ATO Records, and his desire to release the recording independently. Kweller had also stated the album would be very electric and energetic while dealing with some darker topics. It will be accompanied by a comprehensive world tour and several media appearances. The album was released in February of 2012.
In 2013 Kweller announced via facebook that he would be doing a "split" record with Waylon Jennings.
More info here: http://www.daytrotter.com/#!/content/nrn/vinyl-kweller-jennings.htm
This Is War
Ben Kweller Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got an army on the battlefield
Outnumbered like the Alamo
I don't even want to go
This is war
Yeah yeah yeah
This is war
Always stuck in a daydream
Can't focus on the other team
Hunted you all day and night
Now I'm ready for a fight
This is war
Yeah yeah yeah
This is war
I can't be your friend
'cause I got to knock you out
Are you ready for a surprise?
I don't even think you even realize
They say that you're the best
You gotta follow all the rest
This is war
Yeah yeah yeah
This is war
I can't be your friend
'cause I gotta knock you out
So I can win.
The lyrics of Ben Kweller's "This Is War" depict the singer as a soldier on a battlefield, facing overwhelming odds against an enemy army. He compares his predicament to that of the Alamo, where a small group of Texans were besieged by a much larger force of Mexican troops in 1836. Despite feeling outmatched, the singer is ready to fight and willing to do what it takes to win. He declares that "this is war" multiple times, driving home the severity of the situation.
The second verse reveals that the singer has been daydreaming and lacks focus, but he has still managed to track down his target throughout the day and night. The line "I can't be your friend 'cause I got to knock you out" suggests that the enemy may have been someone he knew or had some kind of relationship with, but the singer has put those feelings aside in order to achieve victory.
In the chorus, the singer addresses his opponent directly, asking if they're ready for a surprise and warning them that they need to "follow all the rest" if they truly want to be the best. Once again, the line "this is war" emphasizes the seriousness of the conflict and the stakes involved. The final line, "so I can win," reinforces the idea that, to the singer, victory is everything.
Overall, "This Is War" is a song about determination in the face of adversity, with lyrics that use military imagery to convey a sense of high stakes and urgency. The singer is committed to winning the battle, even if it means sacrificing personal relationships, and the repetition of the phrase "this is war" underscores the importance of the conflict.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm a soldier on a battlefield
I am a brave soldier fighting for my cause on a battlefield
Got an army on the battlefield
I have a group of powerful soldiers fighting with me on the battlefield
Outnumbered like the Alamo
We are outnumbered like the brave soldiers at the Alamo
I don't even want to go
I am not willing to give up or retreat, despite feeling hopeless
This is war
A declaration of our current state of combat, where we are fighting for our beliefs and survival
Always stuck in a daydream
I am constantly distracted by daydreams and unable to fully focus on the battle at hand
Can't focus on the other team
I am having trouble concentrating on the enemy and their strategies
Hunted you all day and night
I have been tracking you vigilantly every moment, even during the night
Now I'm ready for a fight
I have prepared myself for the upcoming battle and am now ready to engage in combat
I can't be your friend
I cannot be amicable with you, as we are in opposing sides of the war
'cause I got to knock you out
I must defeat you in order to win the war
Are you ready for a surprise?
I am questioning if you are prepared for the unexpected tactics that we will employ in battle
I don't even think you even realize
I doubt that you are fully aware of the severity of the situation and the danger it poses
They say that you're the best
The enemy has been hailed as the strongest and most skilled fighter
You gotta follow all the rest
They follow the same teachings and doctrines as all other enemy soldiers
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind