Ben Smith

RECENT POSTS

December 14, 2012 | 1:37 PM | By

Ben Smith takes on Beck’s Song Reader


Singer-songwriter Ben Smith who just yesterday contributed this holiday song to the WXPN 12 Days of Local Christmas compilation, finds his musical inspiration from a variety of sources. One of those is old sheet music. Smith is a collector of sheet music, and when he heard about Beck’s recent Song Reader project, he decided to take part in it.

Song Reader is Beck’s new album, sort of. It is an exquisitely packaged collection of twenty new songs “existing only as individual pieces of sheet music, never before released or recorded.” Let’s just say it had Ben Smith’s name written all over it.

As part of the release of the project, Beck has been posting videos of musicians performing songs from Song Reader. You can watch the performances here. Smith couldn’t resist contributing; you can watch him perform “Last Night You Were A Dream” below and on the Song Reader site. We reached out to Ben via e-mail to reflect on Beck’s project, how it relates to his creative process and why he chose the song he chose to perform. Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Artists, Concert Previews, Events, Ben Smith
December 13, 2012 | 5:49 AM | By

The 12 Days of Local Christmas: Download “Son, You Should Come Home for Christmas” by Ben Smith

WXPN’s Twelve Days of Local Christmas continues today with the song “Son, You Should Come Home For Chritsmas” by singer-songwriter Ben Smith. You can download the song below, but be sure to download the song’s B-Side, “Black Friday” from Smith’s Old Man Winter, Volume 2 here. Recorded at Milkboy Philly, the song includes Matt Magarahan on drums and bassist Tim Celfo. Smith has been one of XPN’s long time favorite singer-songwriters with an excellent body of work behind him as a solo artist and with his bands Missing Palmer West and Wise and Foolish Builders. A year ago Smith was featured in a Key Studio Video Session that you can watch here. The 12 Days of Local Christmas compilation is curated by XPN mid-day host Helen Leicht and the songs will be played daily during My Morning Download on the Morning Show with Michaela Majoun and on Helen’s local pick of the day. You can download the entire Twelve Days of Local Christmas compilation here.

FILED UNDER: Artists, Downloads, Recordings, Ben Smith, My Morning Download, XPN's 12 Days Of Local Christmas
July 8, 2012 | 11:30 AM | By

Celebrate Woody Guthrie’s 100th birthday with Mason Porter, Hezekiah Jones and more (tonight at World Cafe Live)

Next Saturday marks the 100th birthday of the man who charted the course of American folk music as we know it, Woody Guthrie. In celebration, a roster of regulars from the Philadelphia folk scene are converging on the World Cafe Live stage tonight to pay tribute in song. Led by long-standing West Chester folk trio Mason Porter, the bill will feature Hezekiah Jones, ubiquitous harmonica player Bob Beach, local troubador John Flynn, piano-playing storyteller Ben Smith, host of The Folk Show on WXPN and regional folk guru Gene Shay, and many more. Members of the Philadelphia Folksong Society receive a $2 discount at the door, and a portion of the show’s proceeds will benefit the Lansdowne Folk Club. The Woody Guthrie 100th Birthday Celebration With Mason Porter and Friends takes place at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut Street, tonight at 7 p.m. Admission to the all-ages show is $10.

FILED UNDER: Artists, Concert Previews, Events, Ben Smith, Bob Beach, Hezekiah Jones, John Flynn, Lansdowne Folk Club, Mason Porter, Philadelphia Folksong Society, Woody Guthrie, World Cafe Live
January 20, 2012 | 12:10 PM | By

This Weekend’s Concert Picks: Ben Smith at Milkboy, City Rain at North Star Bar

Ben Smith

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20th
Ben Smith, leader of the West Chester-based chamber-rock group Missing Palmer West, was the subject of our November Key Studio Video Session. For the session, Smith brought in a string trio and drummer to perform the highlights off his debut solo album Crooked Earth, which was digitally released in the fall. Tonight, Smith celebrates the official release of the album. Two of the tracks from his session are below; you can listen to his full Key Studio Session and watch the video interview here.

Smith Ben Smith performs with Joe D’Amico at 8 p.m. at Milkboy Ardmore; tickets to the all-ages show are $8–$10.

Also Playing: Anthony Green + The Dear Hunter at Union Transfer (8:30 p.m., all ages, $17–18); “Matthew Gallagher Photography Exhibit” featuring Nothing + Creepoid at The Level Room (7 p.m., 21+, $8); Akron/Family + Bad Weather California, Dangerous Ponies at The Blockley (9 p.m., 21+, $10–$13); Archives Of Oblivion + North Lawrence Midnight Singers, Andrew Gray at Milkboy Philly (10 p.m., 21+, $8–$10); Steve Goldberg And The Arch Enemies + Catnaps, Pete From Creeping Weeds at Kung Fu Necktie (7:30 p.m., 21+, $8);

Photo by Sarah Fry / sarahmakesphotos.com

SATURDAY, JANUARY 21st
Last month, XPN2′s John Vettese brought the Philly electropop duo City Rain into the WXPN studios for one of our Key Studio Sessions, which we posted last week. After spending some time with the pair in the studio, Vettese wrote: “Ben Runyan and Jarrett Zerrer are serious balls of creative energy – and when they recorded their Key Studio Session last month, it became clear that the music they make suits them perfectly. ‘Creepin’’ phases up and down in Depeche Mode vibeyness, and then Runyan takes a 180-degree turn and vocally flips out on ‘Watch Out’ and ‘Don’t Stay Inside.’ He’s got an intense delivery, and actually loses his breath at one point, but what are you going to when you’ve got beats copped from Moby’s “Body Rock” goading you on?” You can listen to two of those tracks below; the rest are available here.

City Rain performs with Tygerstripe, Bad News Bears, and Mean at 9 p.m. at North Star Bar; tickets to the 21+ show are $8.

Also Playing: Man Man + Deathfix, NAH at Union Transfer (8:30 p.m., all ages, $15–$17); Wildlife + Adam And Dave’s Bloodline, Satellite Hearts at Kung Fu Necktie (7:30 p.m., 21+, $8); Sun Ra Arkestra + West Philadelphia Orchestra, Impressionist at The Blockley (9 p.m., 21+, $13–$15)

SUNDAY, JANUARY 22nd
Twin Sister + Ava Luna at Johnny Brenda’s (9 p.m., 21+, $10–$12); Cass McCombs / Frank Fairfield at Kung Fu Necktie (8:30 p.m., 21+, SOLD OUT); Ports Of Call + Low Roar, Soporus (8:30 p.m., 21+, $8)

FILED UNDER: Concert Previews, Events, Ben Smith, City Rain, Milkboy Ardmore, North Star Bar
December 30, 2011 | 10:15 AM | By

Download The Key Studio Sessions Compilation Vol. 3 (feat. mewithoutYou, Psychic Teens, White Birds, + more)

DRGN King

The Key Studio Sessions Compilation Volume 3—which you can download for free here—features one exclusive track recorded at the WXPN studios by 18 local acts, including DRGN King, Blayer Point Du Jour, Plow United, Weston, Surgeon, Break It Up, Black Landlord, Crills Wilson, Psychic Teens, The Bad Doctors, Ben Smith, The Tressels, Saturn Never Sleeps, White Birds, Andrew Lipke, Ports Of Call, mewithoutYou, and Young Statues.

Special thanks to all of the bands for coming to our studio, and to John Vettese for recording them. We’d also like to thank volunteer production assistants Zachary Deveraux Fairbrother, Jake “Rabid” Nisenfeld
Jeremy Quattlebaum, Joshua Pannepacker, and Maureen Walsh, as well as photographers Eric Ashleigh, Michael “Kraus Phade” Béon, Kate Bracaglia, Michelle Holshue, Mattias Nilsson, Eric Schuman, and Rachelle Lee Smith for sharing their work.

Click here the download the 18-track compilation in its entirety as a .zip file. Want to hear more? Click here to listen to the full sessions by all 18 local acts; you can also download The Key Studio Sessions Compilation Volume I and Volume 2.

Track listing:

DRGN King, “Holy Ghost”
Blayer Point Du Jour, “Mansion Party”
Plow United, “Martin”
Weston, “Love And Rockets”
Surgeon, “Greed”
Break It Up, “Subterranian”
Black Landlord, “Last Night”
Crills Wilson, “Grifter”
Psychic Teens, “Red”
The Bad Doctors, “Sisyphus And The Gate”
Ben Smith, “Love Potion No. 10″
The Tressels, “Cold Blue Eyes”
Saturn Never Sleeps, “Hearts On Fire”
White Birds, “Floating Hands”
Andrew Lipke, “Sleep Like A Child”
Ports Of Call, Ballinora
mewithoutYou, “Tie Me Up! Untie Me!”
Young Statues , “Athens”

FILED UNDER: Artists, Andrew Lipke, Ben Smith, Black Landlord, Blayer Point Du Jour, Break It Up, Crills Wilson, DRGN King, mewithoutYou, Plow United, Ports Of Call, Psychic Teens, Saturn Never Sleeps, Surgeon, The Bad Doctors, The Key Studio Sessions, The Tressels, Weston, White Birds, Young Statues
December 25, 2011 | 12:10 PM | By

Merry Local Philly Christmas! (download our 12 song local music holiday sampler)

 Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from WXPN and The Key! The last several weeks we celebrated the holiday season by offering a twelve original seasonal songs. WXPN’s Helen Leicht asked local bands to write and record original holiday songs for the third year in a row which the bands have offered as free downloads. Thanks to all the bands for these wonderful songs. You can download the entire sampler as a .zip file here.

The 12 Days of XPN Philly Local Christmas Sampler

Find Vienna – “Christmas Is For Our Hearts”
Gillian Grassie – “When the Night Gets Long”
Summer Fiction – “Christmas Eve for Two”
Matt Santry – “The Xmas Song”
Atomic Square – “Christmas Time is here”
Scot Sax and Suzie Brown – “Coming Your Way”
Angel Band – “I Want A Present”
JD Malone & the Experts – “Best Day Of The Year”
Kingsfoil – “The Valley, A Christmas Song”
John Flynn – “Christmas Balls”
Ben Smith – “I Got A New Tattoo For Christmas”
Ali Hoffman – “Evergreen”

FILED UNDER: Artists, Downloads, Recordings, Ali Hoffman, Angel Band, Atomic Square, Ben Smith, Find Vienna, Gillian Grassie, JD Malone And The Experts, John Flynn, Kingsfoil, Matt Santry, Scot Sax, Summer Fiction, Suzie Brown, XPN's 12 Days Of Local Christmas
December 22, 2011 | 8:45 AM | By

XPN’s 12 Days Of Local Christmas: Ben Smith’s “I Got A New Tattoo For Christmas”

Photo by Josh Barker

West Chester songwriter Ben Smith has been writing and performing songs in area bands over the past decade. His first solo album, recorded at Milkboy Studios, has Smith revisiting some of the same literary ground and baroque arrangements admirers have always liked about his work with Wise and Foolish Builders (and the more recent Missing Palmer West). This time around Smith is mixing piano and guitar with strings and horns, accordions and choirs. The result sounds both traditional—at home in some front parlor or back barroom—and sophisticated, something overheard echoing down a chamber hall. The new record, to be released this fall, catalogs a wide index of topics: gangsters and love potions, stones and bayonets, runaways and rumors, and even each of the seven wonders of the world. WXPN’s Bruce Warren is a fan, calling Smith’s music “all good things warm and welcoming.”  What else do you need in a Christmas song? Even if it is about getting tattooed. Download “I Got A New Tattoo For Christma”s below and visit Ben’s website for information on shows like the one on January 20th at Milkboy in Ardmore. —Nick Bookbinder

FILED UNDER: Downloads, Recordings, Ben Smith, XPN's 12 Days Of Local Christmas