Brought into this world with an insatiable hunger for cheap booze and a taste for all things sweet, Benjamin Brackett spent his (very) formative years in the dense wilderness of the Santa Cruz mountains, where he learned how to fight bears and dissect Jim Croce albums. Then he turned four, participated in a shamanic ritual of epic proportions, and discovered psychedelics, at which point everything seemed a little different.
It was only a few years later that he tumbled downhill into the great Silicon Valley, and watched with regret as computers and capitalists worked together to do away with every ranch and orchard left untouched by city boys and real estate developers. Little did he know, he would soon become a city boy himself, but not before he lost all his teeth, traded a treasure map for an acoustic guitar, and began writing rambling confessionals set to three chord country song structures, cheap imitations of Woody Guthrie and early Hank Williams. These pieces of work Brackett kept to himself, sending master tapes to a Filipino record producer for release in the Phillipines only when he REALLY needed the cash. He would later set out on a journey across the country, playing snare in a Civil War re-enactment corps, falling in love in New Orleans and out of love in Nashville, wandering, looking for something and nothing all at the same time, and nearly losing his fingers on a casino boat after a sour game of blackjack. He’d also find money where he needed it through song, writing jingles for corn-flour and pomade advertisements, to be played on the public radio.
He eventually found his way back to California by way of the Pacific Northwest. Smelling of vodka and freshly chopped wood, and surrounded by a newly formed group of comrades, he managed to finagle his way into ownership of some impressive recording equipment, and set about putting his musical experiments to tape.
These days, he can be found rattling around at Studio Garujio, the cozy recording studio he’s filled with musical instruments and various other providers of noise. When he’s not recording, he’s sleeping, watching films, reading books, or writing exceedingly self-indulgent and hyper-pretentious personal biographies in his freezing cold bedroom in the dead of night.
**********Hey, why not buy the album?**********
"Hear Ye Hear Ye" is my debut full-length record. It was produced by Shawn Simmons and recorded at Studio Litho in Seattle, WA during one very rainy week this last summer. The album has 10 tracks, and is packaged in a panoramic fold-out digipak with a full color booklet. The artwork was done by wonderful Minneapolis artist Jennifer Davis.
Benjamin Brackett - "Hear Ye Hear Ye LP"
Price: $10 (w/ shipping and handling) Or, buy the album on iTunes! ..
hi there, ben. apearantly we have a mutual friend. she says you're putting on a little festivus/get-together wondering if there's anything me and my garage band could play. let me know if you've got an opening
it blows my mind that you did it. i must admit that it's still sort of weird to listen to the album versions of the few songs that i had heard pre-production, but otherwise, of course i like it. i've been waiting for this album for a year now, i'd surely hope that i'd like it! and, i'm really bummed that i missed your cd release show dealio by a day. i got into ca yesterday. alas. love, jen
so, since CD Baby APPARENTLY screens reviews so mine MIGHT NOT make the cut... since i would HOPE to be able to publish this as an official review, i'd be happy with just having you see it for yourself.
anyways, here it is:
"I am not going to say that Ben's record is the cure for cancer (but the American Cancer Society will if they'd let me continue my research), but I will say this:
Imagine if Christ himself bled into a beer bong that was attached to the mouth of an already drunk leprechaun. now imagine the leprechaun's puke of godly blood and liquor (whilst ignoring the racial slurs, no matter how magically clever and delicious they may be) is then magically transformed into sound- Now you've fully experienced Hear Ye, Hear Ye. that is of course if you're pants are off... DON'T LISTEN TO THE RECORD WITH PANTS ON! you'll stifle it's profound effects.
Seriously though, Ben's work is and always has been impressive. His talent has always seemed to be natural and it's no surprise that his record is as well written/performed/explained as it is. On a personal level, I can't wait to see what's next for this kid."
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