Ben Smith's songs are written at the piano and as a result, there's always something a bit traditional about them -- an indication that they could be sung together in some front parlor or back barroom somwhere, back when people used to get together to do that sort of thing. Recent comparisons usually focus on the familiar sound of piano and voice and mention artists like Rufus Wainwright, Ben Folds, Randy Newman, and Harry Nilsson. And since it's all about the songs, Smith's songs aren't so much dictated by their sound as they are by their strong melodies, sold arrangements and clever lyrics. His recent EP "Ravine Road," and the full-length before it, "Crooked Earth," are available at his website www.bensmithsongs.com and at his bandcamp site www.bensmithsongs.bandcamp.com.

Latest News

New 2013 EP "Ravine Road" available here: bensmithsongs.bandcamp.com

Influences

The Beatles, Elvis Costello, Wilco, Rufus Wainwright, Gram Parsons, The Band, Tom Waits, Tin Pan Alley, David Bowie, Flaming Lips, Randy Newman

Bio

Ben Smith's songs are all written at the piano and as a result, there's always something a bit traditional about them -- an indication that they could be sung together in some front parlor or back barroom somwhere. Recent comparisons usually focus on the familiar sound of piano and voice and mention bands like Coldplay and artists like Rufus Wainwright and Ben Folds. And since it's all about the songs, Smith's songs aren't so much dictated by their sound as they are by their strong melodies, sold arrangements and clever lyrics. Now Playing Entertainment of LA wrote that "it's always been a sometimes uneasy mix of intellect and emotion that characterizes the best of Smith's music, and the finest songs are all marked by fencing matches between the brain and the heart, fought each time to a breathless draw." Rex Records (XL) in the UK released and introduced two of his songs to the European audience last year. His band Missing Palmer West plans to release an album by the end of the year.