Ben Somer heads up the Musical Ladder
Ben Somer is an extremely gifted songwriter who gives it all to his music with a wit and a charm that fascinates everyone who hears him. His songs show a lot of diversity, but telling a good story first and foremost is always the essence of those. He recently finished and released his first album, and with more to come, Somer is on his way to a musical life that he only dreamed of.
Having first got into music at a very young age, Somer recalls loving music as far back as he can remember. “I think I’ve been very influenced by the tape deck in my mom’s old station wagon” Somer quietly recollects while thinking back. “Whenever we went on a road trip, we had to choose between one of three tapes; Simon & Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits, a Live Bruce Springsteen record and some kind of Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber type thing. That's probably why I love songs that tell stories so much.”
On his way to greater things, Somer hopes to accomplish a lot in his career and has a lot to look forward to. Currently he’s trying to work his way to winning a Latin Grammy, which would be a definite achievement for a young artist. Aside from that, “I just want to be able to support myself through music and play for crowds, write songs and make records,” says Somer. He adds that along the way, he hopes to become a brilliant songwriter that people can remember.
Somer has already been on tour throughout Ontario and says that he’s thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. One of his more memorable shows was a gig he did in St. Catharines at an art space. Somer says that it was a small show of about 15 people, but the woman who owned the space had a dog that she just let run around throughout the room, and it eventually wandered my way and joined him up on stage.
Somer is defiantly not short on humour and makes the best of a sticky situation. “He was barking along with the music, and I must say, he had impeccable timing,” he jokes. “It was actually probably the best performance I ever put on, even though it was a small room, and the dog and everything.”
I decided to take the interview in a bit of a different direction. I asked Somer his thoughts on the Canadian music scene and how he feels about where things are. “I think people are optimistic, but I'm not really sure just yet,” he says without hesitation. Somer thinks there are great Canadian bands out there so the quality of music is top notch, but he, as well as many others, don’t know much about the business side of things.
“These are uncertain times,” he continues. “I think people in general have lost sight of the difference between music and entertainment. You see it when people pay $80 to go see somebody play live when they know for a fact that they lip sync. People seem to value stardom over talent and substance. I think it's completely pathetic that we have television stations dedicated to ‘Music’ programming, yet they play reruns of bad high school dramas, which I suppose there's a place for, but I don't think it should be at the expense of the arts. It's fine to have a network devoted to pre-teen, celebrity obsession, but it shouldn't be done under the guise of ‘Music.’” Turning the conversation back to his own career, we talked about how Somer works the business side of his career; does he do everything himself from promotion to booking show? Well he did for a long time, but now he has started working with a small group of people who have been very helpful, and allowed me to spend more time focused on writing songs. Though at times working in the music industry can be overwhelming Somer agrees that for the most part it’s a dream come true. “Wait, so you want me to play my songs in front of a big crowd AND you're going to give me money for it?” he jokes.
Now for something potentially embarrassing, I asked Somer whether he has ever forgotten things, lyrics or such, during a show. He mentioned that sometimes he forgets little bits like a word or chord change or something of that nature .but nothing major. “I know my own songs pretty well, so it's never been a big problem,” he says. “Everyone gets writers block now and then, but I don't get too hung up on it. I write best when it comes naturally, so if it's just not happening, I don't get all depressed and go into drunken writers block mode. I usually just stop trying so hard, and word on something else – like my guitar playing, or piano – until song writing is fresh again.”
Being an artist can be difficult at times, but that does not stop them from trying and according to Somer, he honestly likes most things about his life at the moment. “I've been able to meet and play with a lot of my favourite musicians, which is kind of a dream come true. It gets a little frustrating sometimes being poor and ‘undiscovered,’ but I'm patient and optimistic, which I think is a good combination.”
And yes it is, without patience and optimism half the artists out there would not be around for long. Though he would like to get bigger and play to more people, everything takes time. And in time, Somer will work his way up the musical ladder if he keeps up his hard work and enthusiastic nature.
http://www.myspace.com/bensomer
Login
Create an account
Contact
Login
Create an account
