Ben Kweller plays Kilby Block Party for his first time this Saturday. His set begins at 3:55.
If you were at his Urban Lounge concert last year, you understand perfectly why Kweller is on the Kilby Block Party lineup this year. He’s a spark plug of a performer, practically jumping from acoustic guitar to piano to electric. Born for the stage, that one.
We caught up with him over Zoom while he was at his NoiseCo label in Texas, setting up for rehearsal. With his latest Cover The Mirrors, his seventh album, it’s no surprise he took us for a few welcome jogs down memory lane during our chat. Totally apropos.
HOW’S THE TOUR BEEN WITH COVER THE MIRRORS? STILL GOING?
Kweller: It’s a two-year cycle. The first year was amazing. Emotional and really healing. We’re bringing the show overseas next. Europe, Germany, France, UK, Sweden, Norway, Spain. Then Australia, followed by a lot of festivals, like Kilby Block Party. I’m so excited. It’s one of the coolest festivals out there. You always know it’s great when all your friends hit you up: ‘Hey dude, is there any way I can get some tickets?; I do a lot of festivals, but Kilby is the one everyone wants to go to. Who wouldn’t? The lineup is so amazing. On Saturday, the same day I’m playing, I’m really looking forward to seeing Alex G live. And my friend Bristin Maroney is playing, too. We just released a song together. Maybe we’ll play it together, who knows?
ANOTHER NEW RELEASE OF YOURS: THAT ELVIS SONG.
Kweller: Yeah, we recorded that cover about 20 years ago, but just released it. I’ve been going through my archives. On My Way turned 20 last year, and I’ve been going through everything. We’re putting together a deluxe reissue, a remastered version of the original album with a bonus disc of 12 b-sides and rarities. “Can’t Help Falling in Love With You” was one of those.
Back in 2004-2005, some of the OG fans might remember seeing us perform that song in concert. When I was living in New York City, we went in the studio and recorded it because we were so good at it. Might as well capture it, and I’m glad we did. It was always sitting on the sidelines. It’s so fun to go through material I haven’t thought about, breathe new life into it, and get reacquainted.
I used to wish that I kept a diary. I was jealous of people who wrote in a diary every day. I never could. I’m left handed. My handwriting sucks. Someone said lefties push the pen where righties pull the pen. Right there, you’re already screwed with the English language.
Then I realized a few years ago, I have been keeping a diary all this time. Through lyrics. Through songs. It’s fun to remember. Music is the ultimate art form to me. It puts you right in a time and a place and an emotion that you remember. As a songwriter, it’s the same magic trick that puts a spell on us, but in a different way. I remember where I was when I wrote the song.
ANOTHER COVERS: YOU USED TO DO A VANILLA ICE ONE.
Kweller: That was a thing for sure. “BK Baby” is what I called it. When I was starting out in New York, I didn’t have a band. I didn’t know anybody. I played shows on the Lower East Side, just me and an acoustic guitar. Half of the goal of playing all by yourself is trying to keep people’s attention. That’s the hardest thing, especially when you’re starting out. No one gives a shit. I come from rock bands, particularly my band Radish. I’ve always had that band mentality, and never wanted to be the archetypal singer-songwriter, barefoot and sitting on a stool. I wanted to have a rock and roll atmosphere, even if I was by myself.
We were at our friend Anna’s house in Connecticut. She was having a yard sale and had a bunch of CDs for sale. One was the Vanilla Ice one … what was the name of it?
TO THE EXTREME, RIGHT?
Kweller: Must have been. “Havin’ A Roni” was one of the dope tracks on that one. I was like, Anna, you’re getting rid of this? This is such a great album! I bought that shit for 50 cents, and I had my guitar. I was goofing around, covering it in an anti-folk way, then eventually started doing it live. I would open shows with it, because it definitely got people’s attention.
IS THIS YOUR FIRST TIME PLAYING KILBY BLOCK PARTY?
Kweller: Never played the festival. Played the tiny venue back in the day during the Sha Sha tour. My Morning Jacket opened for me before they became massive. Such a cool show.
DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’VE EARNED YOUR AUDIENCE IN SALT LAKE? BECAUSE YOU’VE PLAYED HERE SO OFTEN?
Kweller: No matter where I am in the world, I get the question, ‘Where’s your favorite place to play? Where are your favorite shows?’ I swear I always say Salt Lake City. It’s right up there with my favorites. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve always felt so connected to the audience there. And it’s felt both ways. Something about my music and our personalities gels together.
WHEN YOU PLAYED URBAN LAST YEAR, THERE WAS PALPABLE JOY IN THE AIR. EVERYWHERE YOU TURNED, PEOPLE WAS SINGING. THEY WERE SO HAPPY.
Kweller: It was incredible. It’s really become an escape for all of us, which is such a cliche thing to say, but it’s also the dream for any artist or performer. Part of playing music is the place that it takes you to. You could be up there all alone in an empty room and have as much fun. But when the audience is in that with you? And you’re leaving your daily routine bullshit behind? That’s the best. Salt Lake, man. It’s special.
HAVE YOU LEARNED HOW TO BEST APPROACH GRIEF AND LOSING YOUR SON WHILE ON THIS TOUR?
Kweller: All I know is that it’s been really important for me to make myself get out to really speak to Dorian. Even though he’s not here physically, I have a conversation with him through these songs and I feel his presence. It’s hard to say that anything makes it better, but every day is different. That’s the unsatisfactory answer. You get all these non-answer answers when you’re talking about grief, because it’s like that. There is no silver bullet to make you feel OK, because it’s not OK and never will be.
We just hit three years since my son passed — on February 27. It’s hard to believe we’ve done so much without him being here physically, but it also feels like it was yesterday that I was driving to the car crash, which I replay in my mind every day. For the tools I have in my toolbox, being able to play music, write songs, sing for people, and bring them joy through the music, that’s what I have. That’s what is working. I’m exploiting that to the fullest. It’s really the only thing I have to make me feel a little better about the situation. The awesome side effect of it is how it’s touching so many other people with grief who have been through similar situations, and I see how it’s making it a little easier for them, and I feel really lucky about that.
You always try to find the positive sides to these tragedies. There’s always a positive for every negative emotion. Three years in, I’m still focusing on what we still have.
AND AS FAR AS THERAPY GOES, IF YOU’RE GOING TO CHOOSE ANYTHING TO GET YOU THROUGH IT, CHOOSE MUSIC.
Kweller: That’s what I’m thinking. It’s what’s working for us. I’m trying to make healthy choices. I’m trying to work out. I go for a walk every morning. I am trying to eat cleanly, as opposed to binging on drugs and Doritos. I might as well improve myself, focusing on what I can do to be a better person and husband, a better father and better artist.
And being a better artist, to me, means I want to write that next great song, that chorus that gives you goosebumps and makes you so fired up when you’re sitting all alone on your bed with your guitar. At the end of the day, that’s why I do it. That’s the high I seek, the one I discovered when I was eight years old and sitting at the piano. It’s better than any drug.
I dabbled with drugs over the years, but nothing turned me on enough to keep pursuing that. It’s everywhere in rock and roll, which is another music cliche for you. As we get older, don’t you realize how all the cliches are true? Like when you find out you’re pregnant and having a baby, they say, ‘Oh my god, your life’s gonna change. It’s the best thing ever!’ And then you have the baby, your life changes, and it is the best thing ever. All these old people, man, they know a thing or two.
Music was always my drug, and it still is. Creating a new song out of thin air, one that’s never existed before, that’s such a cool feeling.
ARE YOU DABBLING WITH A NEW RECORD? IS THAT WHAT YOU’RE GETTING AT?
Kweller: Yeah, I’m dabbling. I don’t quite know the direction yet, but I have a handful of songs. There’s one I really love that I wrote recently. It has some French lyrics in it. It’s my “Michelle, ma belle,” I suppose.
The song is acoustic. Real vibey. There’s other songs that are super energetic, but that’s also the Ben Kweller thing, I guess. It tends to be a little schizophrenic, because I play acoustic, electric and piano. Those three flavors are very different. Changing Horses was a specific direction that was my own version of country music and being a Texas boy. I only played acoustic guitar. There’s two piano songs on there, though, including “Sawdust Man.”
OH, I PLAYED THAT ONE OFTEN ON THE RADIO SHOW I HAD. GREAT ALBUM.
Kweller: I love that album. So stoked on that album. I’ll talk to you in six months, and we’ll probably know more where the new album is headed. But when I write, I don’t think, oh, the song needs to fit with this flow. I just try to write a cool song. I like to think that maybe because all of those songs were written around the same time, I was in the same headspace. Even if they’re different sonically, the content and emotion and spirit of those songs create an album.
My number one goal is to write a cool song, though. Don’t worry about how it fits into the puzzle.
IT’S INTERESTING TO HEAR YOU SAY YOU EVER HAD TO TRY AND KEEP PEOPLE’S ATTENTION. LAST TIME YOU PLAYED, YOU WERE ALL OVER THE STAGE, AND IT KEPT IT 100% INTERESTING FOR THE AUDIENCE.
Kweller: Secretly, I’m trying to keep my own attention. I’m a kid from the ADDs, so it goes both ways.
Some tickets are still available.
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