Photo credit – Josh Young
The Tuning Fork are delighted to announce Auckland-based indie/pop artist Being. as support for Ben Ottewell’s solo show at The Tuning Fork, November 14th!
Being. is the moniker for Auckland based Indie artist Jasmine Balmer. Founded in angst and surf’d-out guitars Being.’s music leans towards a Melancholy-Surf aesthetic as she jumps from zest-drenched Indie Pop to introspective spoken word. Being. is known for diverse Indie music and dynamic live performances.
Earlier in the year Being. released a collaborative project with Soaked Oatsand Ha the Unclear called Corduroy Cape: A Persnickety Mixtape. Her song ‘Fold Into the Sea‘ which features on the mixtape was pressed onto chocolate vinyl by Whittaker’s as part of NZ Music Month making it the first edible record (in NZ). Listen to the tune below.
Fold into the Sea by Being.
The Tuning Fork and 95bFM’s Border Radio present:
BEN OTTEWELL
Support from Being.
The Tuning Fork – Nov 14th 2018
Tickets at Ticketmaster
Having released his third solo album A Man Apart in 2017 Ben Ottewell continues to delight his kiwi fans with a visit to New Zealand this November!
After performing at The Tuning Fork nearly 4 years ago, Ottewell returned last July with good friend Buddy, lead singer of LA based indie band of the same name. He enthralled the crowd with his signature gravelly vocal tones embedded in a tradition of Americana and folk nuances.
This year marks the 20th Anniversary of his band’s Mercury Prize winning album Bring It On, which shot Gomez into the spotlight back in 1998. Since the band’s last record in 2011, Ben has released three solo albums and toured extensively through the US, UK and Australia. At the age of 42, he continues to play live solo shows around the globe gaining solid fan bases everywhere including here in NZ!
A Man Apart delves into such relevant subjects as love and relationships, fame and politics. The album’s title track focuses on populist politicians exploiting people’s hopes and fears, with Bones touching on the realisation of not being worthy of someone, and opener Own It, sees Ben reflect on his time growing up in public in Gomez. New single Watcher is the perfect introduction to the album and despite its pensive meaning, is a melodic Americana led track that builds into a memorable bluesy and soulful chorus.
Ben Ottewell – Watcher (Official Video)
Demonstrating Ben’s potent and ongoing love-affair with Americana – and flecked with trace elements of what you might loosely call Derbyshire folk – A Man Apart is the first solo album he has made without some kind of Gomez project lurking in the background. The album is a record that crosses musical genres such as Americana, blues and folk backed by Ben’s unmistakable gutsy and gravelly voice. Co-written with childhood friend and former Tunng member, Sam Genders, the album was recorded in Los Angeles and Sheffield and engineered and produced in the latter by Martin Smith (Richard Hawley).
Throwing off the “security blanket” that is/was Gomez – and untroubled by the question of whether the songs he was writing should be earmarked for himself or his former band – Ben knuckled down. The two guitarleles (think ukulele with six strings) he bought for his nine-year-old twin boys proved a good investment – though not for Joe and Ry. “They just hung them on the wall,”, laughs the singer, “but I picked one up and wrote [title song] A Man Apart on it.”
BEN OTTEWELL
Website | Facebook | Spotify | Instagram
