Brendan Benson
A dynamic enigma, Louisiana-via-Detroit’s Brendan Benson and his continual emergence from obscurity to media-darling has been a fraught battle.
Technically, it started with a major-label deal with Virgin back in 1996. After a stint recording beyond thirty tracks on the most retrained of equipment, whilst bearing an admirable, slaved patience in dusting them up to a full potential in the early-90s, the results were enough to invigorate the industry, media and radio alike for work to commence on Benson’s debut-LP, ‘One Mississippi’: a record that, to this day, has been since regarded as an overlooked classic, with ‘Esquire’ magazine even deeming it one of the most cruelly underrated alt-records of the decade.
The problem was not the content – but, rather, the internal record-label politics over the release; choruses not instantly hummable, arrangements hard to be deemed ‘commercially’ viable… Essentially, Brendan Benson’s promised dreams were slashed in one cold, demonic swoop.
It led to a period of writer’s block, Benson losing a confidence in his writing. Only a year later had he finally amassed enough material for a follow-up, something encouraged by Star Time head, Isaac Green. And so created eventually was ‘Lapalco’: a uniquely intimate portrait of romantic intimacy, a lo-fi, DIY production-technique (as performed, written and produced by Brendan himself), and a clutch of songs that would soon cause contemporary performers such as Dolf De Datsun and Jack White to publicly fawn over his work.
With an international breakthrough on his hands, and fast selling out venues – as performed by the singer and his backing-band of the Wellfed Boys – after too much of a false start, it’s Brendan Benson’s own perserverence, musical aptitude and strength that has landed the man a long overdue reward from the business and enthused audiences alike.
OFFICIAL SITE: Simply designed, easy-to-navigate and informative - comprising biography-details, gig-info and images that reveal the depth to one of the US\' fastest rising solo-acts.
V2 RECORDS: Alongside the likes of Grandaddy, The Datsuns and, er, Liberty X, Brendan Benson is part of this continually successful and hugely eclectic independent label.