BEN KWELLER
Early Years
Born in San Francisco in 1981, Kweller was exposed to music at a very early age. His father taught him how to play the drums when he was seven years old, and for the next year, they would play together almost every night.
Radish
In 1993, Kweller met with a local musician, drummer John Kent, and formed the band Radish with bassist Ryan Green. They recorded two independent releases, Hello (1994) and Dizzy (1995), with Martin Baird at Verge Music Works recording studio in Dallas, Texas. In 1998, Radish became a quartet; it featured Joe Butcher on lead guitar and Debbie Williams on bass.As a result of Polygram's merger with Universal Music Group, the 18-song album was never released and Radish secured a release from their contract with Mercury Records.
Solo Career
At age 19, Kweller moved to New York, where he began his solo career. He played acoustic shows and self-released four EPs (Extended Plays) , comprising some of the unreleased Radish Discount Fireworks recordings and other songs recorded. One of these EPs, Freak Out, Its Ben Kweller, that caught the attention of Evan Dando of The Lemonheads, which then led him on to touring with Dando. In 2001, Ben Kweller became ATO Records' first worldwide signing and released a 5-track EP entitled EP Phone Home. In March 2002, Kweller's first solo studio LP, Sha Sha was released. The album included the radio-friendly and popular single "Wasted & Ready", which reached 29 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. In 2004, On My Way, Kweller's second LP, took a new direction. The album was recorded 'live' – there were limited overdubs and no use of headphones. After the release of On My Way, Kweller embarked on more touring. Two years later, he recorded his third LP, Ben Kweller. Unlike his two other LPs, Kweller played all the instruments on the record himself. His fourth studio album, Changing Horses, was released Febuary 2009 in the United States through ATO Records. Later on in that year, Kweller appeared at Australian festivals such as East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival and West Coast Blues & Roots Festival. Kweller's fifth studio album, entitled Go Fly a Kite, was his first release produced solely by his own record label in 2012. He has stated that the album "will be very electric and energetic while dealing with some darker topics."
