Brendan Benson

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Brendan Benson

Brendan Benson is a Michigan born musician and songwriter. He sings and plays guitar, bass guitar, keyboard and drums. He has released three solo albums and is a member of the band The Raconteurs.

His music is typically labeled as power pop, though he doesn't completely agree.^{[citation needed]} His major musical influences include The Cars, David Bowie, The Electric Light Orchestra, Elvis Costello, The Kinks, Robyn Hitchcock, Paul McCartney, and Todd Rundgren.

His debut album, One Mississippi, was released in 1996 on Virgin Records. The album featured several contributions with Jason Falkner and gained many favourable reviews in the music press but failed to sell in sufficient numbers and Benson was dropped by Virgin.

It would be another six years until Benson issued the follow-up, Lapalco. Again the critical plaudits poured in but this time the record enjoyed a certain degree of commercial success. The song "what" from this album appeared on the British show Teachers during series three.

While touring this record Benson played the Reading and Leeds Festivals and finished his Leeds set with a performance of the track "Jet Lag" featuring guest appearances from Meg White of The White Stripes along with members of The Datsuns and Soledad Brothers. [1]

In 2003 Benson re-released his debut album along with bonus tracks including the unreleased six track extended player, Welfed Boy EP, featuring songs from a demo session with Falkner.

Also in 2003, Benson released an EP, Metarie, with his then band, The Wellfed Boys. The EP featured a cover of Paul McCartney's "Let Me Roll It". This was the first song written completely by another artist to be featured on a Benson release. Another cover, this time "Strong Boy", from Gram Parsons International Submarine Band's 1968 album, Safe at Home, was released as a b-side in 2005.

In 2005, Benson released his third album, The Alternative to Love, and toured extensively in the US, UK and Europe with his new touring band, The Stiff Tissues.

Benson is also a member of The Raconteurs, a collaboration with Jack White of The White Stripes and two members of The Greenhornes, Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler. The group's debut album, Broken Boy Soldiers, was released in the US on May 16th, 2006, with "Steady, As She Goes" the first single.

Brendan currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

He has also worked as a producer for The Greenhornes, The Nice Device, The Mood Elevator (a permutation of The Wellfed Boys), and Stiff Tissues member Dean Fertita's former band, The Waxwings.

In early March of 2007, a handful of demos from Benson's upcoming (and untitled) album were released on the Brendan Benson Myspace, including Lesson Learned and Feel Like Taking You Home.

[edit] Discography

Albums

One Mississippi (1996)
Lapalco (2002)
The Alternative to Love (2005)
Broken Boy Soldiers - The Raconteurs (2006)

EPs

Folk Singer (April 22, 2002)
Metarie

Singles

"Tiny Spark" (July 8, 2002)
"Good To Me" (October 28, 2002)
"Metarie" (April 14, 2003)
"Spit It Out" (March 28, 2005)
"Cold Hands (Warm Heart)" (July 4, 2005)
"What I'm Looking For" (November 7, 2005)

B Sides and Covers

Son Of A Welder (B Side from Folk Singer EP)
Unfortunate Guy (B Side from Folk Singer EP)
Feel Like Myself (B Side from Folk Singer EP)
Metarie (Wellfed Version from Metarie EP)
Metarie (Uk Version from Metarie EP)
Alternative To Love (Early version from Metarie EP)
You're Quiet (Well Fed Boys Version from Metarie EP
Let Me Roll It (Cover of Paul McCartney from Metarie EP)
Meaning To Write (B Side from Tiny Spark Single)
No Dial Tone (Recorded Live @ Bowery Ballroom 8/04/2002 from Tiny Spark Single)
Old Fashioned (B Side from Good To Me Single)
Pleasure Seeker (Recorded Live @ Bowery Ballroom 8/04/2002 from Good To Me Single)
Left And Right(B Side from Spit It Out Single)
Baby On A Rug (B Side from Spit It Out Single)
Some Day (B Side from Cold Hands (Warm Heart)Single)
Christopher's Revolt (B Side from Cold Hands (Warm Heart)Single)
Cold Hands (Warm Heart) (Live Acoustic Version from Cold Hands (Warm Heart) EP)
Cold Hands (Warm Heart) (Chris Shaw Mix from Cold Hands (Warm Heart) EP)
Strong Boy (Gram Parsons Cover from from Cold Hands (Warm Heart) Single)
What I'm Looking For (Michael Brauer Mix from What I'm Looking For EP)
Them And Me (Alternate Version from What I'm Looking For EP)
Floating (Jape Cover Recorded Live in Newcastle, 22/03/06)