Morning Music Report #9

Due to the serious lack of MMRs this week (I warned you, but I still feel bad. Guilt! It eats me!) I have decided to make this one, number 9, a trifecta.

The Bens are Ben Folds, Ben Kweller, and Ben Lee, respectively. The three men (each stellar in his own right) decided to come together for a 2003 tour of Australia. They played only nine gigs in total, and released a four track EP, but those nine gigs and four tracks seem to have stuck to some sort of universal music consciousness; in fact, someone mentioned them on MuchMoreMusic a few days ago, which is what reminded me of their existence. The fact that three years later this configuration is still mentioned is akin to Judi Dench being nominated for an Oscar for her 8-minute turn as Queen Elizabeth in Shakespeare in Love: proof positive that a great performance doesn't have to be long to be memorable.

It also helps, I'm sure, that all three Bens still have very active careers (Ben Folds just did the soundtrack for Over the Hedge; Ben Lee has that song on the radio...I think it's called "On the Radio," actually; and Ben Kweller is releasing a new album this month). In that way I guess they're the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young of our generation--solo artists with the ability to come together in a gaggle and retain, if not improve upon, their reputations as artists. Hey, it's certainly better than being the Traveling Wilburys of our generation.

And thanks to the gods of YouTube (I pray to you nightly), I found a live Bens performance from that tour. Three cute boys on one mic? It's a veritable Bermuda Triangle of Cuteness! Enjoy!