Posts by Benjamin
“A Holiday Benefit, Vol. II” Rehearsal – Photos
“A Holiday Benefit, Vol. II” Due December 1
Comprised of eleven tracks from some of New York City’s finest emerging artists plus their collective cover of “Happy XMas (War Is Over),” A Holiday Benefit, Vol. II is a charity CD spanning the sacred (Brent Shuttleworth’s “The God In You”), the profane (Derek James & Kyle Paas’ “Mele Kalilkimaka”), plus plenty of rockin’ holiday…
Read MoreLive Forever For You (Or, How I Stopped Worrying And Learned To Love The Smart Bomb)
At 7:16pm Wednesday night, I was working on a PowerPoint presentation entitled, “The Smart Bomb,” a very serious, very substantive, 16-page strategic document. At 7:17, the butterflies in my stomach overtook the synapses in my brain’s ability to make any further Q4 projections. There was a rock show to be had. So I left. Less…
Read More“Live At Rockwood Music Hall” LP Release – Photos
“Live At Rockwood Music Hall” Available Now!
As The A-Team’s Colonel John ‘Hannibal’ Smith used to say, “I love it when a plan comes together.” Benjamin Wagner “Live At Rockwood Music Hall” is available for download now! The online-only LP comes in two flavors: an 8-song iTunes version, and 10-song Authentic Records version. Tracks were culled from three separate performances over the…
Read MoreHey, Whatever Happened To That Documentary?
What’s going on with Wagner Bros. Pictures, LLC’s still-forthcoming documentary, “Mister Rogers & Me?” I’m glad you asked. Or, I’m glad my pen pal Magnus did. “When I inquired about the documentary a few months ago [you said] it was on hold,” he writes. “I don’t know what the progress is, or what’s holding it…
Read MoreBackstage At The TRL Finale (Or, At Home At The End Of The World)
When I walked into Times Square this afternoon, the sidewalks were overflowing with wide-eyed, stargazing teenagers hoping to steal a glimpse of a celebrity — any celebrity — pouring out of a limo and into MTV Studios. Tonight was the end of an era: the finale of MTV’s flagship, Total Request Live. Two hours after…
Read MoreThe Observer Effect
In physics, “observer effect” refers to changes that the act of observation will make on the phenomenon being observed. The rule applies to rock shows. Remember those junior high school plays? Ever dig that VHS tape your parent’s recorded out of the basement? The show were better in your memories, right? Well, way back in…
Read MoreThis Is What Growing Up Feels Like (And Why It Kinda’ Sucks)
I’ve spent a fair dose of my twenties and thirties clinging to adolescent joys like making records, playing rock shows, and drinking beer, all while holding down a semi-respectable day job. For a while there, I had a pretty decent balance. Between October 2003 – December 2005, I released three LPs and two EPs, and…
Read MoreChristmas In 2:03
I’ve spent a lot of time recording, but I’m pretty sure this one takes the cake: thirteen months of studio time for two minutes and three seconds of song. That’s right. I’ve been tracking this bad boy for over a year, recording, re-recording, adding and subtracting, then tweaking each of the twenty-four tracks, nudging levels,…
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