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Benjamin Wagner may just be the nicest guy in the Capital District. For some reason, he just exudes friendliness, onstage and off. The 22-year-old, a recent transplant to Saratoga Springs, does not look like the typical introspective songer/songwriter type. For one thing, except for the lack of a rich tan, he could easily pass for…

These days, Benjamin Wagner is a 22-year-old singer-songwriter in Saratoga Springs trying to make a name for himself with his debut CD “Bloom.” But when he attended college four years ago, Wagner wanted to be “the next Walter Cronkite.” “No shit,” Wagner muses. “That’s what I wrote on my college application to Northwestern — which…

Last week, Soundcheck heralded the arrival of spring with a story about “One More Monster,” the debut from the band Bloom. This week, Soundcheck continues the theme of spring-in-bloom — or maybe Bloomin’ Spring? — by announcing the release of “Bloom,” the new album-length CD by Saratoga Springs’ Benjamin Wagner. After the long, cold winter,…

From the quotations pulled from Coleridge, Dickinson, Eliot and Ovid in the liner notes, it’s safe bet that Benjamin Wagner’s “Always Almost There” is a record better suited for serious listening than background music at a keg party. The material here is highly personal, well-crafted and features some of the finest local talent ranging from…