Community & Business
6 May, 2021
New musical Talent on Tablelands
A GENTLE but passionate new musical presence, Ben Wilson, has arrived on the Atherton Tablelands music scene and has just finished recording his second Album "Prove."
A GENTLE but passionate new musical presence, Ben Wilson, has arrived on the Atherton Tablelands music scene and has just finished recording his second Album "Prove."
Invited to record at Sunstudios, tucked away in the picturesque hills of northern New South Wales, Wilson believes listeners will sense the presence of the ancient rainforests surrounding the studio in his music.
Speaking at his live performance and album launch in Yungaburra recently, Mr Wilson said he was thrilled he was able to release Prove in Vinyl and CD form with the help of crowd funding to cover the cost of production.
Like so many artists at the moment, his work has been heavily impacted by COVID. Normally, on the back of making a new album, he said he would be doing gigs, performing at festivals and going on tour, but none of that is possible at the moment. He said the pre-sale funding option was his only chance.
The album's future was totally in the hands of his audience and they came through for him. Ben Wilson is an award winning Songwriter, recently from Northern NSW, whose eclectic style fused the cosiness of folk and bluegrass with an energetic undercurrent of rock and roll producing an easy listening and yet inclusive live atmosphere for his audiences.
Born and raised in Brighton England, Ben Wilson's solo career kicked off after he moved to Lismore NSW at the age of 21. In 2013 he won Songwriter of the Year at the Lismore Young Songwriters competition, before self-releasing two well received EPs (Lonely One 2013 and St Albans 2015).
Performances at most significant Australian festivals followed, including Splendour in The Grass (after becoming a finalist of the Busking Competition), Falls Music & Arts Festival, Mullumbimby Music Fest and Bello Winter Music Festival.
In 2017 he won the award for Outstanding Original Music at the Bangalow BBQ and Bluegrass Festival, while intermittently performing as a member of The Button Collective, a rag tag group of folk musicians who deliver Brodie Buttons' songs with raw energy and passion.
An English ex-pat, a past resident of the USA and now a new Australian, Ben draws on a broad spectrum of influences. He is a seasoned performer, though still passionate about his craft and attaining complete authenticity.
His first album, Give Me That Hammer, tackled the conflict of a man torn between two worlds: life at home with his family, and life on the road as a musician.
His new album, Prove, crafted with a lot of love, and beautifully recorded, projects a strong 1950 rock and roll vibe with minimalist accompaniments. Wilson's songs manage to be touching, ambitious and captivating.
Be sure to try and catch Ben's music live at the Yungaburra Folk Festival from the 23rd to the 25th of October or at the 19th Wallaby Creek Festival in the rainforest at Rossville just south of Cooktown.
