BEN UNION DAILY

Thank you @tractortavern (at Tractor Tavern)

Sun, 19 May 2013 03:32:52 -0400

Thank you @tractortavern (at Tractor Tavern)

Bout to hit the stage (at Tractor Tavern)

Sun, 19 May 2013 02:33:52 -0400

Bout to hit the stage (at Tractor Tavern)

Tonight! My Birthday Party and the album release show for...

Sat, 18 May 2013 13:15:26 -0400

Tonight! My Birthday Party and the album release show for SweetKiss Momma!!! Only $10 at TractorTavern.com or at the door #seattle #seattlemusic #beer #music #leather #boots #whiskey #happybirthday

It’s go time #tacoma #SMI radio

Sat, 18 May 2013 01:24:10 -0400

It’s go time #tacoma #SMI radio

#Kitsap County!!! Wear a helmet. #rock #festival #silverdale...

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:56:40 -0400

#Kitsap County!!! Wear a helmet. #rock #festival #silverdale #bremerton #psns #whalingdays2013

Many Brilliant Minds

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:53:17 -0400

I get asked quite frequently about songwriting. “How do you start a song, Ben? Do you hear a melody first? Do you feel a beat first? Do you write down a thought and then go from there?” and so forth. Lots and lots of questions about songwriting, style, genre, feel, etc. Truth is, I’m hardly ever the sole writer of any of my songs. And sidenote*, if you’re curious about how I choose topics to write about in my blog, I blog, most of the time anyway, a lot like Michael Scott from “The Office” talks, and I quote him, “Sometimes I’ll start a sentence, and I don’t even know where it’s going. I just hope I find it along the way. Like an improv conversation. An improver-sation.”

I’m here in Portland, sitting in the studio just watching Rob Daiker work on one of my songs (creepy, huh?! Yea, he better sleep with one eye open ;P ). Either way, my songs start off pretty good, but Rob is able to take the songs to a whole new level with his own creative inspiration and genius. I liken it to two architects building a huge structure only, of invisible sounds, floor by floor, going with certain feelings and instincts that we have in the moment. Krazy.

Just like with anything else in life, two things are certain; 1) there is no overnight success and 2) no one ever became successful without a lot of help from many others. Really, success is earned by working together with others. It’s easy to be a control freak with your own creativity because it’s dear to you, but if you’re going to be successful, you’ve got to allow others strengths to complement your not so strong points without trying to control them. You’ve also got to ask talented, successful people in your profession what they think of you and your craft and what you need to work on. But you have to make sure that those people will tell you the truth. If you ask them what they think, you have to bite your tongue and honestly look at what they say, even if you don’t agree on the inside. Sometimes the ideas I like a lot in one of my songs gets cut out. That usually happens when multiple people that you trust are saying the same thing. Other times, even when everybody is saying the same thing, I still have to live with the decisions and I’ll disagree with them. Ahh, the joys of being “in charge”. Sometimes, there ain’t no way to win. I leave you with this confusion…

June 1, we will headline ROCK THE GAP in Yakima, WA! Tix and...

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:18:11 -0400

June 1, we will headline ROCK THE GAP in Yakima, WA! Tix and info at http://rockthegap.danielwriter.com #beer #yakima #auction

People Won't Understand...UNTIL!

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:05:37 -0400

I was at a birthday party last week. Whilst sitting around chatting with the adults and having a drink, the grandparents of the birthday child showed up whom I hadn’t seen in quite some time. They’re very pleasant folks as far as I’ve experienced and they mean very well. Having known them from way back in my church days, they’ve always seemed to be a very devoted and religious couple, quite innocent in their old age. Now they’ve seen me on and off over the years and they keep tabs here and there on my music, FB posts, etc. That’s the extent of our relationship. As this couple were leaving the party, the gentleman stopped to exchange a few words with me before he left…

Before I continue with my story, I must say, I have a weakness. My weakness is that I’m rrrrreally smart… I really am. But sometimes I’m a little too smart to the point of being a “smart-ass”. With that said, from having waded through the dismal, erky waters (so to speak) of denominationalism and the politics of past organizations, I came out on the other side of my experiences understanding a lot about people from ALL walks of life. Everyone has an angle. It’s rare to find someone who doesn’t (I found one but she’s so rare that I’m keeping her to myself..). Another weakness of mine (as I pointed out in my blog from 4 days ago) is that I’m judgmental. But the main problem with that is that I’m right in my pre-conceived judgments 90% of the time… so I DON’T ALWAYS KNOW WHEN I’M WRONG. Which is also why I ALWAYS give folks the benefit of the doubt. I simply file seemingly negative information away in my brain that I reference when I’m around that person the next time… any-wah-hoo…

This gentleman from the party started off with a rather non chalant “How’s the music and band going?” to which I replied “It’s going great, thanks for asking.” Then he said “Are ya having fun with it all?”. I responded, “Yes, I’m very happy and having lots of fun…” (I don’t know if this is all verbatim but it’s pretty close). He then started off into a different direction that isn’t all too random to most folks seeing as that’s where their minds live but to me it was as off the wall a type of comment there ever was. “Well, ya know..” he started. “.. you’ve got to make some money at some point”, a sentence accompanied by the most patronizing eye roll I’ve ever seen. He said some things after that but I had already shut down in my head. I guess I could be wrong, but the words he spoke stank with a patronizing tone that I knew came simply from naivety. As he was carrying on, I pictured myself again, at the top of the mountain looking out (not neglecting to mention the taller mountains around me that I have yet to climb) and he at the bottom of the mountain looking up, trying desperately to tell me what it looks like from where I’m standing and getting it all wrong. He was moving his mouth but the words were bouncing off of my head. All the while, I had a glazed smile over my face from the drink that Jared had mixed me (“what the hells bells did he put in this thing? What is it? Did he rufey me? I didn’t even taste the alcohizzy..) And “blah blah blah blah” from the older gentleman. Money. The man asks me how my business is doing, asks me if I’m having a good time, both questions to which I commented positively, and then he ties that into MONEY???

First off, I don’t give a rats ass about money. Oh, I like it, don’t get me wrong. But I’ve lived with quite a bit and I’ve lived with not quite enough, and let me tell you, it doesn’t have ANYTHING to do with my happiness.. which is why the man’s segway from happiness to money didn’t make any sense in my mind.

Why am I sharing this story with you? Well, here it is… “PEOPLE. WILL. NOT. UNDERSTAND. YOU.” Especially if you dream big, think big and act big. They don’t know how to do anything big. They don’t even know how to believe in somebody else’s dreams. So many times in my short life, I’ve experienced nay saying and doubting that’s come from people who mean well but have no business telling me anything. They haven’t been on the journey I’ve been on. They don’t know what I know and they can’t see what I see. For me, it’s music that I chose as my career. That simply blows folks minds. Could I at some point change my career? I guess it’s possible but highly improbable. I’m HAPPY, damn it. Didn’t you hear me?! Turn your hearing aid up. I don’t know why people want to keep you down. I don’t know why they feel the need to throw a wet towel over your dreams. I don’t even think they realize they’re doing it. It’s more of a habit, a way of thinking.

I love being around children because they are excited about EVERYTHING! I dropped my lady off at her place the other morning and as I was pulling down the alley, I saw a small boy building a rocket type experiment with his elderly grandparents. It was hot outside and my window was down. As I rolled past them slowly, I waived and said hello. Well, that young boy ran up to my car (I’m sure his GP’s were a little startled, especially at my chi-mo mustache I had at the time not to mention my moving car with tinted windows) and he started yelling about his experiment with more joy than I’ve seen on just about anyone’s face ever. The grandparents started telling him to quiet down. Why in the hell should he be quiet?! He’s giving me joy and he’s showing excitement about life! He’s doing more than your old asses are doing for anyone. I’ve had kids tell me that they want to be astronauts. Do I tell them “Well, you have a lot of competition on the way to becoming an astronaut so maybe you should take a path of less resistance?” Nope. I believe they can do it. Genuinely. Bands out there have told me of their dreams and aspirations and that they wanna headline the Gorge. Do I think they can do it? Not all the time with everybody, but do I understand what the human spirit and a lot of hard work can accomplish? You bet I do, so I encourage them in their pursuits. I get it! Even if I don’t see it, I get it. But most will never see it. Most will not understand it. That’s what I think when the Bible tells us “caste not your pearls before swine.” Just work hard, keep your head down, keep your mouth shut, and prove the swine wrong with your successes.

“You’ve got to make some money at some point.” said the grandpa.

“I am, grandpa. Thanks for the advice.” :)

My birthday show is this Saturday at @TractorTavern and you...

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:21:49 -0400

My birthday show is this Saturday at @TractorTavern and you should be there. Tix at TractorTavern.com #happybirthday #birthday #whiskey #cigar

Happy Mother’s Day to Mama Union and all of our mothers...

Sun, 12 May 2013 14:56:56 -0400

Happy Mother’s Day to Mama Union and all of our mothers who are so amazing, supportive, and beautiful. We owe you more than we can ever repay. #happymothersday

What A Loser

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:10:20 -0400

I have a neighbor who lives across the street. Anywhere I’ve lived, I always thought it was very important to meet your neighbor… in case you run out of milk or eggs, then they can spot you! But I’m reluctant to go and meet him as I’ve already stereotyped him in my mind (the answer is “yes” if you’re wondering whether or not I’m judgmental- I’m super judgmental). Stereotypes aren’t necessarily bad things and have often saved certain folks that do the stereotyping a great deal of trouble. You can call it judgmental, prejudice, whatever… I just don’t want to go across the street to meet this dude. For 1, he’s got tribal tats everywhere but he’s white. 2, I take it that he’s a fireman because he only works 2 days a week and he’s got fire department stickers on all of his super nice cars that you and I paid for. I don’t like most firemen. They’re douchebags. They’re a huge drain on the economy, at least in western WA where it rains 300+ days out of the year. Their job is easy but society writes them a blank check because they’re supposedly “public servants” (yeaaa- cut their paychecks to a reasonable level and see how many of them would still want to “serve” the public). Once every blue moon a fireman will have to run into a building 9/11 style but all in all they make WAAAY too much money for having 95% of their calls come from homeless dudes on the side of the road that have chest pains (go look it up!). Why everyone thinks we need as many firemen as we have currently, I do not understand. But that’s for another blog where I will bitch about how stupid our ivy-league politicians are and how they are flagrantly pissing away our tax money on pet programs and using the hell out of all of us…

Either way, I work from home. I work loooooong hours. I work hard. I work diligently. I don’t leave my house much when I’m in town. I really am a homebody. But this fireman (who, let me remind you, works an average of 2 days a week) often stares at me with seeming disgust when I’m sitting on my porch at 1 in the afternoon, taking a smoke break and sipping a tasty beverage, not knowing that I was up until 2am the previous night and then up again at 7am cause I had a deadline to fulfill. His eyes (well, at least his douchebag sunglasses) seem to pass judgement all up in my direction as if he’s disgusted that I’m not at work, that I’m living on welfare (touche, Douche), that I’m a loser. So I just stare back, unhindered in the enjoyment of my Courvoisier, understanding that I’m on a mountaintop looking out and he’s at the bottom of the mountain looking up. Then, my conscience kicks in and I realize, “Maybe he doesn’t work at the fire department? Maybe he works from home and has a 2nd full time job? Maybe he won the lottery and didn’t tell anyone and that’s why he’s always at home? Maybe I’m a judgmental butt hole? Maybe I should just go meet my neighbor?” DAMN THE MENTAL ANIMOSITY THAT KICKS IN WHEN I SEE THOSE FIRE DEPARTMENT STICKERS!!! But seriously dude, stop staring at me. Go save a homeless dude or something…

We’re getting ready to do a big release this summer for a...

Tue, 07 May 2013 14:05:29 -0400

We’re getting ready to do a big release this summer for a song I wrote called “Tryin’ Not To”. We just recorded it with one of Katy Perry’s producers down in Portland but before you can hear the full studio version, I decided to record a little version on my laptop simply using the built-in mic… so don’t judge the quality too severely. It’s just a “one take” of my vocals (which means I only sang it one time) and a few acoustic tracks. I hope you like it! Let me know…

Three days of Cinco de Mayo celebrations and we’re slapped...

Fri, 03 May 2013 11:58:19 -0400

Three days of Cinco de Mayo celebrations and we’re slapped in the middle.
#CincoDeMayo #CincoDeDrinko #beer #tequila #dosequis

It’s #official. We will play @showboxsea at the #market on...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:15:54 -0400

It’s #official. We will play @showboxsea at the #market on July 13. ALL AGES. Tickets on sale early May. #allages #beer #bass #boots #beerme #cover #crowd #concert #dance #drums #dancing #fur #filthy #guitar #holycrap #insanity #jump #jointheunion #leather #music #newmusic #new #nevergonnastop #rock #rocknroll #sexy #show #song #seattle #seattlemusic #shakethatass #tour #tacoma #tattoos #tattoo #whiskey

What a privilege to perform to a sold out room at...

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 11:44:28 -0400

What a privilege to perform to a sold out room at @SeattleLRshows last night #slrs5years

He’s back, people! Music video shoot nearly done. #tacoma...

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 17:00:13 -0400

He’s back, people! Music video shoot nearly done. #tacoma #seattle #shakethatass #jointheunion #movie #video #music #seattlemusic #nerd #glasses #work #art #artwork #film

Just listened to @allenstone serenade me at the #seatac airport....

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:01:47 -0400

Just listened to @allenstone serenade me at the #seatac airport. Now time for take-off. #getaway #OKC #Sonics #beerme #airplane #sunshine #seattlemusic

Times and Places

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:44:10 -0400

I remember a wrist-watch commercial that used to air many years ago. It’s stuck with me for what seems like 15 years or more. I forget which brand of watch was being marketed but I remember the commercial vividly. When it starts, the viewer is unaware of what exactly the commercial is about. In the commercial, the viewer is first introduced to a very sculpted, handsome, symmetrically perfect man who appears to be a businessman of sorts. He’s in the middle of a crowd of people and he’s walking very briskly as he appears to be trying to get somewhere rather quickly. You can tell that he’s hustling along, trying to make up for some lost time. He’s obviously in a hurry. That initial scene cuts to another very beautiful, business-clad woman who also seems to be in a big hurry. The two individuals are completely unconnected and unaware of each others existence. Then the narrator of the commercial starts talking about that moment in many peoples lives that some would call a “kiros moment”; the moment where time meets destiny. He proceeds to explain the importance of time as the most valuable commodity in the world. As the commercial continues, the two stars of the commercial suddenly glance down at their own wrist-watches at the exact same moment that they pass by each other unnoticed as if they were a split second away from running into each other, thus, missing their “destiny” by a split second. The viewer is aware of the fact that they were supposed to literally “run into one another” which would’ve altered the course of the rest of their lives from that moment on. To sum up the commercial, the narrator prods the audience to buy the “correct” wrist watch because if you’re wearing the right brand, you won’t be a split second off.

Now, however clever that commercial was, we all know that one’s destiny doesn’t rely on what brand wrist watch one wears. But the idea that kiros moments take place in everyone’s life from time to time is legitimate. You may not have a #1 hit song on the radio, but you may have one in your notepad that nobody’s ever heard. You may not have the budget to market your product just yet but you’re a damn good salesman. You may know how to brew beer like a champ but there is nobody you’ve connected with thus far that knows how to turn that recipe into a profit. You may not have a girlfriend now but you’ve been doing crunches for a long time (catch my flow??)…

To sum it up, you cannot decide for yourself exactly when a kiros moment will take place. The thing that you CAN do is use the time that you’ve been given to harness your skill set, master your craft, and be ready when the kiros moment presents itself. If you’re a songwriter, keep writing. If you’re an author, continue spinning stories. If you’re a craft brewer, learn how to be the best at making beer.. etc and so forth. Create. Work hard. Place your passion before your comfort. Pursue the opportunity. Go with your gut. Don’t wait to be financed. It won’t happen. Your kiros moment is fast approaching.

Will you use your TIME wisely enough now so as to be prepared for the DESTINY that is soon to offer itself to you?

(Response and comments are always encouraged on my blog)

EMPIRE OF THE SUN

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:11:50 -0400

Empire of the Sun - ‘Alive’ (audio) www.youtube.comNew album ‘Ice on the Dune’ Coming June 18, 2013. Pre-order new album on iTunes + get first single “Alive” now

If you’ve not yet been exposed to the power of the band “Empire Of The Sun”, then you’re overlooking a key to your musical health. Go to their YouTube channel and soak up the melodies. They’re my favorite band right now… New album is coming out on June 18th. Get ready to start hearing this song everywhere..

Can you tell that I’m pretty excited???????

Evidence that last night actually happened. #portland #OR...

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 12:10:38 -0400

Evidence that last night actually happened. #portland #OR #portlandmusic #matador #joegarita #tacoma