Introducing Benjamin Stranger, Music Genius

Hello Benjamin, thank you for stopping by AO Network and sharing your work with us. Please tell us what you do in the music industry and for how long have you been making music? 

I write, record, produce & perform my own work while also writing songs, playing sessions, touring, filming and directing music videos for other artists. I’ve been releasing music under various project names since the late aughts–here is a fairly comprehensive Spotify Playlist.

Your latest single, ‘Summer Alone’, please tell us about your musical concept behind this work and were you speaking to someone specifically? WE loved it by the way!
Thanks! It’s not speaking to anyone specific but was originally written and recorded by me and Trace Faulkner over the Spring/Summer of 2020, so was lyrically inspired by the first uneasy months of the pandemic. In terms of its composition, sound and ultimate production style, ‘SUMMER ALONE’ is referencing a long line of rock/pop songs from Rod Stewart’s ‘Young Turks’ to The War On Drugs’ ‘Red Eyes’ to The Weeknd’s ‘Blinding Lights’ to Sharon Van Etten’s ‘Seventeen.’ It was written to have that big, anthemic chorus with similarly driving drums.

See the inspirations for ‘SUMMER ALONE’ above. More generally I’m inspired by great writers and artists from generations before me, be they songwriters like Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Prince and Nick Cave or visual artists/filmmakers like Francis Bacon, Terrence Malick and Jane Campion. Some direct influences on the upcoming full-length ‘Fare Thee Well, Follower!’ (featuring ‘SUMMER ALONE’) are Brian De Palma’s rock musical ‘Phantom of the Paradise’ and Sam Shepard’s dystopian play ‘The Tooth Of Crime.’ Current inspirations, though not necessarily direct influences, are songwriters I admire like Dev Hynes from Blood Orange and Adrianne Lenker from Big Thief. 

I stay motivated by reading, watching, listening and experiencing a wide range of artistic expression, then synthesizing that into my own voice through hard work, day after day, in the craft of songwriting.

What was the writing process like behind Summer Alone? How long did it take to write the record?

‘SUMMER ALONE’ is the main single from my upcoming full-length album, a ‘concept record’ entitled ‘Fare Thee Well, Follower!’ The aim of the album is to confront A.I. driven social media head on and explore the dark corners our technological obsessions and desires have painted us into. As evidenced by the ongoing writers’ strike and the infiltration of artificial intelligence into humanity’s creative endeavors, this issue will be at the forefront of the entertainment industry for years to come, barring some unforeseen regulation, event or stopgap measure. Some of the songs on the record have been written for a few years (like ‘SUMMER ALONE’), while others were composed in short order earlier this year, written around the conceptual idea specifically. It has mostly been recorded over the last six months with Trace Faulkner and John Meehan at Sundial Sound, a mobile recording service similar in concept to the legendary Rolling Stones Mobile Studio. There is a suite of three songs (‘FOLLOWERS,’ ‘FOLLOWERS Interlude’ and ‘FOLLOWERS Reprise’) that directly address social media ‘culture’ for what it is–humanity’s first large-scale test with algorithmic artificial intelligence, a test it’s clear we have all failed. ‘SUMMER ALONE’ took on new meaning and significance in this context, reflecting not only on pandemic-era anxieties but on the larger host of issues inherent in the advent of widespread, increasingly ‘generative’ A.I. 

Are you currently touring the new single or have plans of touring?

I certainly have plans to tour the record but it’s becoming more and more cost prohibitive, especially for indie artists. The squeeze is coming from all sides now–physical copies barely sell, streams pay fractions of cents and touring costs fall solely on the artist in a medium people are now used to consuming for free. In a social media environment completely oversaturated with ‘content’ it is very difficult to hold anyone’s attention, especially if you try to play the game a different way, ESPECIALLY if you point out overarching issues with the system as a whole. I’ve been censored and shadow-banned repeatedly for such actions and find the whole notion of ‘followers,’ ‘likes,’ ‘selfies’ and ‘content’ completely antithetical to artistic expression. I want people to see and hear the actual work I create, not click a ‘like’ button on a ‘selfie’ post about the work I create. 

If you had to compare your music, who would you compare your sound to and why?
The Kinks’ more conceptual, satirical work (Arthur, Village Green Preservation Society) is a definite template for ‘Fare Thee Well, Follower!’, along with Tom Waits’ ‘Franks Wild Years,’ Ween’s ‘The Mollusk’ and Gorillaz recent ‘Cracker Island,’ all loosely constructed ‘concept records’ that explore a central idea in song and branch out from there. We’re going for the vibe that ‘it’s all connected’ without being too heavy-handed or overly narrative. 

You have any special shout outs for the release of your new single release?
Definitely! Foremost thanks to the two female vocalists adding a multi-character depth to ‘SUMMER ALONE,’ Crissie McCree and Melissa Mathes, along with Alternative/Industrial artist Twanas, who remixed the first single ‘Misshapen Identity’ from the record into ‘Misshapen Id (Twanas Remix)’ and collaborated on music videos for both the Remix and SUMMER ALONE.

How can new supporters follow you on social media and discover more of your work?

Despite my critiques of social media, I do understand the value as a tool for connecting with a wider audience and presenting work directly to that audience. I just want to question what we’re trading (our data, privacy and mental well-being so our desires can be marketed back at us) and speak out against top-down, corporate controlled artificial intelligence that ignores copyright law and infiltrates the human creative space. In short, don’t use A.I. to ‘write’ ‘songs’ !!!

Instagram: @benjaminstranger

Threads: @benjaminstranger

Linktree: Benjamin Stranger | Instagram | Linktree