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It is rare to hear breathtaking contemporary Australian music these days, but once you listen to the unique sounds of alternative singer/songwriter Ben McMaster, it’s easy to say that he defines that of a distinctive, modern Australian sound that we have all come to appreciate. Not only does he deliver astonishing vocals within each track, but each also contains powerful, meaningful lyrics to compliment his sound, in all cases creating a soothing atmosphere.

 

Ben’s first taste of being in the spotlight came when the acting bug bit him in high school. Originally from Perth, a family adventure had Ben and his family settle on Queensland ’s Sunshine Coast. Ben was only 17 at the time. Then, while enrolled in a performing arts course, he discovered a talent for song writing and so began another journey. Now armed with a keyboard, Ben began writing more and more songs. Then in 2005 he began to get really serious and took singing and guitar lessons. Gigs came sporadically as he had no previous interest or experience in the music industry, but he managed to score a few through a friend named Adrian Herd and other contacts he made at that time.

 

 

 

In 2006, Ben and his whole family decided to move down to Melbourne, for the specific purpose of gaining a career as a singer/songwriter. With some demos recorded in several backyard studios, he got some interviews and airplay on community radio. In a case of “it’s not what you know but who you know”, Ben’s demos came to the attention of Sam Panetta, head of Melodic Management, via one of the members of indie rock band Kisschasy. Now Ben is one of Sam ’s Artists in Development where the two are still working on songs and gathering music industry interest. Each song became available on the cult website MySpace as soon as it was recorded and he slowly developed a widespread fan base. This is how I came to hear of Ben.

 

Listening through Ben’s track list is truly pleasant. There is so much diversity in the content of the songs that each one stays fresh in the listener’s mind. The common feature of all tracks is that they create a great surge of uplifting enthusiasm in the listener.

The song ‘Always There Inside Of Me’ will blow listeners away (much like the rest of his track set). When it reaches the chorus and you hear all these numerous melodies and instruments banding together and actually working well, it is the most magnificent moment during this song. The contrast between background vocals, instrumentation and Ben’s voice all collide with style. The outcome of the song is staggering, including the exquisite lead up to the coda.

All the hard work being produced by someone so young is truly amazing. Ben McMaster is definitely an artist on the rise to a great, successful career.

 

 

 

-Written by David Russo; edited by Ben McMaster

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