BENJI HUGHES

10/17/2009

Visulite Theatre (18 +)

Doors Open: 8:00 - Headliner Begins: 11:35

Benji Hughes

A LOVE EXTREME

Hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina, Benji Hughes spends much of his time

masterminding his blend of inventive rock and ballads. At times earnest, at others

whimsical, Benji is equally adept at keyboards and guitar. He loves beer but he loves

women even more. Underneath his thick mane of strawberry blond hair and beard is a

versatile singer/songwriter, full of heart. His music collection -- spanning everything

from The Crystals, Merle Haggard, and Kinky Friedman to Talking Heads, The Cars, and

Slayer -- is as wild as his gracious exterior.

 

 

Producer and L.A- bred session musician Keefus Ciancia (T-Bone Burnett, Sheryl Crow,

Everlast) assisted Hughes in making his 25-song debut album in his Los Feliz, CA studio.

A Love Extreme flows like your favorite mixtape but with the classicality of Randy

Newman and Leonard Cohen. Ciancia doesn’t hesitate to champion Hughes’ genuine

approach to his artistic craft. “The way he writes lyrics and melodies, Benji finds a way

to get into your brain. The way he does things is the way he lives his life. On the piano,

he’s freaky because he just sits down and gets into this trance mode. It’s like a beer coma

and his hands just kind of take off. It’s just kind of natural to him. He’s an amazing guitar

player, too. He did most of the guitar stuff on A Love Extreme. It’s totally out of control.”

Whether he’s gushing about women and relationships or pining over heartbreaks, Hughes

has a penchant for perfecting great pop songs. From the danceable “Tight Tee Shirt” to

the synth-slathered vibe of “Why Do These Parties Always End the Same Way” and

“Baby, It’s Your Life!” Hughes’ barefaced humor is instantaneously charming. Even

during the more dour moments such as the melancholic “Love Is a Razor” and the

majestic, piano-driven “Even If,” Hughes nails it each and every time.

 

 

“[Songwriting] is something that makes me feel good. I just gravitate to it,” Hughes says.

“It’s just me being honest with myself. If it wasn’t something fun, I wouldn’t be doing

it.” Other standouts include ballad “All You’ve Got to Do Is Fall in Love,” the ‘70s-singed

riffage of “Vibe So Hot,” and the old school hip-hop flavors of “Ladies on Parade.” “I

Went With Some Friends to See the Flaming Lips” is another automatic classic-in-themaking,

and something Ciancia can personally talk about it.

“Benji took me to my first Flaming Lips show and he showed up to my house in a bunny

suit,” Ciancia says. “I was like, ‘Whoa, what are we doing?’ He was like, ‘Just trust me,’

and we drove to the Palladium. Once we got there, he just took off. But later on I saw him

on stage dancing with the rest of the animals.”

-- MacKenzie Wilson

 

www.myspace.com/benjihughes

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THE LOVE LANGUAGE

Start Time: 10:35

THE LOVE LANGUAGE is a lo-fi Indie Pop band from Raleigh, NC whose debut self titled release is the story of one man’s redemption. The result sounds like a Phil Spector recording employing the reverb of the Walkman and the aesthetic of the early 90’s lo fi movement, ala Guided By Voices and Sebadoh. The Love Language is a one man album. Everything you hear on the record was written, performed, recorded, and mixed by Stu McLamb.

Two years ago Stu played in a band called The Capulets with 3 members of what would later become THE LOVE LANGUAGE live band. Stu got drunk one night, broke into the Capulets practice space, trashed the joint, and broke his wrist in the process. The band booed Stu’s antics and showed him the door. Stu then moved to Winston Salem with the “Lalita.” “I had moved in with a girl I thought was the love of my life but felt absolutely miserable,” reflects McLamb, adding “We had unhealthy tendencies like throwing beer bottles at the wall when we fought.”

Fast forward 6 months. The walls are covered in beer bottle glass and the couple finally decides to call it quits. Stu celebrated the culmination of festering misery by pounding a fifth of Aristocrat and woke up in solitary confinement with his ankles and wrists bound.

Shocked by the shit you can land yourself in McLamb, moved in with his parents, lays off the drink, and worked hard at a local hotel. As he sobered, the songs started appearing. He rented a storage space, bought a cheap-ass bass, borrowed some drums and started recording the album - 4 track style. “I'd like to think of it as the audio equivalent of a handwritten letter to a pen pal with little handmade gifts inside...or something like that,” says Stu of the recordings.

When the songs became solid he passed around a CD to friends. Eventually the music caught the ears of The Rosebuds (Merge Records) and THE LOVE LANGUAGE was asked to open a show for them to kick of their fall tour. To this McLamb wistfully replied with a simple "Yes" and quickly formed a band with 6 of his closest friends who could lend a hand to present the songs in an energetic live setting that nicely juxtaposes the home recordings. THE LOVE LANGUAGE is Stuart McLamb (electric guitar, vocals), Jordan McLamb (acoustic guitar, percussion, vocals), Junis Beefmonth (electric guitar, vocals), Missy Thangs (keyboard, vocals), Joshua Pope (bass guitar), Kate Thompson (organ) and Thomas Simpson (drum kit).

Word spread fast around THE LOVE LANGUAGE’S home state and the music quickly caught the ear of Bladen County Records, who will release the band’s self-titled long-player and Ground Control Touring, who will have the band on the road throughout ’09 and beyond!

 

bladencountyrecords.com/index.php/the-love-language/

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JON LINDSAY

Start Time: 9:30

SHORT BIO:

Jon Linsday, North Carolina bred (also member of Benji Hughes’ band and frontman of the band The Catch Fire) singer-songwriter has recently teamed up with MoRisen Records, who will soon release his debut EP “Magic Winter & the Dirty South”, as well as the full-length 18+track Opus “Escape From Plaza Midwood”. Bringing a vocal style that’s unforgettable, at times sweet as it gets straight from Big Star Country, to the wry and cracked delivery of the likes of Warren Zevon, his tunes are always smart, super emotive and laced with hooks. He currently tours with his full backing band, comprised of members of Benji Hughes, The Houstons.

 

have a listen at:

myspace.com/jonlindsaymusic

facebook.com/jonlindsaymusic

cdbaby.com/cd/jonlindsay

reverbnation.com/jonindsay

 

Jon Lindsay

myspace.com/jonlindsaymusic

facebook.com/jonlindsaymusic

cdbaby.com/cd/jonlindsay

reverbnation.com/jonlindsay