Features
Freak Out
The former teen-age pop prodigy has grown up and is making solo tracks next year. Kweller’s monthlong run of theatres and clubs launches February 7 in Denver and wraps March 8 in Detroit.
This is only the latest spate of gigs for Kweller, who has been steady on the road since March. He first supported Dashboard Confessional and the Dave Matthews Band, and then headlined his own stints with My Morning Jacket and others supporting him for a change.
Earlier this fall, Kweller linked up with The Strokes for a handful of dates, which cut right into the middle of his solo tour. No mind, though. His fans turned out in full force and packed the clubs with or without The Strokes present.
No matter how hard he tries, Kweller can’t escape references to his age. And no wonder why – by the ripe old age of eight, the prodigy wrote his own tunes and was proficient on the guitar and piano. At age nine, he received an honorable mention from Billboard for his entry in its early songwriter competition.
Fast forward a few years and a couple of garage bands later, and we find Kweller at the helm of three-piece punk group Radish. After releasing a handful of indie demos and EPs, Radish inked a deal with Mercury Records and in 1997 the band released their debut album, Restraining Bolt.
International tours ensued; three years later the band members split and went their separate ways. Kweller embarked on a solo career and soon began opening for Jeff Tweedy, Guster, Juliana Hatfield and others. In 2000, he released Freak Out, It’s Ben Kweller, and followed that one year later with his ATO Records debut, E.P. Phone Home.
Kweller’s latest album, Sha Sha, was released this year.