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| Photo by: Ian Healy |
with a heart of gold. He steals strums, styles and stories from the past and sets them free to dance the good dance, night after night, venue after venue. His charm, powerful voice and musical ability will allow him to get away with it for years. No matter the setting or with what ensemble, Henderson always delivers a passionate and palpable energy to the listener. He trades EPs and goose bumps for five dollar bills.With Get Me Wrong, his follow-up to last year's Dirty Birdies, Ben has accumulated a hefty load of kudos and a chain of followers. His fans show up
to watch his rock band, The Good Hustle, or his collaborations with other local all-stars, and local press tries hard to put into words something about Ben Henderson's muse, his connection to the cosmos, his believability and the passion behind his words and music. Ben can do Americana. Ben can do Floyd. He can match soaring melodies with angular waltzes, and open his diary over a simple blues. Ben's solo act fulfills the promise made a generation ago by Cat Stevens, Neil Young and James Taylor. One man can walk onto a silent stage, with an acoustic guitar, and wield all of the emotional and dynamic power available to a master musician and storyteller.Ben in an ensemble is a wonder to watch, as his strength and energy are not contained by any half, third or quarter of a stage. It turns into a near-athletic event. Ben attempts to bury drumsticks into floor toms, rip the strings off of his electric bass, and destroy the poor SM58 in front of him. His bandmates have no choice but to follow the leader, and the air molecules in the room have no choice but to shake as they will rarely shake again.
