Ben Glover

Singer-Songwriter Ben Glover: Evoking Heartfelt Imagery From Northern Ireland To Nashville

Ben Glover has been compelled to write songs since his mid-teens growing up in County Antrim Ireland—when he was awoken and unsettled by Bob Dylan. Armed with a law degree from Queens University Belfast, he put his legal ambitions on hold to pursue a career in music.
That career got its start with Glover’s debut outing, The Week The Clocks Changed, produced by J.D. Foster and featuring guest appearances by A-list roots music artists including Jim Lauderdale, Buddy Miller and Vince Gill. Through the Noise, Through the Night followed in 2009, which was produced by Neilson Hubbard (Kim Richey, Matthew Perryman Jones, Glen Phillips), and drew rave reviews and comparisons to the likes of Ryan Adams and Bruce Springsteen.

Relocating to Nashville in ‘08—to summon the spirits of great songwriters that came before him—Hank, Willie, Cash and Kristofferson—Glover began penning new tunes with some of Music Row’s finest, including acclaimed singer-songwriter, Mary Gauthier. His second record Through the Noise, Through the Night was filled with soul-moving melodies that linger and stir.

Now comes his ‘joycholic’ 2011 outing, Before The Birds.

You invented the word “joycholic” to describe this record. What does that mean?

Joycholic refers to both the nature of the songs and the sonic landscape. In both, there are elements of joy and there are elements of melancholy.

On your third recording, Before The Birds, how has your sound evolved?

I feel as if it’s taken three albums for me to finally step into my own shoes; to finally create a sound, which I feel wholly represents me. It's not as if my first two albums were very heavily produced, but my sound has naturally become more stripped back, less layered. I was very intent on making my vocal and the essence of the song be the focal point of Before The Birds. This was my second album working with the producer Neilson Hubbard and it's the most personal record I've made. Neilson creates such a trusting environment that allows for us both to throw out ideas and try new things. That relationship afforded me the space to explore and make the truest record of my career.

What are the predominant themes of Before The Birds?

Before The Birds is that time of the day right before the dawn; that place and time when the day is so new that the world, or even the birds, haven’t even awoken. That time and place where the world is full of infinite possibilities. There we stand at the very beginning of a new journey, a new beginning. Our world, our relationships, our experiences are in our hands to create. It's a kind of testament that says our fate is in our own hands. It is a place, too, where we can feel the comfort and intimacy of being together, where nothing threatens us.

On the other hand Before The Birds has its darker, sadder themes.

It can be that time and place in the night just before the dawn, when isolation and aloneness are stronger than ever; those moments when we feel so distant and apart from a world that is in between ending and awakening. It’s that place and time of the night just as it is about to depart forever. It is over and it has slipped through our fingers again. At the far side of the night, darkness is unfolding into morning but we know something has changed. We mourn the loss of another night.

What was the creative impetus for Before The Birds?

The purpose was that it simply needed to be recorded. It needed to be. I had spent
the previous 12 months writing, not specifically for a record, but just writing. At the end of that year I had over 25 songs. I had a strong sense that some of these songs needed to be brought to life in the studio. There is a certain life cycle to a song: the spark of the idea, the actual writing, the performing of it live and also the recording of it. These 10 songs needed the full "life cycle," so it was essential to record them at this time.

What did the making of Before The Birds teach you as an artist?
It always comes down to honesty, in the song, the performance and the sound. Once you achieve this, you have fulfilled your responsibility as an artist.

How has your Irish background and living part-time in Nashville influenced and shaped your sound?
Living in a different country always gives you a unique perspective; to a large extent you are always on the outside looking in. One great benefit of being an outsider is that you have to observe what's going on around you and that skill is so critical in being a writer. Living in Nashville has been a wonderful experience. I feel very at home and it's an environment very conductive to being creative. There's a definite charge in the air here as it is a town flooding with creativity. At first, being in an atmosphere of so many excellent musicians and songwriters was a bit overwhelming, but then it turned into a great motivating factor; an inspi