Benjamin Rader

Benjamin Rader is a songwriter/producer, born, raised, and yes, still residing in Portland, Oregon. Rader’s music has been best described as “up music for down people.” Esoteric for everyone, his lyrics draws lines between the mournful and humorous, outlandish and the oh-so-relatable. A storyteller at heart, Rader is at his best when left to self-destruct, recover, then rediscover the same old town throught the same old people. Under the guise of fiction, Rader is able to explore relationships from an unattached yet achingly familiar perspective. A poetic con of sorts. After letting go of a four year “should have been” epic project entitled As We Orbit, Rader embarked on a solo acoustic EP entitled “Plum Tree.” A departure for Benjamin whose roots are in electronic music and dreamy guitar pop/rock a la Smashing Pumpkins, The Cure and U2. The recording process turned out the be a catharsis. With eyes-on-the-road determination, Rader held himself up in his studio for six months emerging with EP in hand and twenty fewer pounds. Rader is currently working on a self produced, full length record overseen by Portland’s elite studio geeks. Incorporating cello, female vocals, light percussion, and even more self-deprecation! It should be on the shelves by Autumn 2007. Benjamin's EP is available at Second Avenue Records (400 SW 2ND Ave Portland, OR 97204-3404), Everyday Music (both Burnside and Sandy locations), Music Millenium (both Laurelhurst and 23rd locations) and at CDBaby http://cdbaby.com/cd/benjaminrader.