Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
“Songs about hope, the pursuit of dreams, peace, spirituality, the pain of lost love and one really nasty little dog.… excellent background harmonies, clean arrangements and a very thoughtful use of strings, horns and percussion…. subtle influences [from] World, new age, classical [and] Broadway…as colorful as a bowl of Trix. (reviewing SHINING FROM INSIDE) - Singer Magazine
“Like an angel plucking heavenly strings…a voice low and soothing…beautiful fretless bass, hand percussion and sweet back-up vocals…will leave you feeling good, like an uplifting church service or a dip in a hot tub.” (reviewing SHINING FROM INSIDE) - Sing Out! Magazine
“Optimistic…Benjammin obviously knows his way around a guitar…great backing musicians…the album's production quality is excellent.” (reviewing SHINING FROM INSIDE) - Mountain Xpress
“Benjammin is a great musician…beautifully arranged and performed…an intelligence not often found in happy songs.” (reviewing SHINING FROM INSIDE) - The Indie
“New Age sensibility with folk instrumentation…very gentle and soothing.” (reviewing SHINING FROM INSIDE) - The Muse's Muse
“Skillful…there’s no denying the authority of his voice and guitar….” (reviewing SHINING FROM INSIDE) - Rapid River
"A clever songwriter, skilled guitarist, and highly entertaining solo acoustic performer." (live performance review) - Mountain Xpress
”Unique…a rich baritone voice and a humorous, intelligent bent toward life….” (live performance review) - Asheville Citizen-Times
“In the spirit of Prince and Todd Rundgren, Benjammin has done the amazing: written, arranged, recorded, mixed and produced a fine, well-crafted, inspired and inspiring work of art. BRAVO!” (reviewing SHINING FROM INSIDE) - Billy Jonas
"Asheville's unchallenged acoustic-folk champion." (announcement after Benjammin won his category in their 2004 Virtual Battle of the Bands) - Mountain Xpress
Discography
Shining from Inside (full-length folk/pop CD)
The Beauty Within (full-length New Age electronic CD)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Imagine James Taylor crossed with Steve Martin and Deepak Chopra. That heartfelt/funny/mystical hybrid would sound a lot like Benjammin.
The award-winning singer/songcrafter is an ecospiritual troubadour and sly jester. A charismatic performer and sensitive balladeer. Impressive instrumentalist and tender love song singer.
In short, he’s hard to pigeonhole. But that hasn’t stopped the praise from fans such as acclaimed singer/songwriter Billy Jonas, who called Benjammin’s latest CD “amazing…a fine, well-crafted, inspired and inspiring work of art.”
“I occasionally touch on serious issues,” Benjammin said, “but above all I love to entertain. My shows have plenty of humor, love songs and upbeat material, as well as a touch of the mystical. I like my audiences to go home with open hearts and big smiles.”
Song contest judges have also been smiling: Benjammin won First Place in the OSCA Songwriting Contest, and was a finalist in two Flatrock Music Festival competitions.
Originally a classical guitarist – he gave world premiere performances at two national guitar symposiums – the silken-voiced baritone now uses his advanced fingerstyle technique on steel strings. But he's no traditionalist, as his work with altered tunings and partial capos demonstrates. His songwriting is also eclectic, with flavors ranging from folk, Broadway and pop to New Age, Middle Eastern and jazz.
Benjammin lists singer/songwriters David Wilcox, Peter Mayer and Tom Prasada-Rao as major influences. The full-time musician lives in Asheville, NC, and is now touring to support his new vocal CD, Shining From Inside. His critically acclaimed debut album, The Beauty Within – which he recorded as Benjamin Bernstein -- features meditative synthesizer instrumentals. His website is www.BJBmusic.com.
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