2008 Woodie Awards
Local musicians look to make names for themselves on national stage
Brian Washburn
Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: Life & Style
Fayetteville, welcome to your music breakthrough.
Even though Northwest Arkansas has had it's fair share of musical talent and professional musicians, three more are primed and ready to take their music, and Fayetteville, to a national level.
Growing up and traveling with missionary parents on motorcycle en route all the way from Canada to Mexico does not exactly sound like the typical life for a 7-year-old boy. But had Benjamin Del Shreve's life resembled normalcy, his poetic, flower-obsessed, transit-written party rock would not exist.
Shreve grew up with missionary parents who catered to the biker community, but they were not typical mom and pop bikers. His family went cross-country with the one percentage bikers, the population of bikers which are considered the most dangerous. Although Shreve admits this life seems insane and anything but normal, it did serve it's purpose - priming Shreve for a life on the road.
"At one point, a couple years ago, I realized I needed to focus. I had too many influences," Shreve said. "I quit my job and moved to the Northeast, where I lived in a cabin and worked migrant labor. I think and write better on the run, and it was there where I decided that I wanted to be famous for rock and roll."
However, Shreve - and drummer Kurt Currie, guitarists Jon Holder and Olivia Apple, and bassist Jeremy Bonham - might become famous for his rock and roll sooner than later. At the end of this month, he will fly out to Los Angeles to talk to several major labels, said Shreve's publicist, Kody Ford. There is also the prospect of talking with a major label based in Australia. Although they are unable to release the names of these labels, and the new professional manager Shreve will work with, they guarantee they are some immensely big, world-wide labels.
This major label attention for the Fayetteville singer-songwriter should not come to a surprise to his fans or even fans of the Fayetteville music scene. The band picked up a Northwest Arkansas Music Award for Best Modern Rock Band in 2006 and is also nominated for even more this year. But since Shreve and company changed their sound to their well-known party rock, they have sold out almost every show and even garnered over a thousand people to his CD release show this past year.
Even though Northwest Arkansas has had it's fair share of musical talent and professional musicians, three more are primed and ready to take their music, and Fayetteville, to a national level.
Growing up and traveling with missionary parents on motorcycle en route all the way from Canada to Mexico does not exactly sound like the typical life for a 7-year-old boy. But had Benjamin Del Shreve's life resembled normalcy, his poetic, flower-obsessed, transit-written party rock would not exist.
Shreve grew up with missionary parents who catered to the biker community, but they were not typical mom and pop bikers. His family went cross-country with the one percentage bikers, the population of bikers which are considered the most dangerous. Although Shreve admits this life seems insane and anything but normal, it did serve it's purpose - priming Shreve for a life on the road.
"At one point, a couple years ago, I realized I needed to focus. I had too many influences," Shreve said. "I quit my job and moved to the Northeast, where I lived in a cabin and worked migrant labor. I think and write better on the run, and it was there where I decided that I wanted to be famous for rock and roll."
However, Shreve - and drummer Kurt Currie, guitarists Jon Holder and Olivia Apple, and bassist Jeremy Bonham - might become famous for his rock and roll sooner than later. At the end of this month, he will fly out to Los Angeles to talk to several major labels, said Shreve's publicist, Kody Ford. There is also the prospect of talking with a major label based in Australia. Although they are unable to release the names of these labels, and the new professional manager Shreve will work with, they guarantee they are some immensely big, world-wide labels.
This major label attention for the Fayetteville singer-songwriter should not come to a surprise to his fans or even fans of the Fayetteville music scene. The band picked up a Northwest Arkansas Music Award for Best Modern Rock Band in 2006 and is also nominated for even more this year. But since Shreve and company changed their sound to their well-known party rock, they have sold out almost every show and even garnered over a thousand people to his CD release show this past year.
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