Ben's BLOG

Hey, folks

Here's your latest edition of Album InSite, "Dear Child."

Like "Rest My Head" and "Bad Credit," "Dear Child" is one of the older tunes on the album. It was written in the fall of '99, back when I was spending a lot of time listening to more singer/songwriter type music. It was in the wake of a time when I broke my ankle, and was in recovery for awhile when I started listening to Shawn Mullins. Now, I'm not ashamed of having done so, and there are some very good tunes on his album SOUL'S CORE, but his record has since been gathering dust on my shelf. Anyway, in the wake of all this, and of being in serious love for the first time, I penned "Dear Child."

The song is very straight forward, written from a parent or guardian's perspective towards his child. Prior to writing it, I had also spent a summer working at my old sleepaway camp in the Pacific Northwest, and I'd been counselor to a group of kids ranging from 10 years old to 15 years old. I had played some of my tunes at camp, and had been very encouraged by the response. In fact, I had been so encouraged that I wrote a few songs about certain people I met while there. "Forever," the new Web Exclusive song, was the last song I finished while at camp, but I wrote several tunes over the course of the summer. One of these tunes, a memory of one of my campers of his deceased father entitled "Nothing Gold Can Stay," helped to get me in the mood of writing more tender songs. "Dear Child" came out in the same vein.

The actual impetus behind the song is, strangely enough, completely unrelated to the subject matter. As I've said before, I was involved in Songwriting workshops while at USC, and one of these workshops inspired me to write "Dear Child." At one of these classes, several writers got into a heated debate about the merits of one of the songs we were discussing, and I remember thinking how absurd it was that they should get so passionately into the debate as to forget the song itself, and to begin attacking each other personally. As pretentious as it is, I wrote "Dear Child" as a glorified statement to those writers to calm themselves down. Until now, I've never told anyone that fact.

Now, that said, I am still very proud of the song, and I feel that it is not at all reflective of the circumstances for which I wrote it. It is one of the melodies of which I am most proud, and I'm so pleased at how well the album version turned out. In arranging the song, all that was added to enhance it from the original guitar/vocal demo was the piano, and the sound of rainfall at the beginning of the song. It doesn't get much more straight forward than that.

One last funny fact about the song is that in the final mixing process of the album, my friend and engineer Keith began to refer to it as "Deer Child." Talk about a different spin!

Hey, guys

What's happenin'? I'm getting pretty excited about some upcoming shows this spring here in Los Angeles. In just a couple short weeks, myself and the band will be opening up for my good friends, the alt. rock band Angeles Drake, over at Fais Do Do. And, later on in May, we'll be taking part in the Hard Rock Hollywood's Battle of the Bands, so keep checking for more updates about the shows. For the Hard Rock gig, we'll need all of your support.

Cheers,
Ben

Howdy, all

I just stumbled upon something funny that might interest you. While thumbing through my old notebooks, I saw some "alternate" chorus ideas for the song, "Crush."

Like a rock n' roll show
Where the crowd is all hush
But the song won't come out
Cuz I've got a crush

Or, then there's my personal favorite (it's a wonder this one didn't make it into the final song).

It's the toilet of love
That I can't seem to flush
Her smell consumes me
Cuz I've got a crush

There you have it. God, I hope I haven't offended anybody.

Ben

ben's BLOG will be upgraded over the next few days to allow you guys (readers) the ability to add comments to Ben's posts. If you experience any errors through Thursday, it will most likely be because of the work being done. Thank you for your patience.

Update: March 13, 2003
Commenting is now available and the problems with the archives have been resolved. Happy Blogging!

Hey, Blogheads

How are ya? I hope you're well. I'm doing very nicely, and I am happy to announce that I've posted a new Web Exclusive tune, "Forever." This song is an oldie in the Ben Schor catalogue, and has previously been released on a little EP I did back in the summer of 2000 called Dillusions. It was written both for a friend, and as my reaction to the start of a long distance relationship. At any rate, I hope you enjoy it, and be sure to keep checking back with the BLOG for the remaining installments of Album InSite, and for more news in the coming months.

Cheers,
Ben

Hey,

I just wanted to thank everyone for visiting the site. We've been experiencing a record amount of hits in the past two months. While most of our hits are coming from the United States, we're pretty well traveled by the Republic of Korea. Apparently, those Koreans, they dig the Ben Schor.

Hey, guys

This week's Album InSite is about the politics and judgement behind the song, "Let Me Go."

In 2001, I was fortunate enough to catch wind of a set of documentaries by filmmakers Bruce Sinofsky and Joe Berlinger. Now, I had heard Berlinger's name in passing when I watched the Blair Witch Project sequel, Book of Shadows (also written and directed by Berlinger), but it was rumoured that his documentary work was his best. As part of a college course, I was exposed to the story of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jesse Miskelley. These are the boys whose story has been brought to light in the doc PARADISE LOST: THE CHILD MURDERS IN ROBIN HOOD HILLS.

First airing in 1996 on HBO, PARADISE LOST chronicles the capture, trial and conviction of three young men for the brutal and "ritualistic" murder of three 8-year-old boys in the Robin Hood Hills of West Memphis, Arkansas. Much of the case and the documentary focuses on the prosecution's and the law enforcement's general belief that the three youths in question were interested in black magic, black clothing and demonic themes. While I am not sure whether or not the three young men were responsible for murder, I must say that the doc offers a different perspective on the case than was ultimately decided by a jury, and it does bring to light a sufficient lack of evidence and support for the prosecution's claims. At any rate, the documentary made me intrigued, frustrated and angry. I'm not naive enough to think that injustice doesn't happen every day, but I do think that this particular case needs re-evaluation.

In the wake of my first viewing and analyzation of the film, I wrote "Let Me Go," a plea from those convicted to their captors. I had written a couple of political-themed songs prior to "Let Me Go," and they served as ample preparation for telling just enough of the story to peak interest in the case.

In the recording phase of "Let Me Go," I went back and forth between the desire to have a news announcer explaining the facts of the case over the drum solo, and the desire to let the song speak for itself. Ultimately, I am very pleased with the result, and I must urge you to visit the web site for the West Memphis Three to offer your support, or to learn more about the case. Visit www.wm3.org.

Ben