Come listen to Ben Arnold while sipping on a cup of coffee or tea and enjoying some appetizers and desserts. Support The Vestal Museum! Suggested donation of $10.00 and tipping the musician generously is encouraged. We have great acoustics, an intimate setting, and a house party atmosphere. Bring your friends, come early, and stay late!
Ben Arnold has toured throughout the United States and Europe with various line-ups both solo and with his rollicking live band. He has shared a stage with everyone from Ryan Adams, David Gray, Ben Folds and Lucinda Williams to Ron Sexsmith, Randy Newman, Martin Sexton, David Johanson, Jackson Browne, Amos Lee and even a strangely mysterious week in Holland with Townes Van Zandt in the last year of his life. His lyrics remind you of John Hiatt and he’s been told he sings a bit like Randy Newman, but writes hooks like Springsteen used to do in the ’80s. His songs explore strong emotions while his music draws on rock, folk, R&B and all genres in between. Ben is also a member of US Rails, which tours regularly in Europe and has released 5 of their own records to date.
After releasing an independent cd in the early 90’s Ben was quickly signed to Ruffhouse/Columbia Records where he released “Almost Speechless” a slacker songwriter disc which opened him up to wider international audiences. He has since released several independent records as well as “Calico” on The String Cheese Incidents’ label, SciFidelity Records, Nevermind My Blues on Ropeadope and “Simplify” on Blue Rose.
His latest solo release “Lost Keys” is already drawing very positive reviews nationally and is in rotation quite regularly on Philadelphia’s WXPN Radio. Featuring the songs “Stupid Love”, “Nobody Hurtin’ Like Me” and “When Love Fades Away”, It is a collection of material drawn from the music of Motown, Stax, The Sound of Philadelphia and street corner Doo-Wop. WXPN Radio says “Lost Keys” is “A sleek and soulful work from a refined tunesmith. The brass arrangements paired with his husky baritone recall The Afghan Whigs’ New Orleans-rooted LP 1965; his self-described “sad guy drinking alone at the bar” ballads .(“Nobody Hurtin’ Like Me”) have a bit of Closing Time-era Tom Waits in them; and his pop nuggets are impossibly poppy, like the Randy Newman-esque bounce of “Stupid Love” that, I guarantee you, will be stuck in your head in the best possible way!”
