I mainly play solo live, maybe with a couple accompanying musicians here and there... But here are the musicians, including myself, on my debut album "Welcome To My Life."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ben Nolan - Vocals, Guitar, Saxophone, Shakers
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zig Zeitler - Dobro, Classical Guitar, Banjola, Djembe, Bouzouki
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Magstadt - Violin, Octave Violin
Influences
Well, to start off, my friends and family have been a big influence in giving me the courage and power to progress and push my music forward. Without them, I would still just be playing my guitar and singing while sitting on the side of my bed. Without my friends and family urging me to press forward, I would be nowhere in the music industry. So I am doing a big shout out to them for a job well done in helping me make it thus far. Fans are also a big influence on how I play. I am very open mined about different songs I should play, and if you feel like I should cover a certain song, or change around one of my own, let me know. I will definitely consider it, and even though I don't get to it right away, I will eventually.
Well, besides my friends, family and fans, there are many different musicians and bands that play a large role in my style of playing and my mood for what I should wright. Bob Dylan, Death Cab for Cutie, Nick Drake and Pearl Jam are just a few. Along with those I have a big jazz influence in my life since I actually started on playing jazz improvisational saxophone. (Yea, you would never guess it right?) lol... Anyways, the greats like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Louis Armstrong, and Johnny Cash are great influences also. New influences include Nicholas Barron, Antoine Dufour, Tommy Gauthier and Andy McKee. I'm sure there are more but I just can't think of them off the top of my head.
Sounds Like
I always love this question... I sound like myself, but I believe that I am a little mix of Bob Dylan, Nick Drake, and Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam. Maybe throw in a little Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie. There have been quite a bit of people that claim that I sound a lot like Cat Stevens... They are all influences of mine, and since they are influences, I do take some of their ideas to help my creative juices for writing styles and vocal qualities...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Benjamin Joel Nolan was born in 1986 in a little town called Los Angeles California... With his mother being a music major, he has always been around music his entire life. He would go to every one of his mother's choir/band rehearsals at church from when he was little up until he was a young teen.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Benjamin moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and then to Owosso, Michigan when he was only ten years of age. Being new to a new grade school, Ben was a bit shy but soon made friends quickly after he learned saxophone to play in the school band. After only about six months of playing, Ben was hooked on it! He would then proceed to take numerous years of private lessons to learn jazz improvisational theory from known jazz professors through the Flint School of Performing Arts under Joe Frayer, Phil Lasley, and then Jazz professor of the Saginaw Valley State University - Jeff Hall.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starting with Jeff Hall in seventh grade, Ben progressed and took private studies from him all the way through his senior year of high school. Along with those numerous years of saxophone study, Ben had quite a few years of learning how to sing as well at his high school in Saginaw, MI - Michigan Lutheran Seminary under the direction of Professor Lenard Proeber, where he learned how to train his voice from being made to sing in choir his freshman through senior years. By his junior year of Proeber "making" him sing in choirs, Ben tried out for the top choir that the school offered and was immediately assigned a spot his junior and senior years in the top choirs of the school.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After putting all those hard years of blood, sweat, tears, and work, Ben decided to go to Delta Community College and take a random classical guitar class taught by Dr. Brad DeRoach to "fill up credit hours." Ben, surprisingly, was immediately hooked on guitar. Ben just could not put it down. Taking what he had learned from the countless years of private saxophone study from Joe Frayer, Phil Lasley and Jeff Hall, he quickly converted it into the beautiful art form of playing guitar. From this, he took his way of writing which was highly influenced by a very special English comp teacher by the name of Elaine Karls of Delta Community College, and applied his two new found talents together to form who/what he is now.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now, almost three years later from that fateful day of picking up that guitar, Ben is now recording an album which should be out in stores soon! Keep your eyes pealed for it!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I edited my profile with Thomas Myspace Editor V4.4 (www.strikefile.com/myspace)
I edited my profile with Thomas Myspace Editor V4.4 (www.strikefile.com/myspace)
Ben Nolan (Has New Song Up!)'s Friend Space (Top 24)
Ahhhh Mr. Ben Nolan... Today was my first day of on the job training! The first 2 days were orientation in a classroom for 9 hours... That was horrible! Today I worked in trauma. It was different. I was so lost. We jumped around all over the place! It's definately going to take some time to find my way around that place! Either way, I'm exhausted! Oh yeah, your friend Kevin emailed me the other day. I thought that was a bit odd... I haven't talked to him in quite the time. I told him that you guys need to get a gig down here... =) Well, hope that all is going well for you. Take care.
Hey, well thats good your gigs are going good and your music is rocking! I have been ok...I was looking into a loan so I can pay off my credit cards but it fell thru...but I just have to work off my ass or just get another job that pays more money! Peace*
Absolutely! I had a great time! Thanks for inviting me. I'll be sure to post the info on my page and hopefully inspire some groupies to attend.
As far as the Harvest in BC. I'm working diligently to finish my debut CD and then have a CD release show there. However I'm not sure if I'll meet that goal. Otherwise we could just jam a show!
hey Ben I am really excited to see you and matt play tonight. I have one question Jefferson is over by the dow diomand or by the mall. So talk to you soon
Hey, Sounds great, count me in, unless I am back at school at that time, however, I could always make a trip back for it. I'll have to get back with you when I have more knowledge.
