Jack Kerouac, Robert Brautigan, Baudelaire, Charles Bukowski, John Steinbeck, Hunter S. Thompson, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Leadbelly, Johnny Cash, Elliott Smith, Bright Eyes, Radiohead, Hank Williams, The Doors, Robert Johnson, Sylvia Plath, Blind Willie McTell, Washboard Sam, Townes Van Zandt, and truck drivers, though he claims everything he has seen, heard, smelled, felt, or tasted has influenced him to a certain degree.
Born in 1984, the son of two teachers and a jinx, prolific songster D.B. Rouse spent most of his youth in Mid-eastern Wisconsin. Of his childhood he has been heard to say, "It was quick."
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D.B. eventually graduated from college a few days short of 2007 with a degree in philosophy, though he admits he spent most his time there studying old blues and americana records, smashing empty liquor bottles, going on road trips, and thinking about dropping out. He has since decided to become a hobo/ rubber tire tramp.
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If you get him drunk he will recite to you what he considers to be the most beautiful poem he has written. It is three lines long.
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D.B. headed down to Nashville in the March of '07 with the intention of moving there, but fell for life on the road instead. He found himself a month later in Oregon, working his way up the coast and living out of his van at rest stops. He spent his days on the road finding greasy spoons and saloons, introducing himself, playing for tips and selling albums.
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After a brief stint with a fishing job in Alaska, he went back to Eau Claire to write more music, and work in construction as well as at a pawn shop... That was followed by another cross country tour and a job harvesting blueberries in Maine at an organic farm... He is now working as a lounge singer on board a Carnival Cruise Ship, somewhere south of the Mississippi. He was last seen sitting on a cannon in an old Spanish Fort built in the 1500's in Puerto Rico... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
His dream is to one day have enough money to buy a train, to customize it, and go on a music tour through the country via the iron rails with a crew consisting of all his close friends and family. His backup plan involves acquiring a motel and starting a commune.
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Hey :) hows it going? I just put a new video up, its one of my new songs! tell me what you think?! I also have a new blog so if ur bored check that out. :)
Hey man I will definately keep that in mind. I want to put a variety show together with music, comedy, vaudeville. How they did it back in the day. Keep on keeping on.
D.B. Rouse this is Zack from All My Rowdy Friends I remembered playing a show with you and adam thoms at the acoustic cafe in menomonee. We should get a show somewhere and hopefully plan a tour.
hey ben! i'm great. working and waiting for school to start. i'm loving the new music up on myspace. the album cover is great too. when are you going to drift ashore? don't get eaten by a shark.
Benjamin Rouse! I was JUST thinking of you and your livelihood the other day: I was walking through the downtown area of my city and thinking it was missing a vagabond town crier; if you're looking for an unpaid (but very important) position, there's one open in my town.
I'm gonna listen to your new album immediately, have a good time man.
Sweet bro, did you do that on triumph or did you change ships? I got some new riffs that i have been working on that i've been wanting to lay down. I need to update my band page and get rid of alot of this older stuff!
hey ben! I am not working until friday but im thinking about dropping in to pick it up today if i get into town. I can't wait to hear the new songs! Have they all been written recently?
Ben....great to hear from you! I will definatly listen and tell my brother and friends who are also fans of your music. Hope you are doing well keep in touch and keep doing your thing. 'Take care..
you're coming to Eau Claire :) hey man i want to road tripto your hometown and play a show with you when i get there. could you align that? i miss ya brother!
i saw you on the carnival cruise love the cd! thankkss :) i think you should make a cd of all the covers you did on the cruise because i liked some of your covers better than the actual songs....just a suggestion good luck with everything!
