Benjamin B

Infobox musical artist
Name = Benjamin B


Background = group_or_band
Origin =
Genre = Alternative rock
Years_active = 1994- 2006 (active)
Label = Living Room Records, Excelsior Recordings
URL = [http://www.benjaminb.nl/ Official website]
Current_members = Eddy Scholtens
Fiebo Scholtens
Michel Weber
Nico Langeland
Rene Asschert
Vincent Van Vondel
Former_members = Barbara LampeGuitar rock band Benjamin B was founded in 1994 in Winschoten, the Netherlands. After releasing two albums on Excelsior Recordings, the band released its latest record "Tired of the Moon" on Living Room Records.

History

The Early Days

In 1994 singer/guitar player Fiebo Scholtens dropped out of law school. He decided to start a band together with Barbara Lampe and Michel Weber. Thus "Benjamin B. " was founded.

In the following year the band took part in several band competitions. The group won the Pop=Prima award and also managed to reach the final round of De Grote Prijs, an important Dutch competition for new musical talent. In addition to that, the band’s first demo became ‘demo of the year’ in Music Maker and received a very positive review in Fret magazine.

Excelsior Recordings

In 1996 these successes translated into a record deal with Excelsior Recordings. The much praised mini-cd "Benjamin B. " CD, with four original compositions and one Gershwin cover, was released in the fall of ’96.

The band released their first full-length CD "The Comfort of Replay" the next year. It proved them to be a force to be reckoned with in the Dutch music scene. Once more the music press was enthusiastic and produced numerous raving reviews.

1998 saw the band playing at Noorderslag festival alongside the rest of the Netherland’s finest bands. In May Barbara B. left the band, and Vincent van Vondel (or Vincent B.) took her place. Also Nico B. joined the band on keys/guitar, turning Benjamin B. into a quartet.

The band’s second full-length album "Instant Art" was released in 1999. The record was a true studio album, as the band pieced the songs together during the recording sessions. This approach worked out well as the press reacted very well upon the album’s release. The music buying audience was less supportive though; "Instant Art" failed to be a commercial breakthrough.

In 2000 Scholtens worked on a project away from Benjamin B: together with Robert de Keijser he released an album under the name "Stad". The songs on the record were all sung in a Northern Dutch dialect (Gronings).

After a recess of nearly a year the band returned to the stage, playing the Eurosonic festival in January 2001. The band started work on a new album. At the same time the band released a cover song on their website each month. Their first cover song was "Boys Don’t Cry" from The Cure. In September Scholten’s Stad project reached the semi finals of "De Grote Prijs van Nederland".

In 2003 the band finally recorded their third album, but it took another year for the album to be released. Excelsior Recordings were not willing to release the version that the band recorded on its own account. The label offered the band the opportunity to re-record the album to improve its sound quality. After a lengthy period of deliberation the band opted to stick to the album in its initial form.

Living Room Records

In the meantime Benjamin B. had transformed into a six-piece band: Eddy Scholtens played guitar and keys, Rene Asschert handled the drums. In March this new line-up played shows in several Dutch venues.

With Living Room Records Benjamin B. found a new home for their album "Tired of the Moon", which was released in the fall of 2004. Former member Barbara B. also made a return as she joined in on the track "Drive".

In 2005 the band submitted the song "Yolk" to compilation record "Schaamte En Woede". The profits of this charity album were for the benefit of a refugee support organisation.

Discography

* The Comfort of Replay (1997)
* Instant Art (1999)
* Tired of the Moon (2003)