"What has gone on in the last few months in my life, and by association, the lives of Meg and Tucker, is nothing short of unbelievable."
Ben Musser, lead singer of band Benyaro, sums up his experience after a seventeen-state, forty-eight show tour of the Midwest and Western part of the United States.
"It was the riskiest thing I've ever done in many ways. It was tough, but it was amazing."
Throughout his career as a musician, Musser has proved himself to be a courageous guy. In 2005, he self-released and promoted his group's debut album, "Live on WUVT Radio." Musser did the same for "Benyaro," their second album in 2007.
Musser met musical partner, Tucker Yaro, by way of his Craiglist posting in 2005. The proximity of their New York apartments made it easy for them to talk over music and practice frequently. Meg Chamberlain, Musser's sister, added her "choir-like, sweet" vocal ability to the group not long after.
For various reasons, bandmates Yaro and Chamberlain were not able to join in for the full ride of the recent tour.
"Meg joined me for shows in Baltimore, D.C., Charlottesville and Charleston. Tucker was unable to join as he was playing improvisational music in Eastern Europe. It's all good, though, because I was able to break even on my own," Musser said.
Benyaro's music is described as a soulful, acoustic roots act. Their music has largely been influenced by Scott Claassen, a former classmate at Vanderbilt, and Malcolm Holcombe, both of whom are longtime singers and songwriters.
"Scott wrote a lot of great songs for me to study. He's given us a lot of constructive criticism in regards to the lyrics," Musser says. "I like Holcombe's lyrics because they're impressionistic. You can make them your own. Give them your own meaning. I was initially inspired by Malcolm's voice and guitar playing. They just made me realize how beautiful songs are."
Musser gave an enlightening explanation of "Long Shot," one of the newest hits on Benyaro's latest album.
"It's pretty much about how difficult it is to be an artist. After I'd been to an open mic, I thought, god, all these people are trying to do the same thing that I'm doing. The chorus says, ǃÚI don't feel good about it. I hate to bring you down, but none of you guys are going to make it.' Basically, it's me talking to other artists. It's almost arrogant, you know, because part of it says that maybe I will. There's also feedback I get from my mom. She's supportive, but she's not optimistic. In my song, I say to listen to your mother just because she might happen to know what's going on."
The song is one of Musser's favorites, but because of the chord change "Long Shot" is one of the more difficult to perform. However, "It's a pretty song and I like to sing it with my sister as the back-up and the chorus," he says.
Benyaro is now playing at venues throughout New York while filming commercials for Rolling Rock. Disc jockeys across the country have also been giving them airplay. Another tour has been scheduled for spring 2009.
Musser returned to Nashville this past weekend for a performance in memory of fellow Pi Kappa Alpha brother Davis "Deeg" Sezna, who passed away on Sept. 11. His show at Christopher's Pizza last Thursday was held in conjunction with the fraternity's annual golf tournament honoring Sezna's legacy.
