Northern Grown, yet rooted in down-home country and Mississippi blues, The Ben Cesare is rolling off the release off his debut EP “Cesare’s Palace”. Ben recently released a new single “Somethin’ Bout’ Somewhere Else” and his all-American sound was equipped with your typical country grit. The southern tune stayed true to the elements that makes up a great country song and that’s why we enjoy it so thoroughly!
The electrifying instrumentals and melodic chords by the guitar strings in “Somethin’ Bout’ Somewhere Else” makes up your subtly energetic country-rock hit. What we interpreted from this single is that Ben Cesare is discussing about an escape place where you can feel free from your typical day to day thoughts and motions. “Something Bout Somewhere Else” wastes no time before it instantly gets the party started with exhilarating energy fused in this addicting hit record. Ben incorporates bluesy grooves, heavy guitar riffs, and a northern-boy twang in a high-energy, live performance!
Listen to “Something Bout Somewhere Else” here and get to know Ben Cesare in our interview below!
Hey Ben! Care to introduce yourself?
My name is Ben Cesare and I am a Nashville-based singer/songwriter, playing country music with a bluesy rock edge. I moved to Nashville from a small town outside of Boston, Massachusetts four years ago. My band, Ben Cesare Band, and I came out with our first single, “Damn Yankee” followed by a 6 song EP, which you can still download and stream on places like Apple Music, Spotify, iTunes, etc, called Cesare’s Palace. It’s made up of original songs that I have written with other writers in Nashville, As well as one given to me to record, “That Was A Man”, co-written by country singer Lee Brice.
What brought you to Nashville from Boston?
To make a living, full-time, as a country music singer songwriter and performer, of course! After graduating from a University in New Hampshire, and a short period of working as the lead singer of a cover band in the greater New England area, I decided to make the move to Nashville to further my career as an artist. Although I do have to sing other artists' songs from time to time as covers, I wanted to have my own voice and express my creativity through singing, performing, and songwriting.
Do you think your growing environment impacted your musical style?
Yes, I would say so. I got into country music around the age of 12 years old back in Massachusetts. I was on my way to a family reunion in upstate New York, and back when CDs and CD players were still relevant, my parents bought me bargain bin CDs to listen to on the ride up. A compilation CD of country music ranging from the 1970s to the late 90s was what got me into this genre. “Watermelon Crawl” By Tracy Byrd and “Third Rate Romance” by Sammy Kershaw were some of the first country songs that got me hooked. Expanding from that CD, I was introduced to the music of Toby Keith, among other artists, and then expanded my musical tastes from watching CMT and GAC. When I moved to Nashville, I was introduced to various types of country music and I have to say, I appreciate country in all of its forms. I have many influencers that help me define my style of country. I think I have something different to offer Nashville and the country music industry.
How has it been creating music in Nashville so far?
It’s been an experience indeed. Nashville is such a close community and I’ve enjoyed getting to know, network and write with a lot of singer/songwriters. Each singer and songwriter in this town has something different to offer when it comes to artist imagery an artist creativity. I have a great amount of songs under my belt, thanks for the help of several artists that I am glad I have written with. I have a lot of songs to work with, and it is a process nearing down which ones I should record and which ones are a better fit for someone else.
Did you face any challenges in the beginning? What advice would you give to bands just starting out?
Absolutely! For the first two years that I lived in Nashville I struggled. I had no family, I had no friends, and only my mentor, Lance Dary (Former acoustic guitarist for Randy Travis, Mark Collie etc) to help and guide me through Nashville. I played anywhere and everywhere that I could. Sometimes the venues hardly ever had customers and I would have to sing to a bunch of empty chairs and empty tables. But, if you don’t bring your A-game every night and entertain the people that are there, you don’t make tips, and you may or may not go hungry or pay your bills. If I could give anybody advice, I would say spend a short amount of time playing on Broadway here in Nashville. Anywhere from six months to a year of experience is enough. You get to play for hundreds of thousands of tourists that visit the city, and if you choose the right bar, you can make a decent living. If you want to expand your horizons as an artist, I would suggest networking with other singers and writers. Write write write. Even by yourself.
Do you prefer studio recording or live performing your singles?
Both experiences are great. Recording in the studio gives you the opportunity to start over, or edit what you record and sing. If you work with the right producer, you could have the artistic freedoms to make the song however you want. Playing your music live to a live audience, you can experiment and change your songs up the more you live with them. I do feel though that singing live has a little bit more flavor and heart, because your audience only gets to hear your songs once, and depending on how you feel, or how long you have lived with the song, they’ll enjoy it and you gain experience. Though I can say that in a studio, you get to choose how many songs you get to record in a day and how many days you want to record the songs. This gives you ample time to replenish yourself and get some rest unlike touring where you're performing long sets for multiple days.
Connect with Ben Cesare on social media:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BenCesareBand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/bencesareband
Twitter: www.twitter.com/bencesareband