NAME. Is “Benjammin” your real name?

TOPICAL SONGS. Your new CD, Shining From Inside, includes several topical songs - “Billions of Angels” addresses the environmental crisis, “Peaceful” deals with war, corporate greed and religious strife, and “We’re All One” deals with respect for diversity. However, you take a very different approach than most people in your topical songwriting. Could you describe your approach, and why you’ve chosen it?

THE NEW CD. Your new CD, Shining From Inside, is not a typical acoustic or folk record. It includes not just your voice and acoustic guitar, but also tablas, talking drum, drum kit, soprano sax, blues harp and synthesizers. Why did you choose to include such a diverse range of instruments, and why did you choose to self-produce?

DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC. Your music is hard to categorize – as a singer/songwriter, you do topical songs, funny songs, love songs, metaphysical songs, and instrumentals. Then you’ve also done this New Age electronic CD called The Beauty Within. You cover a lot of musical ground, Benjammin - how would you describe what you do, in as few words as possible?

SIMILAR MUSICIANS. Can you name some musicians whose work is similar to what you’re doing?

SPIRITUALITY. Spirituality is a thread that runs through a great deal of your music. What is your own spiritual background, and why do you choose to make it such a strong element in your songwriting?

CAREER SHIFT. You're 43 years old. Why, at this point in your life, did you trad a corporate job with a solid salary and benefits for the greatly reduced pay and demanding lifestyle of a touring singer/songwriter?

FOLK TODAY. Most people are not that aware of the current state of the musical scene that you’re a part of – call it acoustic, folk, singer/songwriter or whatever. A lot of people still conjure up 60’s images of Dylan, Baez and Peter, Paul & Mary. Can you give us a brief description of this musical world as it really is today?

CONCERT. You have a concert coming up. Can you give us the details?

WEBSITE. How can people learn more about you - do you have a website?

Page revised 8/26/03