ROBB BENSON: De Stella Nova

Robb Benson

De Stella Nova

© 2002 Robb Benson music (634479388125)

CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.

(About MP3 downloads at CD Baby)

A Northwest songwriter with modern indie emo folk pop roots, and hooky sixties inspired Lo-fi garage rock soul.

tracks

1 The Next Millionaire
2 A Need to Know
3 Word Head
4 Twins
5 Fantastic Roller Coaster
6 The Cliff
7 Red = Gray
8 Jury Duty
9 The Velvet Elevator
10 The West Edge
11 Stereotype
12 To Them
13 The View
14 To the Underdogs
15 Higher Education

notes

Robb plays with his new band DEPT OF ENERGY:

OCT 20th at Mars Bar - Seattle
OCT 21st at White Eagle - Portland
DEC 8th at Mars Bar - Seattle

ROBB'S 4th solo CD RELEASE PARTY IS DEC 9th at MARS BAR!
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As solo artist and primary songwriter for Dear John Letters, & Nevada Bachelors, Songwriter Robb Benson has now released nine CD's. He has opened for many significant artists including Art Alexakis (Everclear), Matt Sharp (Weezer), Nelly Fertado, Clem Snide, The Posies, Fountains of Wayne, Death Cab for Cutie, the Long winters, and too many others to list. In 2004 Robb was nominated for the second year in a row in the Best Singer Songwriter Category for the Seattle Weekly Music Awards. Robb has played in many major markets including NY City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Vancouver BC, & Seattle.

Robb Benson, the primary music writer and lead vocalist for Dear John Letters obviously loves Paul McCartney. Although you'd never mistake his undeniably Northwest American voice for that of the most wealthy musician ever, his vocal style, as well as the compositions on this disc, revel in playing with the Walrus's paintbox, in shades that incorporate both the Beatles and Wings. If Paul really is dead, then Benson is doing a fair job of channeling him. Benson's pedigree harkens back to his old band, The Nevada Bachelors, and his own work as a solo artist. But Benson is a devotee who is aware of a few other musical touchstones of the past as well. What sets Dear John Letters apart from the vast majority of other bands that rely on the Beatles or McCartney or just some revival style for inspiration is that it pulls off the whole thing with so much flair. Everything from the low-fi, garage production aesthetic to the skill with which Benson merges the sounds of his heroes into a sort of timeless sonic soup... If practice does make perfect, Benson might well be on his way to becoming a genius.
-Patrick Schabe (www.popMatters.com)

As always, Benson's poignant valentines are well crafted and shot through with astute rumination and thoughtful one-liners
- Jeff DeRoche (the stranger)

On Benson's solo CD, with the exception of one song, "The Next Millionaire," he handles all the instruments. Aside from that song which was recorded by uber-engineer Johnny Sangster, this was all recorded on a Tascam 8-track digital recorder. As the title suggests, it presents 15 new songs in a style not dissimilar to Dear John Letters, though a little more subdued in nature. The songs are more melancholy, too, not that it's a bad thing. Benson is obviously a prolific and good songwriter, and many of these songs are real gems. This is all really good.
-Alan Wright (www.cosmik.com)


Robb Benson has a real gift for alternative pop. It's literate, heartfelt, memorable stuff, and Benson is an onstage bundle of nerves and energy.
- Tom Phalen (Seattle Magazine)



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