| The Sounding Board © ARTIST OF THE MONTH January 2010 |
Ben Hadaller: Photo Credit B. McGuire
After a move back to Brandon years later, Ben went up to northern Manitoba to work. He brought along an acoustic guitar and banjo that he didn't know how to play, but soon developed a love for olde tyme bluegrass music and came to another realization – that the city of Winnipeg was where he wanted to be living this part of his life. So he quit his job, hopped on a train south, and wrote a song about the whole experience. The first call he made when he got back was to a good friend whom he knew would be into starting a 'Country' project. That one friend turned into six and he found himself singing and playing banjo for Prairie Wind accompanied on stage by his best friends. Currently, Ben is collaborating with two of his colleagues, Carly Dow and Dave Barchyn on other projects such as The Manitoba Folk Orchestra and a newly formed band Bog River. The trio incorporates three-part harmonies and an array of instruments such as guitar, banjo, mandolin, harmonica and dobro into their set.They have just finished recording their first EP "Lost in the Woods" which will be released this spring. Ben is always looking for new influences but the greats such as Bob Dylan, Bill Monroe, Tom Waits, and Frank Zappa are where he draws his inspiration from. One day he hopes to find himself in a recording studio in Memphis recording a full length Bog River album... "Living down in Memphis together – living off music, just music. Eatin' it, breathin' it, drinkin' it up." Ben Hadaller Bookings and media inquiries: www.myspace.com/benhadaller Email: bhadaller@gmail.com |
At the age of 17, Ben Hadaller moved to Winnipeg from Brandon, Manitoba. His first exposure to the music scene was with a a surf rock band. While it was a short-lived project, it quickly made him realize how much he enjoyed performing.