Backstage

Ben Glover

May 2008 | Country

Ben Glover, a Northern Irish singer, is set to become a big hit. His debut album "The Week The Clocks Changed" is steeped in Americana but still retains a unique character that Ben brings to the music. He started playing with his band, The Earls, in 2004 and he released his first record with them in 2006, "The Ballad of Carla Boon", which received great support from radio and press.

When it came to recording his debut album, Ben took a chance and contacted his favourite record producers. Not thinking he would ever hear anything as a result, he got a reply from JD Foster (Calexico, Emmylou Harris) who came over to Northern Ireland to rehearse with the band.

Recorded in Nashville in August last year with a stellar cast - contributions came from musicians such as Buddy Miller, Jim Lauderdale, Vince Gill and Al Perkins - "The Week The Clocks Changed" will be released in the UK on the 9th of June 2008. If you can't wait that long, we7 has two exclusive tracks from the forthcoming album for you to sample right now.

The interview

You're releasing "The Week The Clocks Changed" here in the UK on 9th June - are you looking forward to it?

This is my debut album and so naturally I'm very excited about the release. I started to plan the record back in March 2007 and so it's been quite a journey over the past year. I do have a sense of fulfilment now that I'm getting my music out there.

Was it a big decision to give up a career in Law to become a professional musician? It's certainly not as stable a trade...

Well, I never had any intentions of being a lawyer and so it was never a case of me having to decide between a career in Law or of that in music. I always wanted to go to university and Law seemed like an interesting degree course, but at no stage did I ever aspire to wear a wig! I knew that music was my future since I was fifteen. It's true that it may not be a stable a trade as Law but the old cliché is true - you have to follow your heart!

Looking at the collaborations on the record - Al Perkins, Buddy Miller, Jim Lauderdale - it reads like a who's who of country music. How did you wind up working with these guys?

My producer, JD Foster, is a well-connected man! He invited Al, Buddy and Jim into the studio to be part of the recording. Vince Gill is on the record too, and that introduction came about via a mutual friend one night backstage at the Grand Ole Opry. Mickey Raphael, who has played with Willie Nelson for 35 years, played harmonica on the album and I had met Mickey via MySpace. It really was a massive thrill for me to have these great artists contribute to my first record.

Were there any moments that seemed unreal to you, playing with these legends?

I have to admit that there was never any sense of it being unreal or overwhelming in the studio. I think there are two reasons for that: firstly, all these guys were very down to earth and there were no egos involved. They treated my band and I as equals and they made us feel very much at ease. Secondly, in the cocooned world of a studio conventional reality goes out the window and you exist in a parallel world for that period of time. That definitely allows you to cope with situations that might normally seem unreal.

Country musicians have a special bond with Nashville - how did you find recording there? Did you take inspiration from your surroundings?

Obviously there is a big country influence over there and I was more than willing to allow that atmosphere to seep onto the record. I find Nashville a very inspirational place to work, write, and record in. There's a real sense of history and tradition and it's very easy to be creatively stimulated. I liked to imagine that the ghost of Hank Williams was hanging around the studio and that the spirits of old country legends were close at hand!

Listening to the record, you manage to capture that authentic Nashville sound - you certainly don't sound like a native of Northern Ireland. How did you manage to capture the sound on record?

Well I hope that I don't sound too 'un-Northern Irish' for the want of a better phrase. My band, The Earls, were the core musicians on the album and they are all from home, so the musical guts are certainly N.Irish. I agree that it has an American flavour. The pedal steel and harmonica do especially give it an Americana feel. I didn't set out to make a record that would sound deliberately like Nashville. I brought a lot of N.I to Tennessee, and picked up a little "twang" while I was there, so I guess the sound of the record is a clash of the north coast of Ireland and Nashville - if there's a word for that please let me know!

How do you think you have progressed as a musician, from your first EP (The Ballad of Carla Boone)?

The EP was released in 2006 and that seems such a long time ago when I consider what has happened in that time. I feel that I have become a much better songwriter and this is largely due to making many trips to Nashville for co-writing. It's like anything really, there's a natural progress and improvement that occurs with new experiences and I've had plenty of those in the aftermath of releasing "Carla". I certainly feel that I've found my musical voice in the process of recording the album and this would not have been possible if it weren't for the journey from the "Carla" EP.

Thanks for your time, Ben, and good luck with the album!

Cheers guys. I'm looking forward to sharing the ride with we7!