Casual Kweller leaving obscurity behind for shot at rock stardom
By ALBERT CHING
Get Out

“I just want to belong,” exclaims budding indie rock star Ben Kweller in the chorus of “The Rules,” the first single from his sophomore release, “On My Way.” This sentiment makes a lot of sense given what the singer divulges about his youth in the small Texas town of Greenville.

“Growing up, I was always sort of the outcast — the only Jewish kid in our city, left-handed ... all of these different things. I was always sort of weird and different,” Kweller says.

Instead of translating that isolation into depression, he uses it to empathize with others.

“I feel like I can always relate to normal people,” Kweller says. This rapport with the proletariat influences his heavily autobiographical songwriting.

“I definitely feel like a lot of my music is geared to the people, spreading a message of optimism and hope,” Kweller says, with comforting sincerity in his voice. “My music is definitely for the people.”

The songwriter has an extensive musical history. At the age of 23, Kweller is already a 10-year veteran of the music industry, having been the frontman of several now-defunct bands, including mildly notable mid-’90s post-grunge trio Radish.

Having been exposed to the business side of music at such an early age, one might think that he’s become jaded, but Kweller shows the same signature optimism often found in his lyrics.
“I’ve been through a lot of (expletive) within the music business,” he says. “I’ve seen a lot of different things, but I still remain hopeful.”

For Kweller, there’s never been a question about what he wanted to be when he grew up. He knew at age 7, thanks to the Fab Four.

“It was the Beatles’ song ‘All You Need Is Love.’ I heard that song and I listened to it over and over again, and it would make me cry because it sounded so beautiful. That’s the moment I decided I wanted to write my own songs, because I wanted to make people feel the same way I was feeling,” he says.

Another strong influence on his early years was E Street Band member and East Valley resident Nils Lofgren, a friend of Kweller’s father. Lofgren joined Kweller on stage during his April 30 show at the Marquee Theatre, providing an extra guitar punch on “No Reason,” from Kweller’s 2002 major label debut “Sha Sha.” Kweller hopes this collaboration gets a repeat performance during Tuesday’s gig.

“I need to call him,“ he says, matter-of-factly. “I don’t even know if he’s going to be in town when we’re there but I’d love to do one of his songs from the ’70s called ‘The Sun Hasn’t Set.’ ”