Ben Spivak (born January 4, 1983) is a Canadian singer and musician. He is best known for being a bassist and vocalist in the pop-reggae group Magic! In addition, Spivak has performed with a variety of musicians including Canadian hip hop group K-Os, Julian Taylor Band, and Alyssa Reid. Spivak currently resides in Los Angeles, California.
Ben Spivak was born in Toronto, Canada on January 4, 1983. He began playing piano at age four and guitar at age nine. As a junior high student, he picked up the cello and upright bass. He studied at Humber College in Toronto, [1] where he earned a B.A in Jazz Performance with a major in Bass. While at Humber, Ben and his friends Rory Sills and Ben Weigensberg formed the band Cavern, [2] where they wrote original music, recorded a 3-song EP, and toured around Ontario. Additionally at Humber, Spivak began to get hired for gigs, and began to collaborate with other artists. He gigged with Liam Titcomb, Mudmen, [3] and country artist Johnny Reid.
He toured for two years with the Canadian hip hop artist K-Os, which opened for the 2007 Gym Class Heroes tour titled "Daryl Hall for President." [4] The group performed on the David Letterman Show on February 20, 2007. [5] The band was a part of the lineup for Warped Tour in 2007. [6] In 2008, the band was a part of the lineup for the 2008 Good Vibrations music festival in Australia. [7]
Ben Spivak was one half of the band Ben and Aubrey, with Aubrey Stork, in 1999, they released a CD called "Lost In Paradise".
In 2009, Spivak became a founding member of the Julian Taylor Band. [8] The band recorded live covers in their album titled "Hey Hey Two Two." [9] Before Spivak's move to Los Angeles, he recorded bass for what would become the album titled "Tech Noir," which was released in 2014. [10]
In 2010, Spivak released a self-titled solo album. [11] The album had ten songs, written by Ben Spivak himself. In the album, Spivak plays a majority of the instruments, including the guitar, bass, piano, keyboards, and organs.
Spivak is the bassist and supporting vocalist band for the pop-reggae band Magic! The band formed when frontman Nasri met singer-songwriter Mark "Pelli" Pellizzer, and noticed an immediate musical connection. When Spivak moved to Los Angeles in 2013, he met Mark, and was asked to become their bass player. [12] The group's single, 'Rude', peaked #1 on the Billboard Top 100 chart. The group toured with Maroon 5, and has opened for artists such as Dirty Heads. [13]
Guttermouth is an American punk rock band formed in 1989 in Huntington Beach, California. They have released nine full-length studio albums and two live albums and have toured extensively, including performances on the Vans Warped Tour. They are infamous for their outrageous lyrics and behavior which are deliberately explicit, offensive and intended to shock, though usually in a humorous and sarcastic manner. This behavior has sometimes resulted in high-profile problems for the band, such as being banned from performing in Canada for eighteen months and leaving the 2004 Warped Tour amidst controversy over their political views and attitudes towards other performers.
Asobi Seksu was an American shoegaze/dream pop band based in New York City. Their music used a textured and effects-heavy vocal and guitar sound. The band primarily consisted of Yuki Chikudate and James Hanna.
Big D and the Kids Table is a ska punk band formed in October 1995 in Boston, Massachusetts, when its members converged in college. Their first release was on their own Fork in Hand Records label, but have since teamed with Springman Records and SideOneDummy. The band has been noted for its strict DIY work ethic, such as engineering, producing, and releasing their own albums and videos and self-promotion of their own shows.
The Magic Numbers are an English alternative rock band consisting of two brother-and-sister pairs, from Hanwell in west London. The group was formed in 2002, releasing their debut album titled The Magic Numbers on 13 June 2005. Their follow-up album, Those the Brokes, was released on 6 November 2006; The Runaway was released on 6 June 2010, Alias was released on 18 August 2014, and their most recent album, Outsiders, was released on 11 May 2018.
It Dies Today is an American metalcore band formed in Buffalo, New York, in September 2001. The band achieved success in 2004 with the release of their debut album, The Caitiff Choir. After frontman Nicholas Brooks departed in 2006, just after the release of the band's sophomore effort Sirens, It Dies Today released Lividity in 2009 before going on hiatus in 2010. The band reunited briefly for a show in 2012, but the reunion paused again in 2015. On December 22, 2022, It Dies Today was announced as an act appearing at FurnaceFest 2023. The band then played Better Lovers BLissmas in their hometown of Buffalo on 8 Dec 2023.
Julian Ricardo Marley is a British-Jamaican reggae musician, songwriter, producer and humanitarian. He is the son of reggae music icon Bob Marley, and Lucy Pounder. In 2024, he received a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album for his collaboration album with Antaeus, Colors of Royal (2023).
Switched was an American nu metal band from Cleveland, Ohio.
The Aggrolites are an American reggae band from Los Angeles, California, United States, which formed in 2002.
Maximum the Hormone is a Japanese heavy metal/hardcore punk band from Hachiōji, Tokyo. Their lineup consists of vocalist Daisuke-han, drummer Nao, guitarist Maximum the Ryokun, and bassist Ue-chang. Each member alternates singing lead vocals, often within the same song, with the exception of Ue-chang, who provides backup vocals almost exclusively.
Sky Larkin is an English indie rock band from Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, who formed in 2005.
You, Me, and Everyone We Know is a rock band from Washington, D.C. After a decade-plus of lineup changes and hiatuses, the moniker has become a vehicle for singer-songwriter Ben Liebsch. The band has released ten EPs, one of which is a live EP, and two full-length albums.
Sublime is an American band from Long Beach, California that plays a mix of ska, punk, and reggae. Formed in 1988, the band's original lineup consisted of Bradley Nowell, Eric Wilson (bass), and Bud Gaugh (drums). Lou Dog, Nowell's dalmatian, was the mascot of the band. Nowell died of a heroin overdose in 1996, resulting in the band's breakup. In 1997, songs such as "What I Got", "Santeria", "Wrong Way", "Doin' Time", and "April 29, 1992 (Miami)" were released to U.S. radio.
Tribal Seeds is an American /Mexican reggae band based in San Diego that was formed in 2005 by the Jacobo brothers, singer Steven Rene and producer Tony-Ray.
Nasri Tony Atweh, known mononymously as Nasri, is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California. He is the lead vocalist and songwriter for the reggae fusion band, Magic!, a group consisting of fellow Toronto natives, Mark Pellizzer, Alex Tanas, and Ben Spivak. MAGIC!'s single "Rude" became a major international hit single. He is currently managed by Wassim "Sal" Slaiby.
The Holdup is an American band from San Jose, California. Their music incorporates elements of reggae, hip-hop, pop, and indie.
Magic! is a Canadian reggae fusion band from Toronto. Based in Los Angeles, the band comprises lead vocalist, guitarist/producer Nasri Atweh, guitarist/keyboardist Mark "Pelli" Pellizzer, and bassist Ben Spivak. Active since 2012, the band is signed with Latium, Sony, and RCA Records, releasing their debut studio album Don't Kill the Magic in 2014, their second studio album Primary Colours in 2016, and their third studio album Expectations in 2018. They are best known for their hit single "Rude", which charted at No. 1 in several countries worldwide, including the US and UK.
Mark Pellizzer, better known by his stage name Mark Pelli, is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for being a guitarist and vocalist for the pop-reggae group Magic!. In addition to performing Mark has produced and written songs for several artists including: Chris Brown, Trey Songz, Shakira, Anthony Hamilton, Classified and Vita Chambers. Pelli currently resides in Los Angeles, California.
Alexander Vincent Tanas, known professionally as Alex Tanas or Alexander Vincent, is a Canadian-American artist, producer, songwriter, and drummer. He is best known for being a former drummer and vocalist for the pop-reggae group Magic!. In addition to performing for MAGIC!, Tanas has collaborated with a number of musicians including Justin Nozuka, Kira Isabella, Benj, Pat Robbitaille, Leslie Pike, and Maneli Jamal. In 2018, Tanas began releasing his own solo music. Tanas currently resides in Los Angeles, California.
Primary Colours is the second full-length studio album by Canadian reggae fusion band MAGIC! The album was released on July 1, 2016, through Latium and RCA Records worldwide. It serves as the follow-up to the band's debut studio album, Don't Kill the Magic (2014). The album was led by the single "Lay You Down Easy", featuring Sean Paul.
Tribal Theory is a band based in San Diego, California, recognized as the pioneers of Urban Reggae music. Formed in 2005, Tribal Theory blends their Pacific Island roots with reggae, rock, ska, and R&B influences to create a unique sound that spans multiple genres, including Island Reggae, Alternative, and World music.