 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject.(November 2016) |
Benji Hughes | |
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 Official New West Records Photo | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Charlotte, North Carolina, United States |
| Genres | Rock, pop |
| Labels | New West, Merge |
| Website | www.benjihughesmusic.com |
Benji Hughes is an American musical artist from Charlotte, North Carolina. His first album, A Love Extreme , was released in 2008.
On July 22, 2008, Benji Hughes released his debut album, entitled A Love Extreme on New West Records. A Love Extreme is a double-disc album containing 25 songs. It was recorded with producer and Los Angeles session musician Keefus Ciancia. Hughes' live band during this period contained a rotating cast of members, including Barbara Gruska (of Jenny Lewis and The Belle Brigade) on drums; two of Hughes' former Muscadine bandmates; solo-artist and producer Jonathan Wilson on guitar and backing vocals, and Stacy Leazer on bass and backing vocals; Ciancia on keyboards; solo artist and producer Jon Lindsay on keyboards and vocals, [1] and veteran Charlotte musicians Peter Gray (guitar) and David Kim (drums), among others. [2] [3] The album received favorable reviews from some prominent critics, including Jon Pareles of The New York Times [4] and Chuck Klosterman of Esquire , [5] but it sold few copies. [6]
Hughes has had several songs featured in television shows, including Beverly Hills, 90210 , Chuck , How I Met Your Mother and Eastbound & Down (the song, "Kenny", was released as a single on April 12, 2012). Hughes was also a contributing songwriter for the 2007 film Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story .
Hughes made a cameo appearance in the 2009 film Gentlemen Broncos as Benjamin Purvis' father, only ever depicted in a photograph.[ citation needed ]
In 2011 Hughes appeared on Jeff Bridges's self-titled country album. He also appeared on Meshell Ndegeocello's album Weather, contributing vocals on two songs and receiving writing credit on three.
Hughes released four new albums via his website in November 2014. XXOXOXX, Songs in the Key of Animals, and OXOXOXOXOX are bundled as a set on 4 CDs or a flash drive. LILILIL is a children's concept album set in outer space available as a separate purchase on Compact Disc only. [7] XXOXOXX and OXOXOXOXOX were later re-released under the names Another Extreme and A Lover's Extreme (not to be confused with 2008's A Love Extreme) respectively on May 8, 2020.
In August 2015, it was announced that Hughes signed to Merge Records and would release a new full-length album in 2016. [8] The album, Songs in the Key of Animals , was released in 2016.
On May 8, 2020, alongside re-releases of XXOXOXX and OXOXOXOXOX, Hughes released "Spirit Guide", a 47-minute long single.
Hughes' work has received critical praise. [9] Los Angeles Times critic Mikael Wood called him "something of a cult hero thanks to his brilliant and demented pop records." [10] A 2009 profile of Hughes in The Believer called Hughes "one of the best pop songwriters in America, a musical autodidact and a heavy-hearted leonine balladeer whose confessions from the world off 277 will break your heart." [6] A lengthy 2014 profile by New York music critic Jody Rosen commented that Hughes's extensive following among other musicians and other celebrities was such that "[h]e may have as many famous admirers as civilian ones", and praised his songs for "the way they toss together zingy pop-culture references and traditionalist songcraft; their blend of hepcat shagginess and poetic precision; and especially the mix of wry and lavishly romantic, of tongue-in-cheek and heart-on-sleeve." [11]
Gang of Four are an English post-punk band, formed in 1976 in Leeds. The original members were singer Jon King, guitarist Andy Gill, bass guitarist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham. There have been many different line-ups including, among other notable musicians, Sara Lee, Gail Ann Dorsey, and David Pajo. After a brief lull in the 1980s, different constellations of the band recorded two studio albums in the 1990s. Between 2004 and 2006 the original line-up was reunited; Gill toured using the name between 2012 and his death in 2020. In 2021, the band announced that King, Burnham, and Lee would be reuniting for a US tour in 2022 with David Pajo on guitar and Sara Lee returning to the band. They continue to perform live, including at the Cruel World Festival in Pasadena, CA; headlining Luna Fest in Coimbra, Portugal, a UK Tour in October '23, and will be in Australia and beyond in 2024.
Living Colour is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1984. The band currently consists of guitarist Vernon Reid, lead vocalist Corey Glover, drummer Will Calhoun and bassist Doug Wimbish. Stylistically, their music is a creative fusion influenced by heavy metal, funk, jazz, hip hop, punk, and alternative rock. The band's lyrics range from the personal to the political, including social commentary on racism in the United States.
Benjamin Levi Madden is an American musician. He is the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the rock band Good Charlotte—for which he has received various awards—as well as pop rock collaboration the Madden Brothers. He formed both of these acts with his identical twin brother, Joel Madden, with whom he was a coach on The Voice Australia from 2015 to 2016.
Jody Vanessa Watley is an American singer, songwriter and producer whose music crosses genres including pop, R&B, jazz, dance and electronic soul. During the late 1970s and early 1980s she was a member of the R&B/funk band Shalamar, who scored many hits, notably in the UK. In 1988, she won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist and has been nominated for three Grammy awards.
Eleni Mandell is an American singer-songwriter. Since 2000, she has published albums through Zedtone Records in Toronto, Ontario, which in 2012 began licensing her releases to Yep Roc in the United States, and Make My Day in Europe. She is also a member of folk supergroup The Living Sisters with Inara George and Becky Stark.
Jonathan Spencer Wilson is a producer, songwriter and musician based in Los Angeles, California, United States.
A Love Extreme is the first studio album by the American musician Benji Hughes. It was released on July 22, 2008, with Keefus Ciancia, David Susskind and Gus Seyffert producing. The album was recorded at The Green Room Studios in Los Feliz, California and Sargent Studios in Echo Park, California. The album was released on compact disc and on 180-gram vinyl pressing by New West Records.
Keefus Ciancia is an American film and television composer, music producer, and musician. He has won an Ivor Novello Award, BAFTA, and a BMI Film & TV Award. He has composed and produced music for True Detective, Killing Eve, London Spy, The Fall, and Spider-Man 2.
Jonathan Lindsay Phillips is an American recording artist. Lindsay made his full-length debut in 2010 with the LP Escape From Plaza-Midwood. In 2013, he cofounded the arts collective North Carolina Music Love Army with Caitlin Cary.
Jeff Bridges is the self-titled debut album of American actor and singer-songwriter Jeff Bridges. It was released on August 16, 2011, via Blue Note Records and EMI Records. On April 19, 2011, it was announced through CMT that Bridges had signed a recording contract with Blue Note Records and will work with producer T-Bone Burnett.
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Hell in a Handbasket is the eleventh studio album by Meat Loaf, released September 30, 2011, in Australia and New Zealand, through Legacy Recordings. A wider global release followed in early 2012. It features guest appearances from Lil Jon, Mark McGrath, Trace Adkins, John Rich, and Chuck D, as well as Meat Loaf’s regular collabortors Paul Crook and Patti Russo.
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Platinum is the fifth studio album by American country music singer and songwriter Miranda Lambert. It was released on June 3, 2014, by RCA Nashville.
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