Benjamin Lee Kenney Sr. (born March 12, 1977) is an American musician from Brielle, New Jersey. From 2003 to 2023, he was the bassist for the band Incubus[1] and had previously played in the Roots as a guitarist. He also records as a solo artist, usually recording every instrument and singing all vocals on his records.
Kenney played guitar for the hip-hop group the Roots before he joined Incubus in 2003 after the departure of the bass guitarist and founding member Alex Katunich (aka Dirk Lance).[2] He had previously played with Incubus members Mike Einziger and Jose Pasillas in Time Lapse Consortium. By the end of 2023 he had left the band having spent most of the year in recovery from brain tumor surgery and thus unable to participate in their touring.[3]
Kenney plays at least six different instruments[citation needed] and sometimes plays drum duets with Incubus' drummer Jose Pasillas live on-stage.
26, Maduro, Distance and Comfort and "Burn the Tapes" were all released by Kenney's own record company, Ghetto Crush Industries. Ghetto Crush has also released music for the Division Group, Aleda and Root Valdez. Kenney helped the Smyrk to produce their EP, New Fiction.
Solo career
Kenney started in New Jersey band called Racecar in 1994 with Jimmie Muller and Sam Hofman. After this, he and Chuck Treece started a musical duo called Supergrub in 1996, with three CDs released: Norma & Thurselle, Communicator and Challenger.
He has five solo albums, 26 released on December 1, 2004, Maduro released on March 1, 2006, Distance and Comfort released on January 15, 2008, Burn the Tapes released on October 1, 2010, and Leave On Your Makeup released on September 17, 2013. Kenney plays guitar, bass guitar and drums while singing and writing every part on the solo records. When touring to support his solo records he plays guitar and sings, accompanied by Ashley Mendel on bass guitar and vocals and Sekou Lumumba on drums. Recently, Simon Harding from the band Fin has replaced Lumumba.
Equipment
His bass equipment includes Lakland bass guitars, Line 6 effects "(interview)". Archived from the original on February 3, 2009. Retrieved January 26, 2008. and Mesa Boogie amplifiers. He has retrofitted several of his Lakland basses with JBE pickups. His collection of bass guitars includes a seafoam-green USA Joe Osborn, sunburst USA Joe Osborn with a fretless fingerboard, sunburst Skyline Joe Osborn, red Skyline Bob Glaub, shoreline gold Skyline Hollowbody, custom 44-94, light blue 44-94, cherry sunburst 55-94 with Gibson knobs, fiesta red 30" Jazz Bass (44-60), 1975 Fender Jazz Bass, Gibson SG Bass, Fender Jaguar Bass, and a Hofner 500/1 "Beatle Bass". Most of his bass guitars have rosewood fingerboards and are strung with GHS flatwounds, with the exception of the Skyline Bob Glaub and the 55-94 which are strung with Thomastik-Infeld roundwounds. Kenny also plays Gibson Les Pauls which is seen in the DVD video for "Not Today". His live Mesa/Boogie rig consists of a pair of Big Block 750 heads and a Roadready 8x10 cabinet. In the studio and for solo gigs and small live gigs with Incubus, he uses Mesa Walkabout 1x12 combos and extension cabs.
Personal life
In January 2023, Kenney announced that he had a brain tumor removed, and that Tal Wilkenfeld would play bass for Incubus while he recovered from brain surgery.[4] It was later announced that he had departed the band permanently and been replaced by Nicole Row.[5]
Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer José Pasillas while enrolled in Calabasas High School and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppel; the latter two were eventually replaced by bassist Ben Kenney and DJ Kilmore, respectively. Nicole Row replaced Kenney in 2024.
Hunter Benedict Shepherd is an American musician best known as the bassist of rock band Soundgarden. Shepherd has won two Grammy Awards as a member of Soundgarden.
Daryl Mark Stuermer is an American musician, songwriter, singer, and record producer best known for playing the guitar and bass for Genesis during live shows, and lead guitar for Phil Collins during most solo tours and albums. He has also released nine solo albums, and tours with his Daryl Stuermer Band.
Michael Aaron Einziger is an American musician, songwriter and producer. He is best known for being co-founder and guitarist of the rock band Incubus, and has also co-written, produced and collaborated with a wide array of artists including Pharrell Williams, Hans Zimmer, Skrillex, Tyler the Creator, Avicii, Damian Marley, Jason Schwartzman and Steve Martin among many others. Incubus has sold over 23 Million albums worldwide, and in 2013, Einziger co-wrote the hit song "Wake Me Up", alongside Avicii and Aloe Blacc. As an entrepreneur, Einziger is the co-founder and co-chairman of the wireless technology platform MIXhalo, and also the co-founder and CEO of the biotechnology startup Versicolor Technologies. Einziger received his education at Harvard University.
Travis Stever is an American musician who is best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria.
Kenneth Shaun Hickey is an American musician. He was the co-founder, guitarist, and backing and occasional co-lead vocalist of the gothic metal band Type O Negative, whom he played for from 1989 until the death of the band's frontman and bassist Peter Steele in 2010. He is currently the lead vocalist and guitarist for Silvertomb and was the co-founder of Seventh Void. All three bands featured fellow Type O Negative member Johnny Kelly on drums. Hickey is also an occasional touring guitarist for Danzig.
Alive at Red Rocks is a live DVD and bonus CD by the American band Incubus. It was recorded in Red Rocks, Colorado on July 26, 2004. It was the first DVD showing new bassist Ben Kenney. It was also the first DVD that featured Mike Einziger using a Fender Rhodes piano, on the performances of "Here in My Room" and "Drive."
Christopher A. Chaney is an American musician. He is best known as the former bass guitarist of the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction, with whom he recorded two studio albums, and as a member of Alanis Morissette's touring and recording band for six years. He has previously been a member of Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders and Camp Freddy. In 2024, Chaney was announced as the touring bass guitarist for AC/DC, replacing longstanding member Cliff Williams on the band's Power Up Tour.
Live at Lollapalooza 2003 is a live album by the American rock band Incubus, released in 2003. The album's proceeds go to the band's charitable arm, the Make Yourself Foundation.
Lakland Guitars is an American manufacturer of electric bass guitars based in Chicago, Illinois. The company's first bass combined elements of the Fender Jazz Bass and the Music Man StingRay. The company's current line-up includes basses inspired by classics like the Fender Precision Bass and Jazz Bass as well as Lakland's own original designs. Lakland's line of signature models includes basses designed in collaboration with well-known bassists Joe Osborn, Donald "Duck" Dunn, Jerry Scheff, Darryl Jones and Bob Glaub. Lakland basses are manufactured in the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Indonesia.
Live in Japan 2004 is a live album by the American rock band Incubus, released in 2004. The album's proceeds go to the band's charitable arm, the Make Yourself Foundation. It was recorded on March 3, 2004, at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan.
Live in Malaysia 2004 is a live album by the American rock band Incubus, released in 2004. The album's proceeds go to the band's charitable arm, the Make Yourself Foundation. The concert was held at Bukit Kiara Equestarian Park in Kuala Lumpur on March 16, 2004 in front of a crowd of 8,000. Notable songs in the setlist are "Pantomime", and the "Everything in Ebb" Jam in the middle of Vitamin.
Time-Lapse Consortium was an American band formed in 2003. Their sound is described as psychedelic, jazz, and funk. The group consists of current Incubus members Mike Einziger on guitar, José Pasillas on drums, Ben Kenney on bass, Neal Evans of Soulive on Organ, and Suzie Katayama contributing on string arrangements.
Tal Wilkenfeld is an Australian bassist, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She has performed with artists including Chick Corea, Jeff Beck, Prince, Incubus, Eric Clapton, Herbie Hancock, and Mick Jagger. In 2008, Wilkenfeld was voted "The Year's Most Exciting New Player" in a Bass Player magazine readers' choice poll. In 2013, Wilkenfeld was awarded the Bass Player magazine's "Young Gun Award" by Don Was; she then performed "Chelsea Hotel" by Leonard Cohen.
José Antonio Pasillas II is an American musician best known as the drummer and co-founder of alternative rock band Incubus.
Monuments and Melodies is the first greatest hits compilation album by American rock band Incubus released on June 16, 2009, through Epic Records. It is released as a double-disc set, the first disc features 13 previously released singles from the albums Make Yourself, Morning View, A Crow Left of the Murder..., and Light Grenades, along with two new Brendan O'Brien–produced tracks, "Black Heart Inertia" and "Midnight Swim".
If Not Now, When? is the seventh studio album by American rock band Incubus, released on July 12, 2011 and named after the novel by Primo Levi. Preceded by the singles "Adolescents" and "Promises, Promises", the album represented the band's longest gap between studio albums at the time, and their final full-length release through long-time label Epic Records. Described by guitarist Michael Einziger as "a very straightforward, concise album," If Not Now, When? was recorded in the wake of an extended hiatus, and produced by frequent collaborator Brendan O'Brien. The album's cover features high wire artist Philippe Petit.
Trust Fall (Side B) is the fifth EP by rock band Incubus. It was released on April 17, 2020. Side B serves as a sequel to Trust Fall (Side A), which was released in 2015. It is the last studio material with bassist Ben Kenney before his departure in 2024.
"Nimble Bastard" is a single by American rock band Incubus, off of their eighth studio album 8. It peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in April 2017.
Nicole Sue Row is an American bassist and singer known for touring with Miley Cyrus in 2017 and Panic! at the Disco during 2018–2023. She joined Incubus starting in March 2023 and soon became the band's permanent bass player.
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