Keep Your Head Up with Singer/Songwriter and Surfer, Ben Howard
I still remember the first time I ever heard Ben Howard. One of my best friends [and fellow music and food junkie - Hi Adam!] frequently trades new music with me over Spotify. Anytime we stumble upon something new, we always hit the "Share" button - because that's what you are suppose to do, right? Sharing is caring. Ha!
It was the beginning of 2012, Ben Howard had just completed his first album, Every Kingdom - and Adam sends me a song titled, "Keep Your Head Up". Instantly, I was hooked.
This song struck a chord with me. It instantly reminded me to stay strong, keep moving, embrace change but stick to your guns. I still play it in moments that I'm feeling down and it always helps me to put things into perspective. That's the great thing about music too - we can all take away what we need from it.
I've talked previously about musicians who play percussion with their guitars (We featured the Los Angeles singer-songwriter, Lisa Haagen, this month who caught my ear with her guitar percussion while I was walking down Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica). Percussion Guitar is when you hit and slap different areas of your guitar and strings to make fun and unique sounds. I absolutely adore it and Ben Howard is the reason why.
Video via Amoeba Music
The 27 year old from South Devon, England developed a passion for acoustic folk songs from his mother's records collection (which included folk musicians Joni Mitchell, Richie Havens and Donovan). When he wasn't playing music, Howard developed a love for surfing and spent most of his time at the beach. When going to school for Journalism, in Newquay (the surf capital in the UK), he ended up dropping out of school six months shy of graduation to pursue music. The surf community pushed him and believed in him to follow his passion for music and he has since really flourished init. He released his first full-length album in August 2011 and he is scheduled to release his second album on October 20, 2014, titled "I Forget Where We Were."
The first single off the album is scheduled to be released tomorrow, September 9th.
Ben Howard is listed on our September playlist this month. Be sure to check it out here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lindsay Vacek has a passion for style, details and design. As a Fashion Editorial Photographer, she's worked in the Entertainment Industry for over 10 years and has a love for adventure and travel. She spends her spare time globe-trotting her way through foreign countries and loves new cultures, food, music and the arts.
Being a California Native, Lindsay loves meeting new people and sharing her version of life with others. With an infinite list of things-to-do, places-to-go and sights-to-see - she believe everyone can have a little more California in their own lives.