Ben Kweller
Irvine Auditorium
Friday 8 p.m., doors open at 7:30, $15 in advance, $20 at the door
I have often said that a man who can play a glockenspiel is a man after my own heart. Not since Mozart's glory days has this percussion instrument seen so much action, and the world is indeed a better place for it. For those of you who haven't heard of the glockenspiel (you're probably the people who haven't heard of Ben Kweller either), it is like a xylophone, only more German.
It turns out that Kweller can play more than just a glockenspiel. From the tender age of seven, he has been building a vast musical repertoire that includes the drums, the piano and finally the guitar. He was accomplished in all three by the time he turned nine, the age at which he decided to enter the Billboard songwriting contest with a song he penned himself. He must've done something right, because he scored an honorable mention. Not bad for a prepubescent boy from Greenville, Texas.
Kweller has come a long way since then. After a brief stint as a grunge rocker in his teenage effort Radish (ironically hailed as "the next best thing" in 1996 only to disappear the subsequent year), Kweller went on to attempt a solo career. His first three albums were received with critical acclaim, and he is currently in the deepest depths of Austin, Texas working on his fourth.
A blend of youthful sunshine pop and keen songwriting skills, Kweller's sound has often been compared to the likes of Bob Dylan and The Ramones. He has managed to strike a balance between the sugary pop confections ("How It Should Be (Sha Sha)") and the intimate folk-inspired ballads ("Thirteen") for which he is now famous. Not familiar? YouTube it.
If his musical accomplishments aren't enough to drag you to Irvine Auditorium tomorrow, here's one more tidbit that might: Kweller once shoved a tampon up his nose. How very Amanda Bynes of him.
