A Chat with Ben Tucker (23.05.24)
Self-described as “Travelling Wilburys in the sack with John Prine”, you know Ben Tucker is something special. For over 20 years, this veteran musician has some tales behind his name entertaining audiences as part of Albino; however, he steps aside as a solo artist to indulge in country vibes with his self-titled debut EP. We spoke with Ben Tucker about the EP, why he decided to become a musician, AI, working at a circus and future plans.
OSR: What drew you to music? Why did you decide to become a musician?
Tucker: All my life music has been there. I grew up in a religious family and was kept from listening to music that wasn’t religious – except for some reason John Denver was acceptable. As a teenager, I spent a lot of time listening to vinyl borrowed from the local library where I lived in Merseyside and started listening to a lot of music – Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, The Pogues, The Band – and I began to build up an understanding of what had been going on in the world.
I also was in awe from an earlier age of my eldest brother who played guitar and he taught me the basics when I was about nine or ten and from then on a guitar has always been an essential thing for me. It wasn’t long before I started writing songs and this became an important part of what drives me.
OSR: You recently released your debut EP Ben Tucker, what can you tell us about it?
Tucker: My dream when I left university was to go and live in Texas and be a country singer. At the time I was listening to a lot of the country outlaws and felt very aligned with the folky country they did. It’s taken nearly a quarter of a century to partially realise this – during which time I’ve been through two marriages and a lot of life changes – but I managed to make it out to Nashville in November last year to record the EP. It was in particular in the context of making a fresh start and moving into a new home in 2022, and it felt like an important moment.
I was lucky enough to find an amazing studio south of the city – www.blackdogreco…g.com/ – which is run by the most professional, decent man, Pete Jacobs and working with him we brought the tracks together using professional session musicians. I found the level of professionalism and the way they worked incredible. There was a lot about it that I found really incredible, and I’m really pleased with the output.
The experience was in honesty terrifying at first. I’ve always been a little loose around the edges in my playing and singing and I was working with people who were a lot tighter and a level above me. For the first day and a half, I was waiting for them to find me out but they were really decent people. The environment got me to raise my game and I really felt that they enjoyed the project a lot too.
OSR: This is your first release as a solo artist, but you have played in bands. Why did you choose to pursue a solo project?
Tucker: I love being in the band – Albino – which is now 20 years old and has changed a lot over the years from boozy folk-rock to something more like 60’s British guitar rock. I love working with the performers, two of whom moved back to Spain during Covid meaning that we now need to plan our rehearsals and recording time carefully! But the band has always brought out the entertainer, performer and comedian in me – and often a side of me which is quite rambunctious.
With the solo project, I have the opportunity to use a much more personal voice. It feels more intimate to me. Also, I’m not sure how the band would feel about country music, and I don’t know which of them could play pedal steel well.
OSR: I know this is only your debut EP as a solo artist but how does working solo compare to being part of a band? What are the pros and cons?
Tucker: Actually the truth is that I really enjoy both. There’s perhaps less difference than you think in that I’m not a songwriter who brings an autocratic sense of how I want the songs to sound but I have some ideas and I really enjoy how the process of working with others takes it in different directions. Working with Manu Garcia Sanchez in the band is a great experience as he really brings a lot of new ideas and builds on my ideas in a way I really enjoy. Similarly, with the solo project, I really enjoyed the way that Pete Jacobs was actively involved. One of the songs on the EP, ‘Beavercreek’, I initially thought would be quite pacey, a little like ‘Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down’ by Merle Haggard, but we ended up doing it a little more like Tom Waits in style feeling a little more like a slightly spent band at the end of the night in a bar.
What I did find with the solo project though was that I found a window to be very intimate and directly express some of the things going on in my life; I guess country music is a very good medium for doing that.
OSR: What does the EP mean to you and what do you hope others take it?
Tucker: I just hope they enjoy the songs!
OSR: What do you think makes you unique as an artist?
Tucker: I care a lot about writing songs which are catchy and interesting to listen to. Generally speaking, even the funny songs I write for the band are ones which come from some strong feelings or something I’m experiencing. I find it harder to work out my audience in the way that social media folk advise us we need to do now – I just hope that somehow we’ll find each other.
OSR: What is your opinion on AI being used in the music industry?
Tucker: I think that we’ve talked up a lot of the threats of AI. I think it will change things but not necessarily in the way we expect. I think it’s a vehicle we can use in a lot more interesting ways as creators than we think.
OSR: What is your definition of success? Has it changed over time?
Tucker: Massively. I think earlier in life you want other people’s attention and acclaim, but what I really enjoy musically now is just the way it allows you to interact with and be part of the world. One thing that has never changed though is the personal achievement of managing to stay sober by the time I need to perform on gig nights. That has always been a challenge for me.
OSR: If you were to work at a circus, what job would you choose?
Tucker: The hippopotamus that swallows people whole.
OSR: What can we expect from you in the future?
Tucker: I’m planning on doing an album back in Nashville for early next year with a single coming in a few months – and also we’re beginning to work on another Albino album which should come out around the same time. At some point, I should try to do more live performances.
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
Tucker: Same thing I say to my kids – you can’t always be good. Disobedience is underrated. My dad used to tell me I had a problem with authority and he was absolutely right.
Many thanks to Ben Tucker for speaking with us. Find out more about Ben Tucker on his Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
