Listen to it and download for pay-what-you-will! (Click the album art to listen!)

An organic and delicious EP, Ben Rothermel’s latest release, Basement Sessions is focused on being: 1) Personal 2) Simple 3) Lo-Fi and 4) Perseverance. The songs are nothing more than embers burning their way through his heart to find themselves on the outside. Raw, bare, and honestly naked. Download and leave a tip!

Fly Magazine Interviews Ben Rothermel

Story by John Duffy

You’d probably like to forget that day in July when it was 107 degrees outside. That day, Ben Rothermel was sitting in a coffee shop in downtown Lancaster, the same place he works when he’s not making music.

 

Everybody was drinking the free water and not much else, including Rothermel. But somehow he didn’t seem to be sweating it. Maybe it’s the dirty blonde faux-hawk. Maybe it’s the bony frame that doesn’t look like he’d stand a stiff breeze. But Rothermel seems cool and undaunted by the stifling heat.

 

It could be that he was still on cloud nine from a few nights before, when about a hundred people gathered in this same coffeehouse to celebrate the release of his debut disc, Blue or Green…[read more]

One of the hardest parts of making any record is debt and I am so happy to say that all of the debt I had incurred during the making this record was payed off entirely in that one night! Thank you, thank you, thank you everyone!

My vision for the album was to deliver a complete package that was entirely who I am to date. So, each Blue or Green album is handstamped and comes with a built in work of art photography shot by me during my day to day life. This little touch allows each album to deliver a unique, indvidual aesthetic experience.

Thank you all so insanely much for your support throughout the whole album creation process! I’m so happy sharing my music with you and am humbled by the experience. I’ve got more music on my brain and already an EP in mind (not for a couple months though. Hah!) Stay cool and stay tuned!

See you at a show soon!

Yours Ever,

Ben

Pick up your hard copy of Blue or Green online! Click here to order: benrothermel.bigcartel.com

Or, if you prefer digital downloads, buy Blue or Green at Ben’s Bandcamp Store: benrothermel.bandcamp.com

(Ok, but seriously. It was their podcast and I was pretty excited to be on it.) Hah!

Enjoy here:

Ben Rothermel, He’s Like Dylan without the Cigarettes

Speaking of Easter, I had lunch with a friend of mine, Mike Mains, and somewhere in the conversation he commented on Easter. It wasn’t his comment that got me as much as it was that I had forgotten that Easter was today. I know I’ve been busy lately but to me that’s a pretty big thing to forget. Although I didn’t go to a church today, I’ve been thinking on Easter and what it means to me. It means the world in it is the pivotal foundation of my faith in God. If Jesus hadn’t risen from the dead, it would be a dead (forgive the pun) religion. I don’t have facts or evidence to throw your way but I have faith (based on my experiences) that leads me to trust in God. That’s all it is folks. Faith.

I have a feeling these next few months are going to be very happening. It’s like a rollar coaster just about to crest over the 1st big hill and rocket away down the course. Here’s to holding on and enjoying the ride!

Yours,

Ben

PS. I shot some footage of this years LAUNCH Conference to give you a rough idea of what my life has been like these past three days. Enjoy!

Hey y’all!

I realized I’ve been updating twitter and facebook have been neglecting you, my shweet little website. So, here’s my loving on you – a short and sweet post on how the new (debut) album is progressing.

What started out as an idea in February of last year took off with recording in July and then was yanked to a stop with the birth of my son Grayson. No hard feelings towards him…He couldn’t help his own birthday throwing a wrench in the works! Haha! Albeit it as it may, I love him dearly and wouldn’t trade him back in for anything, even a brand new MacBook Pro (hmmm…lol). Life has just now reached the point of normal that is the “new normal” as my wife and I refer to it. I am still working full time as a barista but am now returning my energies into seeing this marathon through to the end. I’ve booked studio time for the 19th and 26th of this month and hope to wrap up the guitar and vocals. After that I’ll be shipping it down to my friend Simon for final mixing and mastering. My friends at local Lancaster design firm, The Infantree, will be hitting me up with the CD package design at the end of the month and we can hopefully start manufacturing the hard copies at the end of March! We’re in the home stretch!

I’m so excited to have shared this journey with you all through twitter and even personally to an extent. With the way things are shaping up, I think we will reward ourselves for all the hard work with a super sweet release party in April! Sound good to you? Stay tuned through the next three months – I’ll keep you updated on all things album!

Thanks again for listening and supporting me guys! It means the world to me that you love on my music and I.

Yours Ever,

Ben

PS. I’m currently booking shows for February and March and want to come visit you! I would love to travel to your house, local coffeeshop, bar, bookstore, or anything else imaginable! Send me an email at benrothermel@gmail.com to see what we can make happen!

Every so often we like to catch up with artists that, in one way or another, walked the halls of Visible School and really made an impact during their time here. Despite only being in Memphis for a year in the songwriting department, this talented singer/songwriter honed his craft and has already been applying his teachings to his daily life. After completing his certificate in songwriting in in the 2008-09 school year, Ben Rothermel made the 15 hour trek back home to Lancaster, Pennsylvania where he married his high-school sweetheart Amber and began playing in the local coffeehouses and venues. We caught up with him over email to discuss his first full-length album and his upcoming plans… (Click Here to read more!)

I recently did my first interview (ever!) with Flipside PA! I found it to be a great learning experience (as well as a tiny bit embarrassing! Haha!)

You can read the entire article by directing your browsers to the following link:

Singer-songwriter Ben Rothermel finds inspiration in coffee shops, matrimony and ‘Rocky’ movies

Also, check out audio of the interview by clicking here!

I had the opportunity to meet my new friend Joy Ike and her sister Peace! Joy is a singer/songwriter from Pittsburgh, PA and Peace plays percussion for her. They both stayed at Amber and I’s house this last weekend. The weekend started out with a bang (quite literally) as Joy showed up at 1 AM and ran into my glass door headfirst! (Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure she’s ok.)

Here’s a video Joy posted that I guest starred in!

I showcased Thursday night at Annie Bailey’s and Friday night at Fig Central in the heart of Lancaster city. The Annie Bailey’s showcase was well attended but it was tough to engage with the audience. Plus, I didn’t grow up with a TV so when there was one right above the bar, right where I was facing, I couldn’t tear my eyes from it the entire show! Haha! (“Sounds like a personal problem to me.”)

The Fig Central showcase was a whole lot of fun! I really enjoy performing with my friends the Beggar Folk and Joy Ike! Having fellow musicians on the bill that you enjoy working with can definitely change the entire show for the better. We had about 20+ people show up but they were a very attentive crowd! I’ve heard before that the greatest thing a musician can ask for is an audience that listens and I truly experienced that at the Fig show! Thanks y’all!

Mentioning The Beggar Folk…I’m opening for them tonight at Folklore Coffee in Elizabethtown, PA! Folklore is one of my favorite local venues and I really hope you can make it out to tonight’s show! I go on at 7 PM and will perform for 45 minutes – 1 hour after which The Beggar Folk will bring everyone to tears with their intricately spun acoustic guitar and strings songs! Be there or be square, Yo!

I leave you with a new favorite quote of mine from the 30th President of the United States of America, President Calvin Coolidge:

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race”

- President Calvin Coolidge

I had coffee with Mat Kearney today.

Seriously, I did!

He came into Prince St. Cafe last week while in town for his show at the Chameleon Club here in Lancaster, PA. I didn’t want to seem like a little fangirl (though there may have been one or two butterflies flying around) so I just walked up and asked him if I could sit down and talk. He was very polite and we had a great discussion about how to choose track listings for albums. If I can take the liberty of paraphrasing his thoughts on the matter they went something like this:

There are those three of four songs that you know have to go on the record. The rest are filled in by songs you feel would work or songs your fans think should go on the record.

There you go! Short, sweet, and to the point! And to top things off, he offered me, my wife, and a fellow coworker free tickets to his show that night! It was a great show and my wife and I agreed that Mat was definitely our favorite act of the night!

So thanks Mat for the conversation and the tickets! Perhaps we’ll meet again, eh?