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?

I’m not usually one for New Year’s resolutions but this year I’ve decided to change (albeit two months into the year). This year I’m going to change myself for the better – or at least die trying. This image to the right is a list of my goals, musical and personal, that I would like to accomplish by the end of this year.

I was summoned into action by a post I read by my friend Joy Ike on her blog, Grassrootsy.com. Read her post here: “Ignore Everybody and Just DO“. I find myself to be someone who struggles with gearing into action so I’m hoping these goals will do just that – activate me. I’ll guess we’ll see, eh?

Try it out too! If you have problems kicking your butt in gear, write some goals and stick ‘em on your fridge door! Give it a go! Hey, why not?

I had the opportunity to meet Denison and his wife for five minutes before the show started. They both were very friendly people and I hope we get to meet again. I’ve never actually seen Denison perform before so tonight was the double treat of opening for him and getting in to see him for free! His show was emotion filled, skillful, and short & sweet. He left the stage but came back at the request of us fans to perform one more song unplugged. The whole crowd hushed so that you could hear him all the way across the large room even without the mic. Absolutely astounding.

I’m taking Denison Witmer as a model of sorts for my current singer/songwriter career. I see this model as this: write quality songs, keep yourself in your songs, connect with your audience, and always leave them wanting more. Follow that and you can’t go wrong.

Life is Perfect
Life is perfect. I’m happily married to my best friend, working at my dream job, and driving my dream car – a 1986 5-speed, leather interior, sunroof equipped BMW. And yet, all of these things are broken. My wife and I still fight, I still deal with conflict at work, and my car has too many problems to list! This condition is what I refer to as, “The Beautiful Broken”.

Life is Entropy
Life is entropy. Decay and degeneration, collapse and destruction. And yet, beauty can still be found in the midst of it all. Like a muscle, love must first be broken down before it can be truly built up again.

Life is Hope
Life is hope. You cannot have one without the other. They are inextricably intertwined, each necessary for the survival and growth of the other. Hope is an offshoot of faith which stems from a firm belief in something. For example, I believe in Yahweh – the God of the Hebrews and Christians. My faith is rooted in my belief and from there I take hope.

But Really, Life is Perfect
Life is perfect. And for the times when I feel hurt and pain, I personally resolve to remember The Beautiful Broken.

I have a friend named Crystal who once gave me some very good advice on music business. She said, “You have to network! Network, network, network! Go to every event; talk to every person! Network!” My friend Crystal’s advice is very wise and came in handy this last Friday night when I performed at Folklore Coffee Company.

A 20 minute drive from Lancaster, PA is Elizabethtown, PA. Elizabethtown is home to one of my favorite coffee shops – The Folklore Coffee Company. Owned by Ryan and Dawn Bracken, the coffee shop serves as a popular meeting hub for all of the students from E-town College. The night I was there over 50 people came out to see local E-town student, Katie Kressler, show off her art at Folklore. I’ve never played at an art opening before so it was very interesting for me. Wine and Cheese were served and then the art-observers wandered around the store perusing the art. Quite interesting and fun!

I performed for the first hour and then took a 10 minute intermission. I met a girl named Chloe who was from Australia and I asked her a question that had been burning in my mind for a long time. “Here in the States you Australians definitely have the cool accent. Is it true however that down in Australia I would have the cool accent?” She said that yes, we Americans do have the cool accents down there! Yes!

After the show I was walking around meeting and greeting people and met some interesting characters. Austin Robbins of Ceylon Studios was there taking pictures. He reminded me so much of my brother Mike! Photographers must shop at the same place because the moccasins, plaid shirt, tight pants, and blond hair are just too common between them. Haha! I also met Austin’s older brother Justin Robbins who runs JMR Music Group. Very nice fellow who can handle all of your professional performance needs!

It was a fun night full of art and music! For quick, prompt, and excellent service, visit Folklore Coffee Company in Elizabethtown, PA! I know I’ll be back to spend some time there sipping coffee and reading books!

I read the notes you sent to me,

In zeros and ones across the sea,

Words we exchanged with

no trail for leaving

The sounds of my friend Chris Flinchbaugh’s intricate fingerpicking guitar and tuneful lyrics floated through the Lancaster Coffee Co. while I said hello to patrons and friends. The Friday night crowd jam packed the small coffee house  to the point where even the very tables in the back were full.

I was excited to be tagging along on this show. Chris and I had been trying to perform together for a long time so when he asked me to split the two hour show at the Lancaster Coffee Company with him,  I agreed! It was a splendiferous evening of music and coffee  combined with a full house! I always enjoy the shows where I’m able to have an audience with whom I can interact. It makes the music more personable and real for me.

I think the funnies part of the evening for me was when Chris and I found out we both lugged our gear around in suitcases. We looked at each other and went, “Oh! You use a suitcase too!” Must be a subconscious singer/songwriter thing. Haha!

Swell evening! If you do get a chance, swing by the Lancaster Coffee Co. in Lancaster, PA and say hello to Woody, the manager! He’s a good dude who will put you on the right track to your caffeine (or diet) fix!

Overcoming boundaries is what The Aurora Cafe in Mechanicsburg, PA is all about. This unique cafe is by week a day center for people with mental issues but on Friday night it turns into a cafe open to the public. The Aurora Cafe, run by director Mindy Myers, is an idea bent on overcoming the social stigma so often found on interacting with people with mental problems.

I very much enjoyed my show at the Aurora Cafe. It was a small, intimate environment with an attentive crowd. The cafe’s sound was powered by a Bose L1 I Model which sounded surprisingly stunning! It was perfect for a single musician playing in a small room (Hey wait, that was me!)

After the show Amber and I spent some time with our friends Jared and Steve at Jo-Jo’s pizzeria across the street. Good pizza and all you can drink Peak Iced Tea (a favorite of mine!) but be careful, something gave Amber and I an upset stomach. Could be the tea was out too long. Or maybe I drank too much…Haha.

Great show! I’d encourage you to check out The Aurora Cafe some Friday night if you happen to be in Mechanicsburg, PA!

Part of the fun in being an indie musician is having my own home studio. Being able to pop in anytime to lay tracks is a convenience I’m extremely grateful to have. Due to the Plaid wallpaper in my studio the name only seemed natural – Plaid Studios. Ya gotta love it!

In my studio I’m using the following gear:

• Presonus Firebox Audio/MIDI Interface
• Presonus Studio One (Artist)
• Shure SM58 Microphone
• Altec Lansing Speaker System
• Audio-Technica ATH-M30 Headphones
• M-AUDIO KeyRig 25 MIDI Controller
• Apple Macbook

For me, my studio doubles for recording as well as my songwriting space. Last year while I attended Visible School in Memphis, TN I got into the habit of using sticky notes for songwriting. It’s a great way I’ve found to keep the ideas and phrases in my mind uncluttered outside of my head! Give it a go sometime and see if it works for you!

Aye, Plaid Studios isn’t much to look at – but it’s what I’ve been given and I’m determined to make the best I can with it!

Cheers!