Book Ben Wilkins

Born and raised in Ontario, Ben Wilkins moved to Montreal, Quebec, at the age of eighteen, to study music at McGill University. He majored in Classical Trumpet and soaked up whatever he could regarding composition, arranging, singing, theory and jazz harmony – spending countless nights sneaking into the piano studios after hours to write songs. Upon graduation, Wilkins received a scholarship to study Mandarin in China, and spent the better part of a year at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and the Beijing Language and Culture University. Upon his return to Montreal, speaking fluent Mandarin, he began to perform locally and in college and club shows in the north-eastern U.S.A. At around the same time he was approached by Pascal Shefteshy, an acclaimed engineer and producer working for Pierre Marchand (Sarah McLachlan, Rufus Wainwright) to record an album. They began working on Ben’s debut album, and just as their limited budget was running out, Pierre Marchand announced that he was going to India for three months. As an act of faith in Ben’s abilities, Marchand left the door to his studio open to Wilkins and Shefteshy, putting them in the position to record an album without compromise.
Aside from working on his own album, Wilkins has not sat idle: he recently answered James Di Salvio’s call to write string and brass arrangements on The Garden, Bran Van 3000’s fourth album. Ben also lends his vocal talents to a track on this album, singing lead vocals on This Day.
In February 2011, "Back Of My Head", the first single from Ben’s upcoming album, attained a BDS Top 50 position after only a few weeks of promotions and stayed on the Charts for over twenty weeks. The second single, "Through To You" was launched to radio in September, and the video of the song has been added to Musimax repertoire. Ben has been invited to play live on the air on Musimax on Oct. 17, 2011.

Ben Wilkin’s self-titled debut album on Milagro Records will be in Stores across Canada on October 18th, 2011.
Please visit Ben’s facebook fan page for show dates & current happenings.

Ben Wilkins - The Album

Despite living in Montreal in the middle of an Indie Rock renaissance, Wilkins created an album that is transparent, warm and reminiscent of the music of the early 70’s. Complementing his clear tenor vocals, the album is intricately orchestrated with strings, brass, winds, orchestral percussion, and a small choir: 24 musicians in all. For one particular session, Wilkins recorded 13 pianos simultaneously ringing in sympathy with one another.
While Wilkins brings a certain degree of familiarity in this piano-based pop delight, there is something a bit more distinct and unusual about his music that has really drawn us in. It may be the comprehensive use of strings and horns, the quirky lyrics, the doubled up vocals, or the cinematic song structure (could easily fit into the “I Heart Huckabees” soundtrack), but one thing is certain: Ben Wilkins makes you feel good, really, really good.

“What inspires me about that era is the way music was produced,” says Wilkins. “There was something special about the grooves, the distinctive sounds of the recordings and the entire band playing live in the studio. We tried to achieve the same natural atmosphere while recording; I wanted the songs to breathe."
“… A splendid voice. Wilkins sings like his music breathes. He’s a gifted one this Ben. His melodies and arrangements astonish us. They are complex but fluid at the same time, like candy but not too sugary, sumptuous without pretention, easy listening but never easy…” - Sylvain Cormier, Le Devoir Of Ben Wilkins’ album, author Stephan Lahens writes, “There is an undeniable maturity, an effortless lushness to his compositions and lyrics; one barely notices their complexity, which is a sign of quality. Delectable sounds simply flow in and change your world for the better. Wilkins' work is a relevant, fresh addition to the world of inspired pop music.”

Dee Perry, of WCPN NPR in Cleveland, says, “In the course of one song, he takes you from light to dark emotions and lingers on the pastels in-between.”
Montreal journalist Claudio Pinto writes, “From his influences, Wilkins draws only the best, that is to say the lyrical aspects and the arrangements, which are in perfect self-restraint.”