Ben Kreader

I grew up in the car, mesmerized by the rhythm of the road and singing made-up songs out the window as we crisscrossed the country on family trips. I was weaned on the Supremes and Dolly Parton, cut my teenage teeth on Yazoo and Peter Gabriel, and faithfully recorded every WBMX super minimix of house music on cassettes I still have today. My Chicago roots bring tornados, rain, and sky to my lyrics, mirroring the Midwest's meditative melancholy. Through these influences, I meld country-folk narratives and blues vocals with a dense forest of electronics and beats into simple songs of love and loss. I sing sad, and that's OK.