With his bare feet hanging off of a blue-tinged roof and the only one of his friends beside him without sunglasses preventing the sauna’s rays from beating down, it’s pretty evident that the dog days follow Ben Chase around. In this case, the visual lends itself to Reds Seastore. It’s a floating hub in his home country of Canada, which is the first place where he performed ‘Somebody’s Summer’ live, a tune that did so well that it skyrocketed to a #1 debut on Apple Music’s Canada’s Country playlist. See? That’s just the first of the seasonal pattern. There’s also ‘Saltwater Cowboy,’ a nickname he lovingly pens himself. A copious amount of palm tree emojis, matching the beer in his hand, dunking a silhouette of himself into the saturation for cover art. And finally, swapping the sandy beaches with another place one might find water: ‘Chesney On The Lake.’
Ben’s not forgetting his island routes anytime soon, even if country music is most likely paired with roaming green pastures, and neither are we! We chatted with him about this juxtaposition, his love for Kenny Chesney, who the latest single tributes, and his other musical hero, his grandfather!
Hometown Roots
Hi Ben! Welcome to the hive. From the get-go, you’re bringing exposure to the small-town life that country music often explores, having grown up in Prince Edward Island, where its population is minuscule compared to Nashville! You recently merged the two for Raised Rowdy On The Island, where you brought songwriters together, such as Jason Duke, who wrote Kelsea Ballerini’s ‘Dibs.’ What was the driving force behind merging your two worlds?
I did this for a couple of reasons.
First, I wanted to take my friends to the island to show them what it has to offer and how I grew up. We took them out on the boat, pulled some lobster traps, and cooked them fresh lobster right there. This was definitely something they’d never experienced. It’s also good to have a change of pace and scenery when writing songs, so we made this a writers’ retreat for us as well as a show for the community.
Secondly, Nashville is such a different world. The songwriters are what really make the music industry run. The stories at songwriters’ rounds are so inspiring, and it is cool to hear the back stories about the song and why it was written. You can only experience this in Nashville, in my opinion. Not everyone can just up and go to Nashville to experience this, and my community has been so supportive of me in my career, so I wanted to bring this unique experience to them right in their backyard.
Hopefully, this will be an annual event!
Events like the one you organized are a way for you to create a new relationship and sense of belonging with your hometown, especially after exploring feelings of displacement in ‘Fading,’ the closing tune of your debut album That Was Then, This Is Now. Since this song was released a year ago, have your feelings on the topic changed?
It’s funny that you mention this because I accidentally wrote a follow-up to ‘Fading’ without even knowing it. I played it at the Show in PEI, and the reaction from the crowd was incredible….. it’s called ‘Seasick.’ It’s about loving Nashville but missing aspects of PEI…… So yeah, it seems like it’s ‘Fading’ when I’m not there, but as soon as I get back, it’s like I never left.
What made you gravitate toward the country genre despite the two locations not precisely mixing well on paper, hence penning yourself as ‘Saltwater Cowboy?’
I ONLY know country music; my manager is always mind-blown by how little I know about other genres. My grandpa is a huge country fan, so I grew up listening to George Jones, Travis Tritt, and Vince Gill…… I can’t imagine doing anything else.
Family Traditions
One of your musical influences is your charismatic grandfather, who is often present at your family jam sessions and when coming up on stage with you for The Calgary Stampede. Can you share a snapshot of what that moment on stage was like?
Alphie is a star……I get asked more about him than anything else. I watched him very closely growing up; singing and playing with him at family events was always something that I looked forward to. So for us to be able to be in front of a crowd of that size….. together….. I’ll never forget that moment. Hopefully, many more of those moments will happen when I reach other milestones in my career.
This isn’t the first time he’s been featured in your work, as both of your grandparents cheekily starred in ‘Small Town Talking.’ As your writing often deals with the ebbs and flows of love, could we assume they shaped some of your relationship beliefs?
100% they taught me that love is real…. when you know, you just know….
‘Chesney On The Lake’
There’s a poignant line in ‘Reading You Wrong,’ “Are you hiding any writing in between your lines?” It’s about confusion clouding dating, wondering if your muse is also into you. But it can also be symbolic of using your own songs as a place to dump what’s left verbally unsaid. Do you think there have been times when there’s been a disconnect between how you show up in a situation and what’s written in your lyrics?
Writing is the best therapy for me. We have all had the moments where we left situations and been like, “Oh man, I should’ve said this or that,” but at the moment, it doesn’t come to your mind… when I pick up my guitar, it just comes out.
This notion is kind of explored in ‘Chesney On The Lake,’ too, with you being in regret over someone that you never confessed your feelings to. Obviously, the Chesney noted in the song is Kenny Chesney. If we’re in the world of hypotheticals where any dream can happen, upon thinking about his songwriting, what do you think he could bring to the single if he were added on as a feature?
That is crazy for me to even think about. Kenny Chesney is my favorite concert that I’ve ever seen. Not only does he have great songs, but he is a performer! I pride myself on my shows…. I give 110% and leave it all on the stage, and so does he. Kenny is by far my biggest musical influence, I can’t imagine him even hearing the song, much less being featured on it.
More so, can you walk us through one of your summer memories that connects to one of his songs?
There are too many to mention; when I hear a Chesney song, I just think of summer. Happy memories, sad memories, blurred memories….. he is the soundtrack of my summers. This is why my new music is just that: I want you to feel like you’re on vacation no matter where you hear my song.
Cracking Open A Beer
You also have a knack for MCing, with several of your TikToks centered around interviewing festival-goers to market your music. Did this comfortability come before live performing, or did your people skills flourish through singing your songs for others?
Oh, I’m way more comfortable on stage! Those were just some marketing ideas me and the team tried out, and they worked….. it’s fun for sure, but on stage is where I feel most comfortable.
Finally, as an ode to one of your other recent singles, ‘Bad Day To Be A Beer,’ and the festival circuit, if you had to reincarnate as a beer, what brand would you be, and which artist that you’ve opened for would be thanking themselves for having you just like in the song? You helping make their day just a bit brighter.
Oh, I’d come back with any beer that I can let a lime sink to the bottom! I have to say, there is one artist who took me under his wing: Brett Kissel. He is genuinely the best! For me to say that I’ve opened up for him on his tour, much less hear him introduce me as a friend and say that I have a big future in the industry, is more reassuring and inspiring than he will ever know. To be the best, you have to learn from the best….. and he is THAT.
It’s fair to say that we will borrow the ‘C’ from Chesney and swap it with Chase for our musical preferences now down by the lake! So, if you need a starting point to get into Ben’s music, ‘Chesney On The Lake’ is that, and then we’re going to let you venture out on your own.
Have you done that already? Awesome! What’s your other favorite tune on his discography? Let us know through our social media, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!
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