Meet Ben Bourne!
Ben is a multi-instrumentalist who has been performing live in the Charlotte area for close to 20 years, both as a solo artist and a band member. He currently hosts weekly full-band improvisational nights (jam sessions) and also performs live as a guitarist, keyboardist, and vocalist with his band that plays regularly throughout the southeast.
Why I Became A Musician
My oldest sister introduced me to a lot of music that I still listen to today, and when she began to learn guitar, it was inevitable that I'd want to follow after her. I started playing guitar when I was twelve, after she was kind enough to show me how to play a Michelle Branch on her nylon stringed classical guitar. But I ultimately wanted to play pop-punk music like my first favorite band, New Found Glory, and that was where I initially gravitated.
My Memorable Musical Experience
My first time going on tour. I played drums at the time, and we went from NC out to Austin, TX for South by Southwest. It was always a dream of mine to travel with music, and I made lifelong friends and musical collaborators in the process.
A fun fact about me is...
I refer to myself as a chronic hobbyist; my interests span very far and I love to tinker with anything from plants to cars to electronics repairs.
My advice to someone starting to learn music is...
Identify the artists, songs, or styles of music that motivate you to want to learn to play, and focus the majority of your efforts there. There are countless paths to learning music, but the one that works best for you is the one that keeps you picking up your instrument not because you feel you should, but because you have a desire to.
