Ben Niesen

An insane man moonlighting as a respectable member of society from Portland, Oregon. A rock ‘n’ roller since his mother first spun The Police’s “Roxanne,” Ben is a lover of all things rock, soul, funk, jazz, blues, electronic and alternative hip-hop. Perhaps it’s easier to list what he doesn’t like: most "gangster" rap, country-western and modern metal disagrees with his stomach. Once upon a time, a friend told him to write about music. So he started doing that under the title of a Willie Bobo cover by Santana. Now he wonders about what Stu McKenzie has for breakfast, why John Congleton is the best damn record producer this side of the millennium, and just how Common came to be his favorite hip-hop star. He’s been working on that last one for nearly a decade now. No answers as of yet.