Ben Kweller offers his advice on how to survive jetlag while being on the road. With a world tour just around the corner including an appearance at The Great Escape festival, one has to be prepared when it comes to managing different time zones. “Things like jetlag, I try not to be concerned with,” Kweller offers. “Like if you get in and you’re really tired and it’s 5pm it’s best to try and stay up until 9pm and then you’ll sleep at a good time and wake up at a normal hour you know? I just try to get on the schedule with where you’re going and just try and have a good time.”
It’s just past nine and Kweller is chatting on the phone enjoying some precious time off. In a few days rehearsals begin for his world tour which will take Ben Kweller around the US, Europe, Japan and Australia. Kweller is chatty and has an obvious love for Australia which he later delves further into. “I’m just hanging out at home, spending some time off,” he says. “I’ve just been relaxing and writing some songs and hanging out with my family.”
Kweller reveals that Australia holds a special place close to his heart as he was actually engaged to his wife Liz while on tour in Melbourne. “We found a wedding ring while we were in Sydney and then I proposed in Melbourne so it’s like a really romantic place for us,” he explains
His strong fanbase in Australia also contributes to his love affair with our country. Kweller’s first visit to promote his debut record Sha Sha was a success, with fans warming to his earnest pop rock. “Australia is always a top priority for me,” he says. “Whenever I release a new album, I always make time for atleast one tour in Australia. I just love my fans there and the whole atmosphere. The whole vibe really is something that I can relate with and I’m really looking forward to touring there again.”
The Australian music scene is another reason why Kweller enjoys our country so much. “I’m a big fan of Gelbison and I really like Jet,” Kweller admits. “I’m actually a Vines fan as well. I think there’s something about Craig Nicholls that’s really mysterious and I dig it.”
Kweller’s appearance at The Great Escape festival will be his first Australian festival gig. Having previously played in smaller venues while on tour by himself and with The Bens, Kweller is excited about playing to a larger crowd. He recalls his first festival experience revealing “Festivals were always a big deal for me as a kid. This big radio station in Dallas used to have this festival, called the Edgefest and every summer I would go. I mean I know I smoked pot for the first time there. I was at my rebellious teenage phase then.”
However, Kweller reveals a mature and optimistic side when asked about how he copes with the demanding touring schedule that often means spending more time in a hotel room than the actual city. He explains, “After a year of it I start to get antsy and start to miss home and I want to see the great outdoors. I’d wanna go camping after the tour ‘cause I’ve been in big cities for the whole tour. I cope with it really well ‘cause I’ve never really done anything else since I was fifteen years old. It’s just a part of my life and how I live.”
It seems that fatherhood may have contributed to his optimistic outlook on what lies ahead. Dorian, his eight-month-old son, has already developed quite an ear for music which Kweller is very pleased about. “One day when Dorian was really young, almost maybe a month old, it was time for him to take a nap and he was crying and no one could get him to sleep,” Kweller says. “So Liz went and grabbed a Beatles CD and it was Rubber Soul and put it on and he just stopped crying, and stared at the boombox and just listened to it and finally fell asleep. Ever since then he’ll only go to sleep to Rubber Soul by The Beatles.”
The conversation then turns to Kweller himself and what he listens to before he goes to bed. He repeats the question and laughs. “Before I go to bed it’s usually the songs I’m making up that’s spinning around in my head,” he says. “There’s some old music that I listen to, like some blues and jazz.”
Check out the full coverage of Great Escape here.
