BEN KELLY

bass

ABOUT HIS BRAVE HISTORY-

I was actually a fan of the band before actually joining. I don't really remember who brought me in... I think it went something like, hey we need bass player, you want to come over and jam?  I was probably like hell yeah!  Being a fan and friends with all of them made it a no brainer.  I've been with Brave since 2003, so about 16 years.

THAT FIRST BRAVE GIG-

University of Maryland. I was going through some old photos and I found one labeled Brave first gig MD. The meta data said 12/15/03 but I'm not sure that's right, but it's probably close enough. Anyway, the gig was at the University of Maryland college campus, some out door event. Not really sure what this show was for but I do remember being super nervous. I also remember sweating my ass off and vowing to never wear another long sleeved shirt while performing again.

FAVORITE BRAVE SONG TO PERFORM

"Words", off of the 'Passages' album. Just one of my all time favorites and really fun to play.

 

Ben  grew up admiring  the top shelf of bassists ... Geddy,  Stanley Clarke, Chris Squire, Gary Willis  John Paul Jones, Steve Harris.   His mother was a piano teacher, so he grew up with a classical ear.  His personal playlist would consist of 70's fusion like Mahavishnu Orchestra and Return To Forever to modern progressive juggernauts like Tool, Opeth, and Dream Theatre.  All that and his passion of exploring new musical territories has shaped Ben into being one of the best bassists in the Mid-Atlantic region.  Outside of BRAVE he's been involved in quite a few music projects, everything from singer song writer acoustic rock stuff (Ryan Project - working with Sony Streetside productions) to doom metal (Forty Days Longing) and extreme technical death metal (Modulus). 

For those few moments when he isnt doing music, he is an avid gamer, but some new music is always in the background. 
Ben creates his signature sound playing an Ernie Ball Stingray Special 5 string with Dark Glass electronics for his amp... powerful, yet small with killer tones,  and super light cabs from Aguilar.