BEN WALKER

Hello!

Hope all is well with you and you’re looking forward to the summer. I’m off next week to one of my favourite places – Halsway Manor in Somerset – to do my summer Masterclass for intermediate guitarists. It’s a lovely week and you always come away with great friends at the end of it. There’s be a gig on Thursday 6th, too, if you’re in the area.

Then, I’m absolutely delighted to let you know that Kirsty Merryn and I will be taking the show on the road with September dates in Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland! She’s had an amazing 2023 so far touring with the likes of Show of Hands. We’ve been working on some new old songs, and we’re really looking forward to all the fun of touring together again!

If you’ve friends in those parts and you think they might like us, do tip them off! In the meantime, enjoy the good weather and hopefully see you soon.

Thanks for reading and all the best,

Ben

In what feels like no time at all, my new album is finally out!

There’s so much brilliant new material coming out at the moment; hopefully you’ll find a moment to enjoy this one. With everything that’s been going on in the world, it’s taken me nearly three years to make this album, but I hope it’s better for the extra time spent thinking, testing, trying a few things.

I’ve wanted to make this album for a long time – I wanted to write something that spoke about the way that we as humans have understood the vastness of nature through different lenses. There are poems set to music, some things I’ve written myself, some instrumental pieces, and above all I wanted to stretch myself musically and find the style that best fits the song.

I couldn’t have made it without the help of some wonderful artists, so if you’re interested in who’s involved we have (drum roll), Sophie Jamieson, Nancy Kerr, Emily Mae Winters, Louis Brennan, Lucy Cait, Sam Lee and Kirsty Merryn on vocals, Basia Bartz, Anna Jenkins and Jo Silverston on strings, my old flatmate John Parker on double bass, and Nancy’s Magpie Arc bandmate, Tom Wright on drums. It’s been an absolute privilege to make music with such generous people – I really enjoyed making this album, so I hope it speaks to you too.

You can now buy the full album directly from me at bandcamp, from wherever you get your albums from, or to stream in the usual places – a full list is here 

Cheers and all the best,

Ben

It’s the first of February and my new single is out today!

It’s called Banish Air from Air and it’s also the title track of my new album.

The words are a poem by Emily Dickinson. It uses so few words to say what I wanted to say, I had to open the album with it. It’s at least 150 years old but it feels condensed and supercharged even now, let alone compared to her contemporaries.

Marry Waterson made another astonishing video for this song – I gave her no directions, she just promised me something ‘devastating and lovely’ and I’m sure you’ll agree that’s what we got.

Sophie Jamieson did me the honour of singing on it. I first worked with Sophie many years ago, on her debut EP, and as it started to take shape I knew this one could only really be for her to sing. The harmony arrangement at the heart of this track is her work and I think it’s stunning.

You can listen to the single on Spotify or any of the other streaming services, and if you pre-order the full album directly from me, you’ll be the first to get a copy when it comes out later this month.

Thanks for reading and all the best,

Ben