Observations from the Ben Kweller Sing-Along

Ben Kweller knows his way around a pop song, and his audience has full appreciation for everything he does. Seattlest has a soft spot for pop, so we were excited to finally get to see Ben Kweller do his thing at the Showbox Saturday night. And a wonderful thing it was, finding Seattlest joining in the chorus of fans singing along to all of our favorites, like some version of indie-pop camp.

Despite only being 25 years old, Ben Kweller already finds himself in the position of industry veteran, with a recently released third eponymously named solo release, which follows in the wake of his acclaimed teenage output as part of the short-lived Radish. With each of his solo releases, Kweller's managed to maintain his stranglehold on catchy hooks and memorable lyrics (occasionally non-sensical in the positive sense) with increased maturity and confidence, making the transition away from his wunderkind reputation.

We went into the show expecting to only enjoy the older material with which we were familiar, but the new material keeps the Kweller streak going, and we found ourselves enjoying new songs like "Sundress" as much as old favorites like "Wasted & Ready," confirming that Kweller has "it" in spades. The new material felt immediately familiar without giving the impression of Kweller artistically stagnating.

One of the most refreshing things about seeing Ben Kweller live was the enjoyment that he obviously derives from performance. Kweller interacted with his audience, going so far as to provide an impromptu rendition of "Happy Birthday" to a lucky fan. While this show was incident-free compared to the nosebleed-filled Austin City Limits performance (full story listed on his MySpace), Ben's dedication was entirely apparent, closing the feedback loop with his adoring fanbase. Seattlest was happy to attend, and we'll be doing so in the future, claiming the new disc's songs as our own as we already do with the back catalog.

Image from flickr user rise888