Ben's Brother
Encyclopedia
Ben's Brother is a five-piece band from the UK
, headed by founder Jamie Hartman
. Their band was named after Jamie's big brother Ben, in whose shadow he lived as a teenager. Jamie always considered himself the beta male
of the family, which gave him the idea for the title of their debut album.
A song from their album, "God By Another Name," became the first iTunes Store
free single of the week to be made available in the iTunes Plus format. Beginning in September 2007, their song "Stuttering" was featured in a Dentyne
Ice commercial
in Canada and the U.S.. This turned into a larger partnership where the band gave away free songs to fans and flew a fan to see them play in Texas
, via a specially created website.
The band made their American festival debut at South by Southwest
in March 2008.
In 2008 the band were nominated for an Ivor Novello Award in the category of Best Song Musically and Lyrically for "Let Me Out".
Dropped by EMI group despite the Ivor Novello Nomination and success with BetaMale Fairytales in the UK and around the world, they formed their own label and recorded their second studio album in Autumn 2008, going on to release the first single, Apologise (co-written with Natalie Imbruglia
who has recorded a version for her forthcoming album), in early 2009 before being signed to Island Records for the forthcoming singles from album 2, Battling Giants, which contains a duet with Anastacia
- Stalemate - and other vocal collaborations including Jason Mraz on the title track and Jack MacManus, Cass Lowe and Pete Gordeno doing group harmonies on the other tracks.
On 15 February Hartman announced via his Twitter
page that the band would continue to release music without the support of the record label Island Records
On 23 October Hartman announced via his Facebook
page that a third album would be released in late February 2012, under the name of Jamie Hartman as opposed to Ben's Brother, although the band would remain in the same set-up.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, headed by founder Jamie Hartman
Jamie Hartman
Jamie Hartman is a British musician and songwriter, and is signed to Flat Cap Records as an artist. Previously billed as Ben's Brother, he is now releasing albums under his own name, and signed to Universal Music publishing as a writer....
. Their band was named after Jamie's big brother Ben, in whose shadow he lived as a teenager. Jamie always considered himself the beta male
Alpha (biology)
In social animals, the alpha is the individual in the community with the highest rank. Where one male and one female fulfill this role, they are referred to as the alpha pair...
of the family, which gave him the idea for the title of their debut album.
Music career
Their debut album, Beta Male Fairytales, was released on 6 August 2007, went to number 3 on iTunes UK and achieved Gold status. Successes followed in Europe and North and South America.A song from their album, "God By Another Name," became the first iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
free single of the week to be made available in the iTunes Plus format. Beginning in September 2007, their song "Stuttering" was featured in a Dentyne
Dentyne
Dentyne is a series of brands of chewing gum available in several countries globally. It is owned by Cadbury Adams, a division of Cadbury.In 1899, a New York City druggist named Franklin V. Canning formulated a chewing gum which he promoted as an aid to oral hygiene. "To prevent decay, To sweeten...
Ice commercial
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
in Canada and the U.S.. This turned into a larger partnership where the band gave away free songs to fans and flew a fan to see them play in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, via a specially created website.
The band made their American festival debut at South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
in March 2008.
In 2008 the band were nominated for an Ivor Novello Award in the category of Best Song Musically and Lyrically for "Let Me Out".
Dropped by EMI group despite the Ivor Novello Nomination and success with BetaMale Fairytales in the UK and around the world, they formed their own label and recorded their second studio album in Autumn 2008, going on to release the first single, Apologise (co-written with Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Jane Imbruglia is an Australian singer-songwriter, model and actress. In the early 1990s, Imbruglia was known to audiences as Beth Brennan in the popular Australian soap Neighbours. Three years after leaving the programme, Imbruglia launched a singing career with the international hit,...
who has recorded a version for her forthcoming album), in early 2009 before being signed to Island Records for the forthcoming singles from album 2, Battling Giants, which contains a duet with Anastacia
Anastacia
Anastacia is an American singer-songwriter. Anastacia has been highly successful in Europe, Asia, South Africa and South America, but has had only minor success in her native United States...
- Stalemate - and other vocal collaborations including Jason Mraz on the title track and Jack MacManus, Cass Lowe and Pete Gordeno doing group harmonies on the other tracks.
On 15 February Hartman announced via his Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
page that the band would continue to release music without the support of the record label Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
On 23 October Hartman announced via his Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page that a third album would be released in late February 2012, under the name of Jamie Hartman as opposed to Ben's Brother, although the band would remain in the same set-up.
Band members
- Jamie Hartman (Vocals)
- Kiris Houston (Keyboard/Guitar)
- Malcolm Moore (Bass)
- Karl Brazil (Drums)
- Luke Potashnick (Guitar)
Albums
- Beta Male Fairytales (2 July 2007) (Chart: UK #14, ITA #100)
- Battling Giants (11 May 2009) (Chart: UK #56)
Singles
- 2007: "Let Me Out" (Chart: UK #38, ITA #8)
- 2007: "Carry On"
- 2008: "Stuttering (Kiss Me Again)" (Chart: UK #41)
- 2009: "Apologise"
- 2009: "Q & A"
- 2009: "StalemateStalemate (song)"Stalemate" is a song by the English band Ben's Brother from their second studio album, Battling Giants. Released as the album's third single on October 26, 2009, the album version of the song features Joss Stone, while the single version features Anastacia...
" (featuring AnastaciaAnastaciaAnastacia is an American singer-songwriter. Anastacia has been highly successful in Europe, Asia, South Africa and South America, but has had only minor success in her native United States...
) - 2010: "What If I?" (Chart: UK #153)
External links
- Ben's Brother Official website
- Jamie Hartman interview getcloser.com