Benjamin Goldwasser | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Benjamin Nicholas Hunter Goldwasser |
Born | Mishawaka, Indiana, U.S. | December 17, 1982
Origin | Westport, New York, U.S. |
Genres | Neo-psychedelia, new wave, synth-pop, art rock, alternative rock |
Occupation(s) | Singer, musician, songwriter |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, keyboards, sampling, guitar, percussion |
Years active | 2002–present |
Labels | Columbia, Red Ink (an imprint of Columbia Records), Cantora |
Benjamin Nicholas Hunter Goldwasser [1] (born December 17, 1982) is an American songwriter and musician in the psychedelic rock band MGMT, for which he primarily plays keyboards and sings. In 2009, his song " Electric Feel" (co-written with bandmate Andrew VanWyngarden), remixed by Justice, won a Grammy Award in the Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical category. [2] In 2010, his band was nominated for a Grammy as Best New Artist and Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. [3]
Goldwasser was born in Mishawaka, Indiana, [4] the son of Rachel Hunter and David Goldwasser. [5] [6] He was raised in Westport, New York. [2] [7] Goldwasser is Jewish on his father's side. [8] When he was age 11, he saw Adrian Belew live in concert and met guitarist Rob Fetters backstage. [7] He began piano lessons with his grandmother and mother, played in his high school's jazz band, and attended a "rock and roll camp" in Montpelier, Vermont. [7] One of his musical influences in high school was the electronic protopunk band Suicide. [9]
Goldwasser met Andrew VanWyngarden, the other half of MGMT, in his freshman year at Wesleyan University. [10] Goldwasser was studying Music at the time. [11] While in college, he was a member of the Eclectic Society. [12] He helped run the society's music venue (a room in the house). [12] Goldwasser, already a keyboardist, took experimental music classes from composer Ron Kuivila with VanWyngarden which exposed them to progressive musical ideas. [13] They made their debut as MGMT at a party in a college dormitory (playing the theme to the movie Ghostbusters over and over for hours). [14] The duo would email one another and sign the emails "The MGMT" as a way of satirizing corporate culture. [10] [15] They chose this email signature line as the name of their new band. [15]
After graduating from college in 2005, [4] Goldwasser and VanWyngarden moved to New York City, experimenting with music and building a band. [13] They immediately went on tour, opening for Of Montreal. [4] But no record deal came, and the band was on hiatus by 2006. [16] Goldwasser began working on a farm and was intending to move to California when the duo was signed by Columbia Records. [15] The band's 2008 release for the label Oracular Spectacular was a major success. [17] However, the band's sudden success, Goldwasser says, put a serious strain on his friendship with VanWyngarden for a time. [18] The band released its album Congratulations in April 2010 to generally positive reviews. [19] Additionally, in 2013, they released their third studio album, self-titled MGMT. In 2014, Ben, along with psychedelic band Foxygen was featured on The Flaming Lips cover album With a Little Help from My Fwends on track 12. In 2021, Goldwasser and Karen O composed the music for the animated film Where Is Anne Frank.
Benjamin Goldwasser | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Benjamin Nicholas Hunter Goldwasser |
Born | Mishawaka, Indiana, U.S. | December 17, 1982
Origin | Westport, New York, U.S. |
Genres | Neo-psychedelia, new wave, synth-pop, art rock, alternative rock |
Occupation(s) | Singer, musician, songwriter |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, keyboards, sampling, guitar, percussion |
Years active | 2002–present |
Labels | Columbia, Red Ink (an imprint of Columbia Records), Cantora |
Benjamin Nicholas Hunter Goldwasser [1] (born December 17, 1982) is an American songwriter and musician in the psychedelic rock band MGMT, for which he primarily plays keyboards and sings. In 2009, his song " Electric Feel" (co-written with bandmate Andrew VanWyngarden), remixed by Justice, won a Grammy Award in the Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical category. [2] In 2010, his band was nominated for a Grammy as Best New Artist and Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. [3]
Goldwasser was born in Mishawaka, Indiana, [4] the son of Rachel Hunter and David Goldwasser. [5] [6] He was raised in Westport, New York. [2] [7] Goldwasser is Jewish on his father's side. [8] When he was age 11, he saw Adrian Belew live in concert and met guitarist Rob Fetters backstage. [7] He began piano lessons with his grandmother and mother, played in his high school's jazz band, and attended a "rock and roll camp" in Montpelier, Vermont. [7] One of his musical influences in high school was the electronic protopunk band Suicide. [9]
Goldwasser met Andrew VanWyngarden, the other half of MGMT, in his freshman year at Wesleyan University. [10] Goldwasser was studying Music at the time. [11] While in college, he was a member of the Eclectic Society. [12] He helped run the society's music venue (a room in the house). [12] Goldwasser, already a keyboardist, took experimental music classes from composer Ron Kuivila with VanWyngarden which exposed them to progressive musical ideas. [13] They made their debut as MGMT at a party in a college dormitory (playing the theme to the movie Ghostbusters over and over for hours). [14] The duo would email one another and sign the emails "The MGMT" as a way of satirizing corporate culture. [10] [15] They chose this email signature line as the name of their new band. [15]
After graduating from college in 2005, [4] Goldwasser and VanWyngarden moved to New York City, experimenting with music and building a band. [13] They immediately went on tour, opening for Of Montreal. [4] But no record deal came, and the band was on hiatus by 2006. [16] Goldwasser began working on a farm and was intending to move to California when the duo was signed by Columbia Records. [15] The band's 2008 release for the label Oracular Spectacular was a major success. [17] However, the band's sudden success, Goldwasser says, put a serious strain on his friendship with VanWyngarden for a time. [18] The band released its album Congratulations in April 2010 to generally positive reviews. [19] Additionally, in 2013, they released their third studio album, self-titled MGMT. In 2014, Ben, along with psychedelic band Foxygen was featured on The Flaming Lips cover album With a Little Help from My Fwends on track 12. In 2021, Goldwasser and Karen O composed the music for the animated film Where Is Anne Frank.