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<strong>Meet</strong> Musician<br />
Ben O'Connor<br />
Making An Impact,<br />
Traversing New Roads<br />
BY ASHLEY BENDIKSEN, PHOTOS PROVIDED BY BEN O'CONNOR<br />
© Best Version Media<br />
Hi Ben! Tell us about yourself - who are<br />
you and what do you do?<br />
I write music, play music, travel, and meet amazing people from<br />
coast to coast, and in many ways it kind of feels like a dream.<br />
Before this, I worked for fishing charters, worked at local hotels<br />
and restaurants, and even sold cars! I was figuring out what<br />
wasn’t working and what I actually didn’t like, kind of like trial<br />
and error. Ultimately, all of these different things led to music.<br />
So now I write music, travel a lot, and get to play to awesome<br />
people. I also have a full band consisting of about seven<br />
members which are used in multiple layouts. <strong>The</strong> most common<br />
on the road is a trio - myself, a guitarist, and percussionist.<br />
When did you first realize you had musical<br />
talent? Who has influenced you?<br />
<strong>The</strong> first song I ever memorized was Mud on the Tires by Brad<br />
Paisley. I remember being a kid and loving that song. I was maybe<br />
10 years old, on my parents’ living room floor, and wanted to<br />
write the lyrics out so I could sing it. This was before computers,<br />
so I sat in front of the stereo system and every few seconds, I’d<br />
pause and write down the lyrics as fast as I could. That moment<br />
sparked my love for music. As I got older, I learned guitar in Mr.<br />
(Phillip) Statser’s class my junior year at Middletown High School.<br />
It was very simple yet gratifying. I knew I had a love for music,<br />
but now I could also be a creator. I had a foundation and later<br />
went on YouTube and Google and sort of self-taught the rest. I’ve<br />
always had a love for country, and can say that Kenny Chesney<br />
and Jack Johnson have impacted me the most as a creator.<br />
What's your musical style and hope as an artist?<br />
I try to make music that’s very raw and genuine to the way I live.<br />
<strong>The</strong> stuff that comes natural to me are family, friends, and love<br />
of country. I have this burning desire to have our music mean<br />
something, as well as improve the lives of veterans. I think the root<br />
of it all is my great uncle, Alfred J. Guilmette, Jr., who everyone<br />
called Uncle Tuffy. He was at Normandy beach, the Battle of the<br />
Bulge, so many of those pivotal<br />
battles during the European<br />
front of the war. When I was<br />
little, right about the same<br />
time as that Brad Paisley song,<br />
he was telling us stories and<br />
showing us his uniform, photos,<br />
badges, things he’d brought<br />
back. This really strengthened<br />
my consciousness and<br />
awareness of this great country<br />
we live in, and that we gotta<br />
be grateful and give back to<br />
those who served. Personally,<br />
I’ve always felt called to serve,<br />
and music is one way I’ve<br />
learned I can play a role. We’re<br />
Premier Roofing & Installation • <strong>Family</strong> Owned<br />
Rinaldi Roofing was founded and operated by twin<br />
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Please feel free to<br />
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you go with the<br />
Rinaldi Bros you get<br />
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14 AQUIDNECK ISLAND LIVING
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