Akron, Ohio-based Americana artist Ben Gage grew up steeped in blue collar traditions that he continues to express through his music. His new album Two Singing Songs arrives on November 3rd, 2023, and the single “Broken Hearts” has been previously released ahead of the album. Gage sometimes provides reflective “musings” about the songs that he’s written and a detailed one about “Broken Hearts” is available here. Ben and the Ben Gage Band also have quite a number of shows coming up this autumn throughout the United States, so be sure to check out their schedule here.
We’re very pleased to debut Ben Gage’s song “Tie Me Down” here on Wildfire Music + News today, the latest from his upcoming album Two Singing Songs. While there are plenty of classic Americana and Country songs about the duplicitous feelings that our own hearts can use against us, drawing us into doomed romances, there are few that capture the nuances of that internal struggle–and possible surrender, the way that we encounter on “Tie Me Down.”
The song also suggests a degree of self-knowledge and an acceptance of one’s own weaknesses that brings things down to a very human level, also suggesting that we, the audience might try not to take ourselves so seriously all the time. Though it may not be the artist’s intention, the track also suggests the beauty of all relationships that can move our emotions deeply, even those that may be inadvisable. The music is soulful and spare, aside from a magical guitar solo that suggests the bewitching mood at play while Gage’s vocals stay celebratory without a hint of recrimination for this embattled situation.
Ben Gage says about the new track:
Welcoming back a past love, one that I know isn’t good for any of the parties involved. ‘Tie Me Down’ speaks to the slippery slope of choosing a known path over a better one. I’m a glutton for punishment, especially if it leads to a new song.
On the upcoming album, Two Singing Songs, all the tracks were written by Ben Gage, and recorded by Tuck Mindrum. Mindrum also mixed the album and it was mastered by Sunroom Audio. For the album, Dan Socha handles vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, upright bass, and percussion. Ben Gage provides vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion, and harmonica. Tuck Minidrum provides additional percussion.
In Fall of 2021, Ben quit his job in the tech sector to pursue music full time. Now he spends more time on the road, sharing stories and “collecting more”, inspired by Folk and Blues traditions.
