Review Fix Exclusive: Ben Eunson Talks ‘ACE’ And More

Review Fix chats with guitarist Ben Eunson, who discusses his new album, “ACE” and how playing with John Legend and Queen Latifah impacted his career.

About Eunson:

Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Eunson learned guitar at the age of 10, and quickly began making a name for himself upon his arrival the US at age 21. Today at age 29, Ben incorporates his background and experience as well as his own unique style of improvisation into his guitar instrumentals, with inspirations of jazz, blues, R&B, prog, and indie rock.

Review Fix: You’ve played with some cool people over the years. How has it affected you as a musician?

Ben Eunson: I’ve gotten to play with a lot of great artists, and it has played a big part in informing my own identity as a musician. I think that being surrounded by strong musical personalities helps bring your own musical identity to the surface. Making a strong, individualistic statement as an artist is something that is very important to me, and working with the wide variety artists I’ve gotten to work with has truly helped me develop my own unique style as a musician. 

Review Fix: What makes the guitar special to you?

Eunson: The guitar is an instrument that I have honestly had a love/hate relationship with over time. I love playing it these days, but during my teenage years I found it to be a very frustrating instrument. At one point, I even attempted to switch over to Saxophone out of frustration. But ultimately, I persisted with the guitar and by my late teenage years, I really started to figure out my own sound on the instrument. Getting to express my own individual musical perspective on the guitar is what makes playing the instrument really special to me. 

Review Fix: How did you get involved in music?

Eunson: I picked up the guitar when I was 10, and knew by the time I was a teenager that I was going to pursue music as my life’s quest. By the time I was 15, I was working professionally in local clubs in my hometown. I relocated to the East Coast when I was 21 and started getting called to play in the clubs of New York City shortly thereafter. From there on, work in the clubs grew into recording sessions, sold out shows with various artists across the country, and international touring. 

Review Fix: What was the creative process for this album?

Eunson: My album “ACE” initially grew from club gigs and private jam sessions with bassist Alexander Claffy and drummer Kush Abadey, beginning in late 2016. We would get together and brainstorm musical ideas that were different to everything else going on around us, and we would also just start improvising together to see what would happen. After playing with these guys enough, I started to write music with our three individual sounds in mind. Over the course of a year, we would go into the studio and record a handful of songs at a time. We recorded about 30 songs total over that period, but my co-producer Michael Perez-Cisneros and I narrowed it down to the 10 strongest songs that best represented my vision for the album. 

Review Fix: What’s the standout track? How was it written?

Eunson: For me, the standout track is “Ace of Hearts.” It tells you a lot of what you need to know about my vision for this album in a little over two minutes. I wrote it after our first gig in early 2017 – I wanted something energetic, hard-hitting, but with a strong melody and an emphasis on the guitar. I knew Alexander Claffy and Kush Abadey could really bring it to life in the studio, and I think it’s a great representation of our group dynamic. 

Review Fix: Bottom line, why must someone check it out?

Eunson: I wanted to make an album like nothing else out there right now. Something unique that represents the way I see music and the world at this point in time, based on all of my musical experiences up until now. I think there is nothing else like this album right now – combining elements of so many different musical viewpoints, crystalized in the form of an instrumental guitar album. And especially if you like listening to guitar with elements of improvisation and musical spontaneity, you should definitely check this album out. 

Review Fix: What’s next?

Eunson: We’re going to get out and play this music live. We’ll see what happens from there!