Ben Gibbard

Ben Gibbard

Gibbard performing with Death Cab for Cutie in 2008
Background information
Birth name Benjamin Gibbard
Born (1976-08-11) August 11, 1976
Bremerton, Washington
Genres Alternative rock, indie rock, synthpop
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter, guitarist
Instruments Guitar, vocals, piano, drums, bass
Years active 1994–present
Labels Barsuk, Atlantic, Sub Pop, Wawa
Associated acts Death Cab for Cutie, The Postal Service, ¡All-Time Quarterback!, Pinwheel, Dntel, Pedro the Lion, Kind of Like Spitting
Website benjamingibbard.net

Benjamin "Ben" Gibbard (born August 11, 1976)[1] is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, with which he has recorded eight studio albums, and as one half of the electronica duo the Postal Service. Gibbard released his debut solo album, Former Lives, in 2012, and a collaborative studio album, One Fast Move or I'm Gone (2009), with Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt's Jay Farrar.

While performing guitar in the band Pinwheel, Gibbard recorded a demo cassette under the moniker Death Cab for Cutie, entitled You Can Play These Songs with Chords (1997). After receiving a positive response to the material, Gibbard expanded the project into a full band, with the addition of Chris Walla (guitar), Nick Harmer (bass) and Nathan Good (drums). The following year, the band released its debut album, Something About Airplanes (1998), on Barsuk Records, and released its follow-up, We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes, in 2000.

Life and career

Gibbard was born in Bremerton, Washington, where he spent his formative years, during the time of the grunge music explosion in the early 1990s. He graduated from Olympic High School in 1994. He also cites Jack Kerouac as a major influence.[2] He studied engineering at Western Washington University.[3] He was raised Roman Catholic and referred to himself as "this indoctrinated Catholic even though I haven't been to church of my own volition in 10 or 15 years now."[4] In a 2003 interview Gibbard stated that while he had previously been a vegan, he had recently become a pescetarian.[5]

He had a small role in the John Krasinski film Brief Interviews with Hideous Men based on the David Foster Wallace short story collection of the same title.[6] He completed a solo tour through the US in the spring of 2007 that featured David Bazan of Pedro the Lion and singer-songwriter Johnathan Rice.

Gibbard became engaged to actress and musician Zooey Deschanel in 2008. The couple married in September 2009 near Seattle, Washington.[7] They announced their separation on November 1, 2011.[8] Deschanel filed for divorce on December 27, 2011, citing irreconcilable differences.[9] The divorce became final on December 12, 2012.[10] Gibbard married photographer and tour manager Rachel Demy on October 21, 2016 in Seattle, Washington.[11]

He reportedly gave up alcohol in 2008 and began running marathons.[12] He ran his first trail ultra-marathon (a running race longer than 26.2 miles) in 2013 and since then has completed several each year. [13]

Gibbard is an agnostic, lapsed Catholic: "I don’t want to falsely believe in something solely so I can jump to the front of the line for whatever this awesome place is we go after we die. [...] The vastness of that idea is so beyond my comprehension that I feel like if there was a God, then that God would accept me saying I’m not able to believe because it’s so outside of my ability to understand it. I understand that’s where faith comes into play."[14]

Gibbard is an activist for gay rights and wrote an article in The Daily Beast voicing why this issue is important to him. He stated that when his lesbian sister got married, that it was "the most beautiful thing" he had ever seen. In the article, he voiced his strong support for Referendum 74 and discussed raising money for the issue. He stated, "I would just feel so much pride for my state if we could pass it by a popular vote and show the rest of the country that this is the direction we are going in."[15]

In September 2014, it was reported that Gibbard would appear as a guest on the Foo Fighters' eighth studio album Sonic Highways.[16]

Musical equipment

As of May 2015, Gibbard tours with four modified 1970s Fender Mustang guitars. Additionally he uses two custom-built Acme Silvertone amplifier heads. For use on acoustic songs he relies on two 2008 Gibson J-45 Acoustic Guitars with B-Band pickup systems.[17] In the past, Gibbard used Fender Telecasters and G&L Telecaster-style guitars.[18]

In popular culture

Gibbard is the subject of the song, "Ben's My Friend", by indie folk act Sun Kil Moon. The track appears on the project's sixth studio album, Benji (2014).[19] On Sun Kil Moon's follow-up album, Universal Themes (2015), primary recording artist Mark Kozelek again refers to his friendship with Gibbard on its closing track, "This Is My First Day and I'm Indian and I Work at a Gas Station". Gibbard previously made a guest appearance on the band's third studio album, April (2008).

Discography

Death Cab for Cutie

Ben Gibbard

The Postal Service

Kind of Like Spitting

¡All-Time Quarterback!

With Jay Farrar

Pinwheel


In addition, Gibbard, alongside Steve Fisk, composed and recorded the score for AJ Schnack's 2006 documentary, Kurt Cobain: About a Son. The film also features his cover of Beat Happening's "Indian Summer".

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Death Cab For Cutie – news, lyrics, pictures, reviews, biography, videos, best songs, discography, concerts, gossip, pictures and tour dates". NME. UK. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
  2. ↑ "The Meaning of Life". Pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
  3. ↑ "Death Cab, Full Speed Ahead". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
  4. ↑ "FILTER Magazine". Filter-mag.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2007. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
  5. ↑ Agrella, Will; Smith, Marty (September 4, 2003). "Death Cab For Cutie". IGN. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Benjamin Gibbard". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
  7. ↑ "Zooey Deschanel Gets Married." People.com. September 20, 2009.
  8. ↑ Ravitz, Justin (November 1, 2011). "Zooey Deschanel, Husband Ben Gibbard Separate". Us Weekly. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Zooey Deschanel Files for Divorce from Ben Gibbard". People.com. January 4, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Zooey Deschanel Officially Divorced". Tmz.com. December 17, 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Uneventful Friday." Instagram.com. October 22, 2016.
  12. ↑ "How Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard Got Sober". Spin. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  13. ↑ "Benjamin Gibbard M39". Ultrasignup.com. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
  14. ↑ "Death Cab for Cutie". RELEVANT Magazine. 2011-09-13. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
  15. ↑ "Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie On Why He Supports Gay Marriage". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
  16. ↑ Kaye, Ben (2014-09-10). "Foo Fighters recruit Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard for new album". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
  17. ↑ Perry Bean (2015-05-27). "Rig Rundown: Death Cab for Cutie". Premier Guitar. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
  18. ↑ "13 unsung Telecaster legends". MusicRadar. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
  19. ↑ Cohen, Ian. "Sun Kil Moon: "Ben's My Friend"". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 10 January 2014.

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